Adewale Ayuba is one of the few musicians who believe that lyrics should not only inform but also educate and entertain. Popularly known as Mr. Johnson, Ayuba who has transversed the length and breath of the continent and beyond with his Bonsue brand of fuji music was caught up at the swimming pool side of the Lagos Country Club in Ikeja, Lagos where he was billed to perform recently. Here is the outcome of the meeting where he shared his painful moments with The Entertainer. Excerpts:
Who is Mr. Johnson?
Mr. Johnson is a Nigerian fuji artiste. His real name is Adewale Ayuba. He was born 48 years ago at Ikenne Remo in Ogun State where he also grew up. He is married and professionally committed to fuji genre of music.
How did you coin the word, Bonsue?
Bonsue is a word that came from my late mother. May her soul rest in peace. She used the word to abuse me when I was very young. I was always singing whenever she sent me on an errand. She didn’t seem to like it. She would retort: ‘rather than read your book, you would be singing about; bobo bobo bonsue, don’t go and become bonsue, read your book!’ When I grew up and began to think of a name to use for my band, I remember my mother’s word, Bonsue. It jelled and I began to use it.
How did your journey to stardom begin?
I left Ikenne Remo in 1982. The album that brought me into limelight was Bubble. It contained the line: Another Mr. Johnson is a counterfeit. I was living in Lagos then. It was released in 1991.
What are some of the fondest memories you’ve had?
The memory I had was that becoming a musician was not an easy decision. It was a decision between me and my parents. I happen to be the last born of my parents and they never wanted my going into music. I had to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with them to sing and at the same time pursue education. The pact says in part: ‘you must go to school Monday to Friday, and Saturday can be used for your musical rehearsals’. This spurred me into going to school. They went further to add: ‘if you must be a musician, you would neither smoke nor drink. And you must marry one wife’.
What kind of upbringing did you have?
I had a wonderful family background. My parents were closely knitted. And the siblings made beautiful home and are all well read.
As the last child, were you spoilt?
I had a breathing space because I chose to play music. Probably, if I had chosen education, my parents would have spoilt me. And because I chose what they didn’t believe in, they didn’t close mark me. But they put a lot of checks on me; they didn’t allow me to mingle and have friends. Each time I had to perform, after the performance, I went home for fear of being lured to cigarette smoking, which my parents had warned me against.
What age did you become a professional musician?
I started when I was seven years old. At that age, I was already attending social gathering, singing without drums. When I turned 10, someone by name, Sunday Olojuanu, a welder, who saw me perform in a party came to my parents and spoke to them about the budding talents in me, and the need to allow me make a career in music. He also promised to acquire musical equipment for me, to which my parents agreed. He bought all the equipment I needed and christened the band, Sunny Ayuba, which is a combination of his name and my own name.
How did Bubble help to blossom your career?
Before Bubble, I had six other albums. Bubble was a project. I had other albums that didn’t live up to my expectations. None of them got airplay in the universities and the elite group, and I don’t like doing music that the elite cannot relate with. Bubble met that expectation with fast beats the youths can align with. I’ve always looked forward to cross over music rendered purely in Yoruba and Islamic languages because of the background of fuji. Bubble was released 50 per cent English and Yoruba so that both Yoruba and non-Yoruba listeners can relate with it. And when it came out, it turned a hit.
Who do you owe your discovery in music?
I owe it to God. I have never played in any group. Though, my father had a beautiful voice he never waxed any album. He was called Afodu, which means someone that has a sweet voice. I think I took it from him.
How many wives do you have?
I’m married to only one wife. It is verifiable.
What else have you done apart from music?
I have never done any other thing apart from music. Music happens to be my first love and I went for it without blinking an eye. And that was why when my parents brokered the deal that I should go to school if I must play music, I didn’t hesitate because I didn’t want anything to stand in the way of my interest in music.
How did you fulfill your parents’ side of the deal, you went back to school?
It is not that I went back to school. Before I left my parents, I had Ordinary National Diploma (OND) from Ogun State Polytechnic. When I became a star, I later went to Queen Borough Community College of Banking and Finance, New York, United States where I had an Associate Degree. When I came back, I did Industrial Law at the University of Lagos.
How true is it that you play more shows now than making albums?
I’m still a recording musician. My latest album entitled, Sugar has just been released into the market. It contains eight tracks that include Ori, Olenu Pa, Sisi Eko and a track dedicated to Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu.
How many albums have you so far recorded?
I’ve released 15 albums in Nigeria and four abroad.
What is the business side of Adewale Ayuba?
I manage my band. I’m also the CEO of Bonsue Fuji Band (BFB) Nigeria Ltd. I have a property that is rented out to tenants and a hospitality outfit.
What is your staying power in music?
I give God the glory. 90 percent of Nigerians, who may not have come across me personally, cannot say they have not heard about Adewale Ayuba. What I pray for is for government to believe in our music. The genre of music I play is only heard in Nigeria. This is what can be used to open doors in Europe because it is original in nature. In America, they have their own brand of music they love listening to. In Nigeria, we have our juju, highlife and fuji music.
What is your relationship with other fuji musicians?
It is fine and cordial; I’m also a member of Fuji Musicians Association of Nigeria (FUMAN). I give kudos to late Sikiru Ayinde Barrister who mentored me in the industry. I credited him in one of my records.
What have been your most embarrassing moments?
I see every embarrassment as a step to grow. But the experience that pained me most was when the police mistakenly shot me in Abeokuta. Though, they later apologized.
How did you know you were going to make it in music?
I cannot explain it. It is only God that understands it. The fact remains that I just love music and something was always telling me that music was my calling. My parents and other siblings could also read that I was headed for music right from the time I was a little boy.
How has women helped your career in music?
I appreciate women a lot. When one has seven women following a musician, it shows that one has additional 22 men because of those women.
How has your music coped with the coming of urban music called hip-hop, which is rendered in local dialects?
What many people don’t know is that lyrics do not only sell music, it is also sold by beats and drums. What the youths are doing is hip-hop no. And it cannot open international market for them. Though, the artistes are getting popular with it, what is the future of such artistes? Today, we still talk about Fela Anikulapo Kuti, King Sunny Ade, IK Dairo, a Member of the British Empire (MBE), and Victor Uwaifo. These are musicians whose works are still making waves locally and internationally. I got KORA award because I play fuji music but as a hip-hop artiste from Nigeria, I couldn’t have been so recognized. Hip-hop. R&B, and jazz are from America while reggae is from Jamaica. Indians and Chinese have their own genres of music. So, our young ones are playing music that cannot take the country anywhere.
When you write songs, what kind of issues you put in context?
I believe lyrics are very important in music, because people see musicians and artistes as role models. And whatever comes out of an album is very important to them. When I’m writing songs, I think of how to educate the upcoming artistes. I would not want to play music solely for parents while the children would be ignored. I see my lyrics as that of a poet who has come to address his people and I think it is natural.
How did you arrive at the dance steps that characterized Bubble?
This is why I described Bubble as a project. When I released it, a time came for the video to be shot, I thought since Bonsue is my style; it is time for people to know how to dance the music. I got myself a big mirror. As the music played I began to carve out the dance steps. It is not that I learnt it from any choreographer; it is a divine creation which people later fell in love with and became part of it.
How would you rate the music industry?
I’ll rate the industry high. We have a lot of talents in Nigeria, except that government is not encouraging the artistes. During national events like independence, our talents and artistes ought to be showcased. When I went to Cotonou for a press interview, I gave them my music and they played it during the interview. After the interview, they went back to their own local music. It is only in Nigeria that Western music is celebrated. Any thing from Nigeria is regarded as local. Government is the only one that can regulate the industry. If government says it needs 90 per cent local contents on our radio stations, the order will be obeyed and violators will be punished.
What message do you have for the upcoming artistes?
I would advise the upcoming artistes to be themselves as well as believe in their culture. It is not right to do a music that would reign and die in Nigeria but something that would go farther than Nigeria‘s shores. Fela Anikulapo Kuti is dead but his music is still being appreciated. Sir. Abimbola Olaiya just marked his 50th years on stage and people still crave for his music. Music is a profession and must be done very well. Stardom should not be allowed to get into their heads. They should be humble so that they don’t fumble and stumble.
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