Lagbaja: Reasons musicians can’t avoid women, wine and weed

In an exclusive interview, the legendary musician answer some questions relating to Musicians, Good Music e.t.c.

What made Fela a genius; why I wear mask

The first Nigerian musician to come masked.‘Lagbaja was just something else when he arrived on the scene and effortlessly took up the music space. Distinct and phenomenal. In this interview he offers the world a peep into his life and career

What has been happening to Lagbaja?

Good things. The latest is we had a couple of singles about a couple of months ago and we hope by God’s grace to have the album itself in another two weeks. 

What makes a good musician?

Hmmm! That’s a very deep question and I will start by breaking it down to say that first of all, there’s a huge difference between a musician’s musician and a musician or what some people call entertainer and a musician. What makes a good musician starts from how much time you put into your craft. In this environment, we clap a lot for mediocrity, but I try to think in terms of what is the global standard. That’s the only thing that matters if you really want to be a good musician. You need to spare time for your art. First of all, it’s good to be able to play an instrument or understand the feel.

You don’t have to compulsorily be an instrumentalist. I mean, Michael Jackson was a good musician; Luther Vandros was a good musician;  but I love people like Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones, George Benson and the other guys like Miles Davis. You know, Stevie Wonder will play keyboards and compose songs and sing. He’s the kind of musician I want to be; like Fela Kuti. Fela was one of the most incredible arrangers. He will just sing the song without knowing what is behind the music. That  is  the genius of accomplishment as a musician.

So, what it takes in my perspective, would mean six to eight hours a day of working out. Personally, I’m just motivated to create. I sometimes don’t even think about how I want to sell the music. In today’s entertainment world, you  probably do more work trying to sell than create. I am the other way round because the creative drive is my biggest force. So, I just want to create. So, all my time is spent just making music and less time is spent disseminating it. That’s actually what makes, I would say, a good musician. 

What is the costliest mistake that most musicians make?

My opinion will sound a bit odd. But it is the way I understand the question. The costliest mistake is not to know why you have chosen to be a musician. It’s like what I described just before now about the depth of being a musician. If you really go deep into the music, be ready for poverty, because the deeper the music, the smaller the audience. So, first of all, you should ask yourself-it will be a mistake not to ask yourself -why do I want to be a musician? Is it to make money, is it to express myself, is it to learn about the art? If it is to make  money and you’ve answered that question, then you need to do things in some particular way; you need to think in terms of hype,  your celebrity status, being everywhere, pushing stuff.  If it is about understanding the art, you need to think a different way. So, the very first major mistake a musician will make is not to understand why he or she is a musician. If you can answer that question, you will make your career better.

Why do most musicians find it difficult to manage stardom?

One, nobody is trained in the art of managing stardom, because it just comes and then it’s like you are thrown into the pool and you must learn to swim or sink. Those who manage stardom are those who had been grounded about the realities of life ever before they attained stardom. Two, There are those who become stars a little later in life, who are a little older sometimes, manage stardom better because they’ve learnt to be grounded. It’s like suddenly the whole world is shouting and screaming at your name; suddenly it’s you, you, you, you, you and then the money is flowing and you don’t understand that everything is a cycle and the time will come for most people, except you plan your career on a long term basis.

If you over-expose yourself, your   life would be a lot shorter, because it’s not just about the music. What you  are selling is actually yourself. Believe me, it’s not about the music, because nowadays we talk about brand and stuff like that, it’s mostly about what you are selling yourself So, if you are able to be grounded, if you understand life and you know what you are doing, it will be easier to manage stardom.

What don’t you like about stardom? Fortunately, that’s partly why I wear the mask. Stardom is a dangerous thing. One, like people who take drugs or sorry, people who sell drugs. The first thing they tell them is don’t use your drug. The moment you  start to use the drug you are selling, you are finished; you become an addict. Same thing with stardom. The moment you start to believe the hype, you are finished, because it’s hype. It’s not real.