GT Da Guitarman, stormed the music industry as a musician over five years ago. Now, the Economics graduate from the Lagos State University has evolved into a producer and a man of many parts. He speaks to Joe Agbro Jr about his music career, his own Record label and how he is under pressure to marry. Excerpts.
WHY did you decide it was time to own your outfit?
Because it was time. I spent five years under Storm Records and after the expiration of my contract, I decided it was time I started mine. And depending on how you look at it, some schools of thought have said, ‘GT, you should have stayed on at Storm. But where is Storm now? And some schools of thought said, ‘GT, you’re the strongest human being that I have seen and I wish you good luck.’
There’s a way entrepreneurs think and if you’re not one, you probably wouldn’t understand why we make the decisions that we make sometimes.’ I’m happy I made the decision that I made. No regrets. You know, it depends on what you call success but running this every single minute of my life, finding something this challenging that makes me wake up in the middle of the night thinking of how to crack my head, and beat the best, and the best in the industry is the greatest challenge that I’ve taken up all my life. And I love challenges. It makes life worth living.
Do you think it’s better for entertainers to own their own record labels?
Okay, to answer that question, I would simply say, ‘In an industry where there is no structure, it is someone that would put the structure in place. And as youths of this great nation, I see the music industry and even Nigeria as a whole, most of the industries and sectors, as actually a virgin island that needs to be tapped into. Why did I start my company? I started because I saw something I can contribute.
And so far, so good, I am proud to say that I have assisted a whole lot of musicians in making their dreams come true through Ember Entertainment. There are quite a number of artistes that I have worked with in the studio. And if not for Ember Entertainment, they wouldn’t have gotten the platform they got. And the fact that they look up to me and say, ‘GT, thank you for supporting me.’ It’s enough for me.
Do you think it’s better for entertainers to start their own record labels?
I would say, ‘we are the branch and not the leaves.’ I would have loved a situation whereby the last generation actually put structures in place. But, no, they didn’t. So, it’s our duty to put those structures in place.
You reportedly said your album ‘Baked’ is about getting better. What is the most trying thing you’ve had to cope with in life so far?
It’s the fact that fund is needed in everything you want to do. And I keep putting funds to shame because I do stuffs that money cannot do. I do stuffs that money cannot buy. And I don’t let funds be a limitation for me. I don’t let it mess me up. I don’t let it make me feel infereior or make me look down on myself.
I have never in my life tell that any man better than myself and I have never looked at myself as better than any man. I paid a couple of producers to actually record the album and at the end of the day, I wasn’t satisfied with what I got. I had to delve into music production and sound engineering and was able to record and finish the album. I mixed and mastered 70 per cent of the album myself. So, yeah, we put funds to shame again.
Your songs have a spiritual thing to it. Where do you usually draw inspiration from?
I think it is God. And the fact that I’m a deep thinker. I just tap from my environment also because there’s an adage that says, ‘if I know so well, it’s because I stand on the shoulders of those who came before me.’ I’m a fan of Afroisms and idioms. I think it’s God anyway.
You recorded a song, ‘Change’ for Buhari, were you contracted to do that and is that just you believing in the General’s regime?
At the point when I wrote the song, the Buhari campaign team was lagging behind. And I looked at it like, ‘is it like these guys couldn’t pay artistes for them to maybe write a song for them compared to the way the other party, PDP was doing.
I felt real bad because the Goodluck Jonathan administration, PDP, actually had the media and there was a whole lot of propaganda against Buhari and I felt bad. And I felt if there was something I could contribute in my own little quota, I should do it. And I recorded the song. It was exactly how I was feeling. And I tried reaching out to his team. Some of them heard it. I don’t know how far it went. But, me seeing that it was taking a lot of time, I decided to support him.
You’ve not been very prominent on the music scene as before. Is GT da Guitarman into other things that are keeping him away from music?
Well, I’m a broker actually. I studied Economics in LASU (Lagos State University). I broker for a company called North Corp and I own another company, Toks Supplies Enterprises, that is into supply of different merchandise. Aside that, I run a studio and I still get to perform once in a while, here and there. And I’m very sure that from the beginning of January, I could tell you that I’ve done quite a number of prominent shows that most of the people you claim have the hit songs didn’t do. I think it’s God and things can only get better. We’re not hungry, we thank God.
Your songs are on Spinlet, how profitable is the venture of selling music online now?
Well, not as profitable. But the joy of an artiste, of a musician, of a creative person is having your works out there. And I told my fans that never would there be a time that they would run short of GT’s materials. And I’m holding to that word. Even this year, we are about to start the production for this year, the album that I’m going to be dropping this year. It’s called ‘Animal Instinct.’
Pirates have gained from the hard work of artistes, leaving them poor. What is your take on how government has been handling the issue of piracy?
Well, piracy is broad daylight stealing. And it’s sad that no administration, ever since 1960 has tackled this piracy issue. It’s almost becoming a culture that we’ve welcome. But it’s fine. I think it’s (piracy) a global thing.
The government can do a whole lot in terms of putting structures in place for artistes to actually make money from music a whole lot more than the way they make. What you see out there now is padi padi. If you don’t know this guy who knows that guy, you really can’t be successful, if you don’t sell your rights to some cabal. You would be shocked what most of these ‘successful guys’ sign, you know. And basically… it’s well.
You once said you didn’t believe in God before, what made you change your mind?
Did I ever say I didn’t believe in God? I think I would never have said that. Maybe people misquoted me. Nah, I never said I didn’t believe in God. Maybe I was misquoted. Or maybe I was drunk then. (Laughs). I mean, come on, I would never have said that.
Why did you self-produce your song, ‘Save Me?’
Oh, well, I have a studio at home. And I decided to produce it myself because I can. It’s as simple as that. I can produce it myself. Even though I look back and I say, ‘I could have done better because I know better now.’ I can actually produce better now because we get better every day. It was a great feeling. The first time I produced myself was the song I produced for my sister called ‘No Fear.’ And I think that was two years ago. My production name by the way is called (Fake) for those who don’t know.
Do you think it’s a wise way to go?
Yeah. You wake up in the middle of the night and start hearing inspiration comes. Being a producer is actually a talent. It’s something you can work on anyway but it’s also something that if you don’t have it, you don’t have it. So, it’s a wise way to go for every artiste to know how to work his way around the studio equipment. So, when inspiration comes in the middle of the night, you probably would just pen it down and just get into the studio and don’t wait for anybody.
Some have said you would have been more successful if you were singing commercial songs? What is your take on this?
Well, it depends on how you look at it. And it depends on what you call commercial songs. Asa is successful to some extent and she is not doing the gba, gba, gba that you would call commercial. Success means different things to different people. And I wouldn’t blame or try to question what anybody sees as success. But, to me, I think I’m a work-in-progress and the fact that we’re not there yet doesn’t mean we’re not going to get there. Just keep your fingers crossed, we’re working on a whole lot of stuffs.
Music is usually associated with some vices like smoking, promiscuity, keeping late nights. What is your vice?
I think smoking is a choice. It’s your own choice to smoke. Promiscuity is a choice too but it is harder to actually withstand the temptation that comes with promiscuity because the truth is that the ladies are always there. And even if you don’t want to, you get tempted at times because you’re human. Keeping late at nights, well, that comes with the job.
What’s the most embarrassing situation you’ve ever found yourself in?
Well, quite a number of embarrassing situations (that) I really can’t start mentioning. There was a time my car broke down somewhere around Orile (Lagos) and some students were singing, ‘When am I going to be what I’m going to be.’ I was embarrassed. (Laughs)
Is GT currently in a relationship?
Okay, this question… it’s funny that it keeps changing every time because one minute I’m in a relationship, the next, I’m not. But at the moment I’m very very single. I don’t if by the time you will be posting or printing this interview, I would have been in a relationship. But, I’m very single. And I’m searching too because my dad wouldn’t let me be. He’ll be like, ‘when am I getting married,’ you know. The pressure is really much but it is well.
What attracts you in a woman?
Well, my kind of woman has to be understanding. She has to understand what I am trying to do. She has to understand my vision, my passion. Everything boils down to understanding. And she has to be supportive of my chosen career. Whoever I’m going to be getting married to is going to be a lucky woman because I’m going to make sure that I do whatever it takes to make her happy. And people I have dated in the past can testify to this. It’s understanding that matters.
Who would you consider as your mentors in the Nigerian music industry?
I don’t think I have any mentor. Oh, there’s Tuface Idibia, sorry. Tuface Idibia is someone I respect. And Sound Sultan. Tuface and Sound Sultan these are people who they’ve been around for so long and they’re still reaping it. Cheers
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