Popular
Nigerian musician and Starboy boss, Wizkid, has spoken on life in
Lagos, fashion, his famous song, upcoming fashion brand, music album and
more as he was named Nigeria's best dressed pop star by Vogue magazine.
Nigeria's multiple award winning afrobeat sensation, Ayodeji
Ibrahim Balogun, better known by his stage name as Wizkid, has been
named 'Nigeria’s best dressed pop star' by Vogue magazine.
The publication wrote, "Wizkid is pretty much the biggest thing
in Nigerian pop, which itself seems to advance on the global music
stage almost as quickly as the country’s economy, one of the fastest
growing in the world. He scored a massive smash last year with
'Ojuelegba,' an insatiable rags-to-riches hit with a shoulder-shrugging
Afrobeat, which inspired Drake to jump on a remix…"
Below are excerpts from his interview;
On "Ojuelegba" the song that made him famous in the world when Drake hopped on a remix:
We kept it original. The beat—it’s Afrobeat but mellow. And the
message behind the song is so powerful and strong. Every African who
hears that anywhere in the world is going to be able to relate to it.
It’s just me talking about Ojuelegba; it can refer to any hood you are
from, any beginning. Now to where I’m at. It’s a song of where I used to
be, where I’m at now, and where I want to be. I want to be a positive
force. Keep your dreams alive, keep working. It’s a positive vibe. The
old and young love it.
On why is it important to shout out Ojuelegba where he's from:
Ojuelegba is where I grew up. It’s crazy, rough, tough. That’s what
built me into what I am today. The streets of Lagos are definitely
different from anywhere else in the world. Making it out of there is
just madness. You have to experience it. You have kids on the street
hawking, just the hustle and bustle.
If you stay in the car and drive past Ojuelegba, you will feel the
vibe and you will feel the hustle. It’s a very, very, very, very
important place to me, because it’s where one of the studios I started
recording is [located]. I was there every day of my life for like three,
four, five years.
On where he lives now and how Lagos is the place to be:
I live in Lekki now. There are new clubs popping up every day. We
go to places like Escape, Sip, and it’s madness. December is the
craziest time to be in Lagos. I just left there, so I’m pretty exhausted
from going hard. Africa is the next thing right now. Talking fashion,
music, anything—Africa is on top of all that.
On how he can describe Lagos style:
Lagos style is fresh and different. Even with the tailors, they get
very innovative with their stuff, with the cuts. When my parents used
to make the traditional wares, it was a little bit baggy. But now the
tailors are able to infuse the European style, making it slim-fit. Lagos
style is different, man. Innovative.
On if he wear a lot of traditional Nigerian clothes:
When I’m back home, all I wear is African fabric. All I really rock
is the traditional stuff. That’s the in thing right now. That’s really
coming back. Back in the day, our parents used to wear it every day, and
they still do, but now it’s cool for wee young ones to wear it. It’s
amazing. We’re doing it differently. We’re having it a little bit more
fitted. We have styles on it, embroideries and stuff, by local people,
made by hand, designed on it.
On the process it takes to get clothes made for him:
I design everything myself, and I get them to make it. I do a
little sketch; sometimes I just sit down with a tailor and describe what
I want. Sometimes we go back and forth, like, for days, trying to get
it right. Sometimes it’ll take a day to make it, sometimes three, four
days. I have a lot of tailors. If I want something made in 12 hours, it
will be made in 12 hours.
On if he will ever own a clothing line:
I’m hoping to release a clothing line after my EP, planned for
April. It’s going to be tracksuits, T-shirts, hats, and African attire
as well. I’ll have a special line for traditional [clothes] with my
tailors. Taking Africa to the world.
On if he has style icons:
I love Pharrell’s style. It inspires me. It’s not about the brands,
you know, it’s how you put them together. Everything he rocks, he makes
it look so good.
Click here to read the full interview on Vogue.com
0 comments:
Post a Comment