Beautiful Nubia is the performing name for Segun Akinlolu (DOB:
11 November 1968), a Nigerian-born songwriter, music composer and band leader.
Beautiful Nubia and the Roots Renaissance Band is Nigeria's
foremost contemporary folk and roots music group. Formed and fronted by
songwriter and poet Segun Akinlolu (aka Beautiful Nubia), the group's songs and
albums have achieved cult status among their loyal and growing fans spread
across the world.
Early Days
Segun
akinlolu was Born in Ibadan in
1968, Segun started writing songs at a very young age. He drew his early
influence from the traditional culture which was prevalent in the form of oral
poetry, theatre, music and folklore. In 1997, he established EniObanke, a music
production and marketing company, under which his first album was released in
1997. All subsequent recordings have been released on this label and the
company recently commenced the first-ever folk and roots music festival in
Nigeria, the EniObanke Music Festival (EMUfest). In 1998, the artist invited
several young musicians in Lagos to form a backing band to which he gave the
name The Roots Renaissance Band. Throughout the years, Beautiful Nubia has
remained the songwriter, arranger and bandleader contributing acoustic/rhythm
guitar, lead vocals and percussion. The band is still mostly made up of the
original members.
Education
Segun Akinlolu graduated from the University of Ibadan with a
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree in 1992 and worked as a Vet Doctor
for about 8 years. He also holds a Post-Graduate Diploma from the Nigeria
Institute of Journalism.
Theme
Beautiful Nubia's songs are built on rich folkloric traditions
and native wisdom but his message is universal in thrust and theme: value life,
respect nature and learn to live in peace with others. The music speaks for the
voiceless and champions the dream of a balanced society where individuals are
truly free and equal. It preaches love and tolerance but also urges people to
stand and defend their rights when trampled upon anywhere in the world
Reward came in
2002 with the release of the ground-breaking third album Jangbalajugbu.
It is estimated that more than 50 million Nigerians wake up each day to
"Owuro L'Ojo (How D'You Do?)", one of the hit tracks in the album. To
date, Jangbalajugbu has sold in excess of a million copies
(not including the large numbers sold in the open market by pirates). Since
then, the band has released 10 more studio albums, all of which confirm what
can be described as the Beautiful Nubia style and his stubborn refusal to be
pigeon-holed. The over 200 original songs - didactic, philosophical and deeply
moving - have cemented his reputation in Nigeria and beyond as an advocate for
employing traditional wisdom in achieving personal and community development
and social justice. It is the combination of enjoyable entertainment and
provocative thoughtfulness that has come to define Beautiful Nubia's style. The
music has garnered excellent reviews in leading African/world music
publications. It has been nominated for music awards and topped
international/world charts on community, grassroots and campus radio stations.
SECRET BEHIND THE NAME
Beautiful Nubia is not just a veterinary
doctor trained at the University of Ibadan, Oyo State, he is also a published
poet, a songwriter and a band leader. In this interview with Edozie
Udeze, he harps on the need to grow a viable music industry that can churn out
the best songwriters in the world and lots more
What
does EniObanke music festival mean to you?
Yes, we started the music festival since three years now. It is a festival of
root and folk music from anywhere in Africa. We do not discriminate. Musicians
also come from all over Nigeria. Because we are based here in the South West,
it may seem that what we showcase is more of Yoruba folklore music. But it is
not intentional; we have to start from an area we know, an area we are equally
familiar with.
And then slowly we keep building from there. Essentially, we use the platform
to showcase authentic Nigerian folk and root music and play them in different
locations as part of the festival. Generally, we play folk-derived music like
highlife, Afrojazz, every thing music that has traditional background.
We also give opportunity for young voices, upcoming musicians to be part of it.
It is to give them their own ample opportunity to showcase what they have. Some
of these young ones can be allowed to play what we call commercial pop music.
When they do this, the media can see them, then, they can get some airtime or
later be signed on. You see, if you are an established artiste, sometimes you
forget the struggles you went through. I think it is a bit easy when you create
a platform for the younger people who are still struggling to air their own
views.
How do you get sponsorship for this show?
I have basically been using my own money to finance the shows, with support
from friends and well-wishers. My own personal friends and friends of the Art
have been of immense assistance to us. At times some of my fans would be of
help. However, the basic money has been from my company, EniObanke. You know,
it has not been easy, I won’t lie to you, because I am not a man of large
pocket. But I am also blessed with a lot of people who are ready to give their talents
to make it work.
Beyond this, what is Beautiful Nubia doing now musically?
Well, I have been playing this music now for about 15 years. I have just
released a new album. Although it is not out officially, it will soon be in the
Nigerian market. Officially it was supposed to be out on November 1. But again,
I have been busy, very busy playing all over the place, keeping the industry
alive and busy.
Our shows are not the noisy type. We do not make noise about our music, for
when we do not play around the country, we play in the universities. We also
play at private shows, social events. Our approach to this has always been very
modest. But beyond that, I have been very busy in the music circle, with a new
album that is almost out. The title of the new album is Ori Ojori. It is the
same style we have been playing over time. People have always asked me how do I
define my music? But I say it is difficult to define, yet people try to define
it. My job is to play it. But I know it derives from traditional folk music.
How do you set your themes and compose your lyrics?
There is a part I usually do. The music is basically inspirational. I can not
really explain it. If a song comes to me, I write it. Melody comes to me
naturally. Sometimes I try to fuse it together to get what I want. The part of
it that I do actively is crafting the music. I decide what goes where and I
ensure that the parts come out well. Above all, I am very good at arranging the
parts to form good folklore music. My very strong points are writing the songs
and arranging them in parts. This is what defines someone’s music – songwriting
and the arrangement of the music. It is a gift and I am a vessel for that gift.
There is no defined sector for songwriting in the industry. How can this be
corrected?
Yes, I think eventually we will get there. We do not have that for now. But
what you have just said now is very important point in the industry. We have
been saying for a long time, that we do not have infrastructure for music here
yet. We think we do, but we do not. This is one of the infrastructural pieces
we need to advance further in the industry.
In Nigeria, some of us are strong as songwriters, some as singers. But people
lump everything together. They write their own songs, they arrange and sing
them and move on. They produce and market it and do everything. This is not
proper. This is why we often do not have that point of finesse in what we
produce. This is why we are having songwriting workshop as part of this
festival. I am really teaching them how to write songs. You have to have the
gift because if you do not have it you’ll see yourself struggling to cope with
it. But if you have a gift and are a little bit confused about how to craft a
song, you can be put through.
I can teach you how to craft a song, how to know what to include to make a good
song. This workshop in a way can help us to groom a group of song writers that will
then infuse this professionalism into the sector. They can write and co-write
songs. Sometimes you don’t have to do the whole work. If you write half of a
song and get stuck, find another writer and say oh, I have this idea and then
you work together. At the end, you’ll have an art bearing two or three names
there. There is nothing wrong with that. It happens all over the world. Don’t
people coauthor a book or produce a film? I think we are evolving just the way
the country is evolving too, and so we’ll get there. Where there is a lot of
chaos, there is an opportunity for growth. There is much for us to do, to fix
the infrastructure and get them working. And that’s what I am committed to.
That is what we are to do.
Now, is there any relationship between song writing and poetry and literature?
The best songwriters anywhere in the world are poets. Songwriters are poets. I
am a published and performance poet. Many people in England know me as a
performance poet. I have performed in different parts of the world as a poet. I
do my poem from memory, I act them out and I sing them on stage. If you are
good with words, song writing becomes easier for you. Yes, again, if you do not
read very well, you cannot be a good song writer. If you read well and wide
enough you can then write well. But the problem with some of our songwriters is
that they do not read and so they are limited with words.
Where were you trained and why Beautiful Nubia?
I grew up in Ibadan and attended all my schools there. I read veterinary medicine
at the University of Ibadan. I graduated in 1992 and worked as a vet for 10
years. Then I decided to go into music full time. I know I’d be a musician in
life. Even though then I knew I’d learn a trade to fall back on. So, I went to
learn music as a profession. But as a vet, I learnt how to manage funds, which
is helping now to manage my own funds as a musician.
When I began to play music, I tried to find a name that’d suit my person. And
so I settled for Beautiful Nubia. And so I added beautiful so that when people
call me beautiful I’ll strive to be perfected. The Nubia thing has to do with
African civilisation where the people of Nubia were champions. And I love
Africa and I wanted to prove to the world that the people of Nubia gave the
world civilisation.
This was how I got to be known as Beautiful Nubia. Many years ago, the Nubia
people ruled the world, people with dark skin and so on. So, that’s the beauty
there. But my real name is Olusegun Akinlolu.
