It is an undeniable fact
that Adekunle Kosoko AKA Adekunle Gold is one of the most hardworking
musician in Nigeria. With his back-to- back, award-winning timeless
records and world standard videos, it was only a matter of time we had a
proper sit down with this Bold alumni and grace him with a well-deserved cover.
In between preparing for his tour and tonnes of other engagements he had, Adekunle was kind enough to spare a day out of his tight schedule for a quick chat and a photo session with Bold.
Your journey as a
musician/creative has been an interesting one. Would you say being a
creative has helped you shape your career as a musician, so far?
Yeah definitely, because I feel like I do a lot of things differently. As I am writing a song, I’m thinking about the video already. I’m thinking about the album art. I’m thinking about what I’m wearing in the video, you know. I’m thinking about stage performance. Everything. So being a creative definitely has shaped my music.
You just pointed out that you have a lot of talents. And it’s obvious. But recently you showed us a side of you we've never seen; Adekunle the actor. So what other talents do you have?
I feel like daily I keep discovering myself. So tomorrow I don’t know...I’ll probably be a makeup artist [both laugh].
On a more serious note, would you ever go into acting?
Oh yeah! I mean, I’ve tried it twice now. I feel like it’s interesting. I want to do more.
So what kind of actor do you think you’ll be?
Just give me a Ramsey Noah role where I get to kiss all the girls...Let me be that Emeka Ike guy, you know, spitting them bars to get the girls [both laugh].
Okay. Let’s touch base on your style now. How would you describe your style?
Afrocentric. It’s pure African. I love to represent so I wear Adire. And I think everybody knows that already. I wear 100% Adire. And I feel like it’s beautiful, it makes me unique and that’s why I like it.
I like the fact that you touched base on Adire because we have observed that. And you make Adire look so cool.
Thank you.
But what sparked that love between you and Adire?
When I started in 2015, 2014/15, I didn’t have a direction, I just knew I wanted to do music. But I discovered it’s beyond the music. You need to grow your brand as well. You need to be different. So I thought about it. What was nobody wearing in this industry? What’s that thing that lacks attention? And I did my research. I remembered that I loved Adire back in school because it was one of our assignments in textile class. I really liked it because the process was fun. You’d tie or draw a motif... that is, if you’re doing batik, you draw a motif with candle wax and then you dip in the dye, different colours. You need to know the chemical composition in everything. There’s some art to it and I remembered how much I loved doing that and I thought, Adire – nobody is wearing it. And, if I am the guy that would put it out there, it might as well just be now.
Amazing! Would you ever put out a collection?
Yeah.
I had announced before that I would be launching my line which is
called Urban Adire. There’s little delay but very soon, the collection
will be out.
You’re pretty keen on engaging your audience, right?
Yah.
From music videos to pictures on the ‘gram, you are never caught slipping.
I know right? Like literally. I don’t sleep. [laughs]
Is this because you love to express yourself visually or you feel the pressure of always engaging your over 2 to 4 million followers across your social media platforms?
There’s no such thing as pressure. What I’m doing is fun. I enjoy it. I love pictures. I don’t think I know another guy that likes pictures as much as I do. I love pictures. There’s no pressure. I’m just having fun, putting out pictures, making sure that I connect to people. And then with my videos, I love storytelling and I feel like that’s what I do in my songs as well, so I might as well just narrate what I’m talking about in the songs.
Talking about social media outlets, what is your favourite social media platform?
My favourite social media platform… I think you people know already. It’s Twitter.
Why?
Because that’s where I get to be savage, sometimes. Troll Arsenal fans...
Wow.
I mean, they know, they know! It’s not new. If you follow Adekunle Gold very well, you know that I come for Arsenal fans.
Why?
It’s love. It’s all love. We love each other, don’t worry. Trust me. We have that bond.
What team do you support?
Manchester United. So you can understand why. But yah, I’m always...almost always on Twitter. Instagram, yeah. And recently, Snapchat.
So what’s your favourite Instagram filter?
I don’t use filters.
You don’t use filters. Ahn ahn! so you just come clutch?
You know, it’s natural. [laughs]
Talking about pictures – favourite photographer that you’ve worked with till date?
Adore.
Why?
That guy just gets me. He just understands. I just need to strike the pose and he will just find the angle, that’s it. It’s good.
And he’s called Mr Adore?
Yah, Mr Adore
What’s his social media handle?
@mr_adore
Any creative artist you’re looking forward to working with in the nearest future?
I’m working with one now and I think...by the way, shout out to Donald, my stylist. Not because he’s here. [laughs]. I’d love to work withMaki OH. I’ve seen all her collections and I think she's great.
You know she doesn’t do menswear so are you hoping she’ll make an exception for you?
I know. I thought about it. ‘Cause I’ve seen the pieces she created for Asa and if she dabbles into menswear, I’d really love to wear a piece or three.
Okay. Amazing! Let’s talk about your album now. Your Gold album was, for lack of any better word, golden. It was so well received. It hit number 7 on the Billboard World Album Chart and for a rookie artist that’s a huge accolade. Did you ever think it would be such a ground-breaking album for you?
To be honest, I didn’t think so. I just wanted to share my experience. I just wanted to talk about my life. Then I released it just like every other single I’d released. Surprisingly, the first week of release it was number 7 on Billboard category...world category, and so that was great. Till now, everybody talks about the album and I’m so honoured. I’m working on the new album already and people are still talking about Gold so, it feels good. I didn’t think it was gong to do this well.
Your sound is pretty refreshing. We think it’s soulful, it’s rich and it has a high life underbelly. Would you say you’ve found your niche as a musician? Or you’re still exploring new sounds when it comes to your music?
My genre is urban highlife. That’s my sound. That’s what I love to do. But on the album, I tried a couple of things, couple of genres. Like I went full afro which has worked, and I tried other sounds. Paradise is almost R’n’ B –ish and a bit of hip-hop. So I like to experiment. But I do not forget that my base is highlife. So somehow there’s always that touch of high life.
Okay. So is it safe to assume that you take cues from the greats like King Sunny Ade, Sir Ebenezer Obey when it comes to your music?
Yes! I love them. I recounted my story [on Instagram] when I met King Sunny Ade. It was amazing. King Sunny Ade, Ebenezer Obey, Asa and erm...The Script, Kodaline, they are my biggest influences.
Is that why you decided to create your own band?
Oh, I’ve always played with bands. Even before I became the Adekunle Gold people know now. And when you play in church, it’s pretty much a band. I’ve always enjoyed live music so it’s not because of anybody. I’ve just always enjoyed it. I feel like you can do more if you play live. It’s not the same as saying, “DJ track 1.” I mean that’s limited. With live, you can say “Hush guys, let me talk.” And then, you know, engage people.
So why 79thelement?
Simple, it’s gold. [Laughs] Simple, that’s the unique number for gold on the periodic table. And these guys [the band] complement me. I’m Adekunle Gold as well, so, you know, gold jam gold.
You’re on tour this year.
Yeah.
We can see that you’re working really hard with your band to give a stellar performance and we’re pretty excited about that. What should your fans expect from you?
I toured America last year. That was my first solo. This year, I’m having One Night Stand: Adekunle Gold and the 79th element – London, France, Canada, America again, and then we’re going to go back to Lagos. I got the idea for the tour last year in America. I was somewhere – a strip club. And I was seeing lights. I was just seeing lights, girls. Imagine...and there was a stage, just like...I was just imagining being on that stage singing with plenty lights flashing. Yah, one night...stand. Can you connect the dots?
So I thought okay, I’m going to do a show called One Night Stand. And I’ve had the idea since last year. Although it was birthed in an interesting place. [Laughs] But it’s me and my guys. We’ll be jamming, playing the album, laying the new songs that I have out. It’s going to be amazing. We’ve done tonnes of rehearsals and I look forward to making a great impact.
Will you be performing new music as well as...
Yah.
As in, never-heard-before music?
Yah!
Oooh amazing! And, when should we expect your new album?
So I’ve not picked the date yet but it’s 2018. And the title is going to be 'About Thirty'.
About Thirty?
Yah.
Tell us more?
Don’t worry. Just leave it.
So, you cannot deny the creative chemistry between you and Simi?
Yah.
And we cannot help but wonder if you guys would ever get into the studio and put out a collaborative album or EP. You know, you can maybe call it the love EP?
I don’t know. We’ve talked about it a couple of times. Maybe when we have time. You never know.
And when should we expect babies?
When the Lord says it’s right...to put out babies...like a record [laughs].
Finally, can you describe yourself to me in three words?
Handsome. [chuckles] I am awesome. That’s it. I don’t know how else to say it.
Adekunle Gold is currently on tour with the 79th Element. Catch him in Dublin with Falz on July 7 and get his latest single ‘Call on me’ from his forthcoming Sophomore album “About 30”. Out now iTunes.
Source: bmafrica
Creative Direction; Bella Adeleke
Photography: Ademola Odusami
Styling; Donald Onugha
Copy Editor; Yeni Adeyemo
In between preparing for his tour and tonnes of other engagements he had, Adekunle was kind enough to spare a day out of his tight schedule for a quick chat and a photo session with Bold.
Your journey as a
musician/creative has been an interesting one. Would you say being a
creative has helped you shape your career as a musician, so far?Yeah definitely, because I feel like I do a lot of things differently. As I am writing a song, I’m thinking about the video already. I’m thinking about the album art. I’m thinking about what I’m wearing in the video, you know. I’m thinking about stage performance. Everything. So being a creative definitely has shaped my music.
You just pointed out that you have a lot of talents. And it’s obvious. But recently you showed us a side of you we've never seen; Adekunle the actor. So what other talents do you have?
I feel like daily I keep discovering myself. So tomorrow I don’t know...I’ll probably be a makeup artist [both laugh].
On a more serious note, would you ever go into acting?
Oh yeah! I mean, I’ve tried it twice now. I feel like it’s interesting. I want to do more.
So what kind of actor do you think you’ll be?
Just give me a Ramsey Noah role where I get to kiss all the girls...Let me be that Emeka Ike guy, you know, spitting them bars to get the girls [both laugh].
Okay. Let’s touch base on your style now. How would you describe your style?
Afrocentric. It’s pure African. I love to represent so I wear Adire. And I think everybody knows that already. I wear 100% Adire. And I feel like it’s beautiful, it makes me unique and that’s why I like it.
I like the fact that you touched base on Adire because we have observed that. And you make Adire look so cool.
Thank you.
But what sparked that love between you and Adire?
When I started in 2015, 2014/15, I didn’t have a direction, I just knew I wanted to do music. But I discovered it’s beyond the music. You need to grow your brand as well. You need to be different. So I thought about it. What was nobody wearing in this industry? What’s that thing that lacks attention? And I did my research. I remembered that I loved Adire back in school because it was one of our assignments in textile class. I really liked it because the process was fun. You’d tie or draw a motif... that is, if you’re doing batik, you draw a motif with candle wax and then you dip in the dye, different colours. You need to know the chemical composition in everything. There’s some art to it and I remembered how much I loved doing that and I thought, Adire – nobody is wearing it. And, if I am the guy that would put it out there, it might as well just be now.
Amazing! Would you ever put out a collection?
Yeah.
I had announced before that I would be launching my line which is
called Urban Adire. There’s little delay but very soon, the collection
will be out.You’re pretty keen on engaging your audience, right?
Yah.
From music videos to pictures on the ‘gram, you are never caught slipping.
I know right? Like literally. I don’t sleep. [laughs]
Is this because you love to express yourself visually or you feel the pressure of always engaging your over 2 to 4 million followers across your social media platforms?
There’s no such thing as pressure. What I’m doing is fun. I enjoy it. I love pictures. I don’t think I know another guy that likes pictures as much as I do. I love pictures. There’s no pressure. I’m just having fun, putting out pictures, making sure that I connect to people. And then with my videos, I love storytelling and I feel like that’s what I do in my songs as well, so I might as well just narrate what I’m talking about in the songs.
Talking about social media outlets, what is your favourite social media platform?
My favourite social media platform… I think you people know already. It’s Twitter.
Why?
Because that’s where I get to be savage, sometimes. Troll Arsenal fans...
Wow.
I mean, they know, they know! It’s not new. If you follow Adekunle Gold very well, you know that I come for Arsenal fans.
Why?
It’s love. It’s all love. We love each other, don’t worry. Trust me. We have that bond.
What team do you support?
Manchester United. So you can understand why. But yah, I’m always...almost always on Twitter. Instagram, yeah. And recently, Snapchat.
So what’s your favourite Instagram filter?
I don’t use filters.
You don’t use filters. Ahn ahn! so you just come clutch?
You know, it’s natural. [laughs]
Talking about pictures – favourite photographer that you’ve worked with till date?
Adore.
Why?
That guy just gets me. He just understands. I just need to strike the pose and he will just find the angle, that’s it. It’s good.
And he’s called Mr Adore?
Yah, Mr Adore
What’s his social media handle?
@mr_adore
Any creative artist you’re looking forward to working with in the nearest future?
I’m working with one now and I think...by the way, shout out to Donald, my stylist. Not because he’s here. [laughs]. I’d love to work withMaki OH. I’ve seen all her collections and I think she's great.
You know she doesn’t do menswear so are you hoping she’ll make an exception for you?
I know. I thought about it. ‘Cause I’ve seen the pieces she created for Asa and if she dabbles into menswear, I’d really love to wear a piece or three.
Okay. Amazing! Let’s talk about your album now. Your Gold album was, for lack of any better word, golden. It was so well received. It hit number 7 on the Billboard World Album Chart and for a rookie artist that’s a huge accolade. Did you ever think it would be such a ground-breaking album for you?
To be honest, I didn’t think so. I just wanted to share my experience. I just wanted to talk about my life. Then I released it just like every other single I’d released. Surprisingly, the first week of release it was number 7 on Billboard category...world category, and so that was great. Till now, everybody talks about the album and I’m so honoured. I’m working on the new album already and people are still talking about Gold so, it feels good. I didn’t think it was gong to do this well.
Your sound is pretty refreshing. We think it’s soulful, it’s rich and it has a high life underbelly. Would you say you’ve found your niche as a musician? Or you’re still exploring new sounds when it comes to your music?
My genre is urban highlife. That’s my sound. That’s what I love to do. But on the album, I tried a couple of things, couple of genres. Like I went full afro which has worked, and I tried other sounds. Paradise is almost R’n’ B –ish and a bit of hip-hop. So I like to experiment. But I do not forget that my base is highlife. So somehow there’s always that touch of high life.
Okay. So is it safe to assume that you take cues from the greats like King Sunny Ade, Sir Ebenezer Obey when it comes to your music?
Yes! I love them. I recounted my story [on Instagram] when I met King Sunny Ade. It was amazing. King Sunny Ade, Ebenezer Obey, Asa and erm...The Script, Kodaline, they are my biggest influences.
Is that why you decided to create your own band?
Oh, I’ve always played with bands. Even before I became the Adekunle Gold people know now. And when you play in church, it’s pretty much a band. I’ve always enjoyed live music so it’s not because of anybody. I’ve just always enjoyed it. I feel like you can do more if you play live. It’s not the same as saying, “DJ track 1.” I mean that’s limited. With live, you can say “Hush guys, let me talk.” And then, you know, engage people.
So why 79thelement?
Simple, it’s gold. [Laughs] Simple, that’s the unique number for gold on the periodic table. And these guys [the band] complement me. I’m Adekunle Gold as well, so, you know, gold jam gold.
You’re on tour this year.
Yeah.
We can see that you’re working really hard with your band to give a stellar performance and we’re pretty excited about that. What should your fans expect from you?
I toured America last year. That was my first solo. This year, I’m having One Night Stand: Adekunle Gold and the 79th element – London, France, Canada, America again, and then we’re going to go back to Lagos. I got the idea for the tour last year in America. I was somewhere – a strip club. And I was seeing lights. I was just seeing lights, girls. Imagine...and there was a stage, just like...I was just imagining being on that stage singing with plenty lights flashing. Yah, one night...stand. Can you connect the dots?
So I thought okay, I’m going to do a show called One Night Stand. And I’ve had the idea since last year. Although it was birthed in an interesting place. [Laughs] But it’s me and my guys. We’ll be jamming, playing the album, laying the new songs that I have out. It’s going to be amazing. We’ve done tonnes of rehearsals and I look forward to making a great impact.
Will you be performing new music as well as...
Yah.
As in, never-heard-before music?
Yah!
Oooh amazing! And, when should we expect your new album?
So I’ve not picked the date yet but it’s 2018. And the title is going to be 'About Thirty'.
About Thirty?
Yah.
Tell us more?
Don’t worry. Just leave it.
So, you cannot deny the creative chemistry between you and Simi?
Yah.
And we cannot help but wonder if you guys would ever get into the studio and put out a collaborative album or EP. You know, you can maybe call it the love EP?
I don’t know. We’ve talked about it a couple of times. Maybe when we have time. You never know.
And when should we expect babies?
When the Lord says it’s right...to put out babies...like a record [laughs].
Finally, can you describe yourself to me in three words?
Handsome. [chuckles] I am awesome. That’s it. I don’t know how else to say it.
Adekunle Gold is currently on tour with the 79th Element. Catch him in Dublin with Falz on July 7 and get his latest single ‘Call on me’ from his forthcoming Sophomore album “About 30”. Out now iTunes.
Source: bmafrica
Creative Direction; Bella Adeleke
Photography: Ademola Odusami
Styling; Donald Onugha
Copy Editor; Yeni Adeyemo
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