NIGERIA: Fast rising soul music sensation, "GT" is not afraid to sing about issues afflicting Africa's most populous nation where self expression has in the past provoked government backlash

Record ID: 235274

  • Title: NIGERIA: Fast rising soul music sensation, "GT" is not afraid to sing about issues afflicting Africa's most populous nation where self expression has in the past provoked government backlash
  • Date: 10th March 2010
  • Summary: VARIOUS OF THE GUITAR MAN GOING THROUGH MATHEMATICAL FORMULAS
  • Embargoed: 25th March 2010 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Nigeria
  • Country: Nigeria
  • Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz
  • Reuters ID: LVA80H17NLHSLJV1BY0AD2HBVTJS
  • Story Text: Nigeria's fast rising resident soul musician is not afraid to sing about issues afflicting Africa's most populous nation where self expression has in the past provoked rebuke and sanctions from authorities and politicians.
    26-years-old Akingbogun Olaolu Tokunbo, famously known in the Nigerian music circles as the Guitar Man or in short GT, started playing the guitar and singing at an early age.
    Raised by a single parent in one of the toughest slums in the sprawling commercial hub of Lagos, GT had to contend with the constant demands from his mother for an education qualification first.
    Today, GT is an Economics student at the Lagos University where he is working hard for his degree which he hopes to get in a year.
    "It is not easy combining education with music, because these two things are very demanding, but till today I am still proving them wrong, that I won't drop out... and my sister, my mother, my brother are actually my greatest fans, they support me, they pray for me," said GT.
    GT said that being brought up in near poverty struck neighbourhood made him averse with the many ills afflicting the country. He added that although he sings about love sometimes, the problems faced by millions in the country inspired him the most.
    Recently Nigeria has been facing political instability with the ill health of it's president and clashes between Christians and Muslims that have killed hundreds. Rights groups say underlying issues of corruption and discrimination in Nigeria are fuelling the cycle of violence.
    Many of Nigeria's 140 million population still has no running water or constant electricity, while most of the infrastructure is stretched and decaying due to decades of corrupt military rule.
    GT said that although Nigeria was a leading exporter of oil in Africa, he was sad that the vast population had not benefited much from the fortunes.
    "We are lacking in the midst of plenty and it is sad. That alone is inspiring, it could inspire me to write a song. A lot of people talk about it, a lot of people tend to just keep quite about it, but I sing about it," he said.
    GT also lamented the lack of proper marketing channels for music in the country, blaming it on government official's lack of desire to become involved in the music industry.
    Nigeria has a vicious network of music and video pirates that has succeeded in monopolising distribution in the country, rendering copyrights worthless.
    Like many other Nigerian artists, GT can only make money by performing at venues and not through record sales.
    Together with his childhood friends GT has set up a band called "The Truth" which performs at various venues in the country.
    "If you are meant to distribute your job alone you can't do it faster than the pirates... so artists actually go to them for their work to be pirated, and it is sad and now they are legalising the whole piracy thing gradually, so you have to beg these Alaba (pirates) 'please pirate my song' because people love to be out there, they love to hear themselves, they do it (music) for the love mostly, not for money," he said.
    GT is signed to STORM 360 Records, one of Nigeria's top record companies. He recently released a 14 track album titled "Truth".
    He said sales of the album have not been great so far on the official market although on the black market sales were high.
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