Think of a man who seems to have the world at his feet at the moment, one does not need to look too far. Having stormed Lagos from Enugu State some years back, Douglas Jack Agu, otherwise known as Runtown, said he had had his mind set at the bigger picture. At a time when the music industry needed a new sound, Runtown came to town with his smash hit single, ‘Mad Over You’ and the story has never remained the same for the Gallardo singer, who spoke with SEGUN ADEBAYO and SEYI SOKOYA about his music journey and how long he wants to keep going. Excerpts:
Your song, ‘Mad Over You’, has changed the game for you and everything appears to have finally fallen in place for you. How do you feel?
I can’t really describe the feeling now. The experience has been great since we released the song. I never knew it was going to be this successful because you can’t really say which of your songs will be appreciated by your fans. You just have to keep working hard and hope that the level of the hard work you put in each job will be appreciated. The success didn’t start when I dropped ‘Mad Over You’, it has been a long journey and I have had quite a number of hit singles before now. I think it is just God. You know when it is time for God to take you to the next level; it will seem to be impossible. The feeling has not changed. I just want to keep working hard and keep entertaining my fans across the globe. For now, ‘Mad Over You’ has taken over everywhere and we are making sure every moment counts.
They now call you man of the moment, do you really think you are man of the moment?
I didn’t call myself man of the moment. I think the people who call me that name will be in the best position to answer the question. I have been a hard worker since I dropped my first single some years back and I don’t think the work rate has changed. Getting to this stage didn’t happen overnight; it has been a long time journey. When I dropped Gallardo some years back, it was a big song and everybody loved it but I said to myself that I was not going to stop there. I decided to put in more work; more efforts and now we are here. Everybody is talking about my song, so if they call me man of the moment, I think it is worth it.
What exactly has changed about your brand now?
The song changed everything for me. The price has gone way up now. I don’t charge what I take before. The exposure has been great. The love has been overwhelming. The Runtown brand has gone higher now and we are still working hard. I have dropped new songs after ‘Mad Over You’ that are equally enjoying massive airplay. I am in the happiest mood of my life now because everything is working perfectly for me. I mean, when I look back to where I was coming from, I know how the journey started. The rough days when all I had was just my talent and plenty songs that I didn’t even know how to go about my career, but I have never stopped believing in myself and that’s why we have arrived at this level today. Things are beginning to look up now but we are not stopping. We are hoping to keep pushing on for as long as God permits. Runtown may have become a big brand today, but a lot of hard work went into this. It is good that people can see the success story today; thank God it is not otherwise.
What can you say was responsible for the success of Mad Over You?
It was just God. I mean, I have worked hard over the years. There was a year that I even worked harder than I am working now, but said it was not time. You really can’t say this is what you did right that pushed you to success or brought fame your way. I just love music and I have proved that over the years with the number of hit singles that I have dropped. When it was time to write ‘Mad Over You’ , there was no special attention or concentration, I just did what I felt was right and left it that way. But one thing was certain, while in the studio, something told me the song was going to be big but I was not sure how it will happen. I think the song came out at a time Nigerians and the rest of the world needed a new song and new beat. That may have contributed to its success. Having said that, God takes the glory for the success of the song and other songs that I have dropped after ‘Mad Over You’.
It seems you have finally found your groove back now. It took you a couple of years to put your brand on the world map despite having a couple of songs out there. How are you working to make sure that you make the moment count this time?
That is a tricky question there. I never lost my groove. Runtown has been there and will always be there. What you are seeing now is the result of the hard work and silent moments when you had to bury your head in your craft. Success doesn’t just come to you if you don’t work towards it. To set the record straight, I have not had a pleasant rest for months now because I have been on tour since December last year but we are not giving up. I am inspired to keep pushing on. I am making the time to count. When it is your time, everything will fall in place for you. That’s when your little effort will be crowned with a resounding success. When I tell you I have been on tour for months, you should know that it is a lot of work. More songs are coming. We are too loaded now. The world is not even ready for the best of Runtown. We are reaching out to different continents. The music is spreading fast and the love is massive.
How are you managing your fame and the attendant wealth that your new status has brought your way?
I have been coping very well. I have never forgotten the story of how it all started for me. I came to Lagos with a never-say-die spirit. I am not the type that would misbehave because of fame or cave in under the pressure of staying relevant. All my life, I have always been a mover of things. Nothing scares me. Nothing is as strong as my desire to keep putting my best leg forward every time. I am never scared of anybody, not even what some people call competition. When you understand your game and you have a very hard working team that understands your vision, it makes things easier for you. Your team tells you the truth all the time. When your performance is below the level expected, they would tell you to your face and you have to accept it because you know they are telling you the truth. So, for me, nothing has changed and nothing will change about me. I just want to keep releasing great songs that will stand the test of time.
Do you really think your songs can stand the test of time?
From 2014 till date, go and check all the songs that I have dropped if there is any of it that people still don’t love to listen to. I don’t just release songs for the fun of it. I take my time before writing songs and when I write, I write with my heart. When I was going to write Mad Over You, I said to myself that I wanted to drop a song that is different from usual stuff that I do. At that time, the industry was waiting.