Being in the corporate sector won’t kill my zeal for music — Olasunkanmi D King

With experience in the corporate world spanning over twenty years, an upcoming artiste with two identities, Bashiru Olasunkanmi who unveiled his two brands as ‘King of roots music’ and ‘King of corporate music’, is jettisoning the boardroom for the entertainment scene. In this interview by FEMI OGUNTAYO, Olasunkanmi talks about the dream he has for the nascent label, the brand of music he plays and his career experiences. Excerpts:

Who is Bashiru Olasunkanmi?

I am known as Olasunkanmi D King, (King of Roots Music). In Root Music Afro Hip Hop. I am also known as King Bebesila Oriyomi D Champion (King of Corporate Music GCFR of Music) in Corporate Fuji Music. I create music using two different identities but from a single soul which no one has done in the history of music. This was borne out of the vision and desire to do things differently with a lot of creativity.

What prompted you to venture into music?

I ventured into music not like every other artist; my reason is mind-boggling which I can’t disclose on this platform. My other intentions are that, I don’t want the talent in me to die or be underutilized that’s the reason why I decided to bring out the talent in me though music. Though, it was not easy coming from the cooperate sectors as regional manager in multinational company in Nigeria and regional manager in Ibadan and southwest, being in the cooperate world for 20 years has not stopped my continuous dream and actualizing my music career. Though, a lot of folks think I am crazy to be into music considering my corporate background but I am here to pursue my passion and develop my talents. It gives me some level of ecstasy and joy to sing for people.  

How long have you been singing professionally? 

My first demo was done during Atlanta Olympic in United States around 1996. I remembered vividly I was working on my first demo when they are playing Atlanta 1996 Olympics.  If you do a calculation, you will discover its more than 20 years. I do live performance in and out of the country and people come around to watch me sing. 1996 was the time I produced my first demo but due to the commitment to my education which was to obtain a university education, I couldn’t go further with the music project. I want to believe the time has finally come for it. I am giving music my best now; the time is here!

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How can you describe the genre of music you play? 

My songs are purely Africa music. My songs are Roots Music. What I mean by Roots Music is, every music sang by any artist comes from Roots Music and the foundation of Roots Music is purely African. If you listen to my songs in ‘King Of All Seasons’ series 1, you will sense some Afro beat, Hip hop, Jazz,Soul, different kind of music beat coming together to make it Roots Music, anyone who listen to it will like it.

How did the idea of using one soul to create two images come about? 

It is a vision because I have a God-given talent in corporate Fuji music. I also have a God-given talent in purely African music, so I am good at these two brands of music hundred percent and all together I have written over five thousand songs. I always have a diary with me, as inspiration comes, I put it down.

What step have you taken to improve your career in the entertainment industry? 

We have done a lot. Firstly, we started by making sure that we have our own Record Label. We moved ahead by making sure that we have our distribution company to be a subsidiary of the Record Label. In addition to that, we set up another subsidiary of our brand called “G. Mighty” brand to be in charge of our concert and live performances.  We have other brands such as G. Mighty Music: G. Mighty World: G. Mighty Music: G. Mighty Entertainment. We decided to put all these in place because we discovered that most of the challenges artistes face in the music industry is lack of good and sincere management team that will manage them and give the proper direction. We want to avoid issue with Record Label and their brusque stories. We want to change the phase of Africa music generally. 

Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?

In the next 5 years, I am looking forward to our label becoming a household name.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE