Leader of the 13-piece BANTU Band, Ade Bantu (Adegoke Odukoya), speaks about creativity in the COVID-19 pandemic, his new album, and sundry issues in this interview.
How has the creative process been in this season of COVID-19?
It’s been challenging, but I see challenges as opportunities. What I mean by that is last year, we were all caught by surprise globally, but luckily for me, I had an album ready. So, I released a couple of singles and then released an album. I spent most of my time updating my knowledge about the music industry, learning how to promote better online and stuff like that. I saw it as a learning curve. Being at home, I was forced to spend more time doing online tutorials and updating my knowledge base.
As I said, I released an album with BANTU entitled ‘Everybody Get Agenda’. Very political; just reflecting on the times. And yes, it has done well. It was No 3 on the Transglobal World Music Chart; it was No 5 on the European World Music Chart, so I can’t complain. I’m good.But the negative is that I can’t tour. I can’t promote an album in Europe, America or Asia, which is sad because you have this incredible feedback. The critics love it, but you can’t engage your fans.
Some people have resorted to virtual performances; what has it been like for you?
It’s been tough. I have a 13-piece band; we are a big band. Doing a virtual performance is nowhere close to a live experience, and obviously, we have the challenges of the internet. How do you broadcast in real-time, and there’s a certain quality people are used to. So, if I want to create broadcast quality, I need technology. I need the human resources; I need investment, so it’s not something artists are supposed to do. Yes, you can hold your phone for one minute or two and engage people, but beyond that, no.
So, it’s been tough for my band and me. We haven’t performed in over a year, and we rehearse. Even rehearsal is tricky. You have to maintain social distancing; how do you rehearse with the mask? I have horn players; they can’t play horns with the cover. So, it’s been tough.
You disclosed that your latest album is political. Were you not worried about its commercial success given the preponderance of love and other flighty themes in our music?
I have enjoyed commercial success. The question now is you want to build a legacy. You want to create a catalogue, a body of work that people can fall back to, say in 2018, 2019, 2020; this is what Nigeria felt like. This was what was happening. When you pick up a book written by [Professor Wole] Soyinka, when you pick up ‘Ake’, ‘Ibadan’ or Chinua Achebe, you time travel and feel the politics of the time. You feel what people at that very moment were feeling. What their angst was, what their hopes and aspirations were.
I think music has to do the same. So, I’m not bothered at all. What I know is that there are people that identify with my music. I’ve never been mainstream; I don’t crave mainstream attention. If I get it, I’m happy, no doubt. But my ego doesn’t need it. I’ve found other ways to survive with music without having to sell my soul.
Lagos is gradually opening up. I mean, event centres can now accommodate up to 500 people. Are you thinking of bringing back Afropolitan Vibes?
Yes, we are thinking of bringing it back. We will test run some BANTU Concerts in the coming months to see how it feels like. What are the safety protocols in real-time, and what kind of safety measures can we offer our audiences because it’s not only about us. God forbid, people come to your concert and get infected. It’s going to be very bad and tragic, so you always have to weigh the odds, and you try to be as responsible as possible because it’s not over. Europe is in its third wave, Latin America. Yes, we are not seeing people dying on the streets, but who knows. If a new variant comes into town, we are in trouble.
Some artists are against the COVID-19 vaccine; what’s your stance?
I mean, that’s stupid. You have the vaccine, it’s been tried, tested, and I’ve taken my shot. That says it all. I’m not somebody that’s into conspiracy theories and all of that; I work with science. If the European Union, United States, WHO say it is safe, hey, I’ll line up and take it because, as I’ve said, I’ve lost friends. This thing is real. It’s not a myth. And I know people that have survived, but I don’t want to go through it. I don’t want to end up in a hospital and depend on a ventilator, especially not in Nigeria, because it’s very tricky. Our health services are shambolic; no need to go into details. We know what’s happening in the country with the health infrastructure.
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