I’ll not reveal how I survived 2 years without music —Sean Tizzle

Sean Tizzle is not a new name in the music industry. He took the industry by storm with his popular single, Sholee and dominated the scene for sometime before he took a break. The Jalolo singer, who seems to be worming his way back into the minds of his fans through a couple of new songs, speaks with SEGUN ADEBAYO about his absence and what to expect from him.

Many people have been asking about your whereabouts as you were reported to have dumped music for another trade. What has been happening to Sean Tizzle?

Sean Tizzle has been here doing his music. My love for music would not even permit me to delve into something else. I have always wanted to make good music and that is what I have been doing over the years. In the music industry today, we have a lot of pretenders and serious musicians and people have the tendency to align more with the pretenders because they make the loudest noise with no substance or contents to show for it. My dream is to keep making people happy with my sound. My career has revolved round people’s happiness since I started and I am never going to trade that with anything. So, those who are worried about where I have been should relax, Sean Tizzle is back in a big way.

Saying that you are back now is a subtle way of admitting that you went away. How was it easy for you to stay away from music for about two years?

In life, there comes a time in a man’s life when one would slow down to reflect on certain areas of his life. You need to look at your life, family and career. You need to ask yourself questions about the direction your life was headed. There have been a lot of issues in the last two years that I would not want to discuss now. These issues humbled me and gave my life a new direction. It was also at a point when I needed to redirect my music career to a new chapter that will add more value to my life. Music was paying then and I was enjoying the attention from different sides, but it was not enough to keep me satisfied. Having said that, there was a time when some issues came up that I wish I could tell you about now. One thing is certain about a man’s life; there will be high and low moments. How you handle the two will determine how far you will go when the chips are down.

With the way things have turned out now, would you say you handled those moments well?

To God be the glory for the good things He has done for me. Who am I to handle any situation without God’s help? I just kept pushing through till the moment I felt it was time to come back to the game. The game is fast changing and a lot of new sides have been introduced in the last two years, but those who know me will tell you that Tizzle still has what it takes to put his music in the minds and lips of the people.

With the introduction of new sides into the game, what are your chances to reclaim your position?

I never lost my place to anybody. As long as there is life, all will be well. One thing I have come to understand about life, especially musicians, my thing is my thing while yours is yours. For me, I never left music for a minute. What hap pened was that I stopped dropping songs not that I stopped writing songs or working on my craft. As long as you have it in you, nobody can stop your shine. So, when people say Sean Tizzle will struggle to find his feet again, I just tell them my music will find its way back as water always finds its level. The people who listen to our songs understand good music, so no matter how long you stay away, once you give them what they want at the right time, you will get back to your level.

You dropped an EP in January and many people thought you were back for good. But you seem to be struggling to get back to your best. What is happening to your music career?

I don’t know what you meant by I seem to be struggling. I dropped an EP early in the year and I have shot a couple of videos from the EP, which people really love. Yes, I was supposed to drop an album, but I had to suspend it to observe the success of the EP. I am comfortable with the way things have turned out since I started releasing materials again because I see a lot of positivity in my music. The vibes are very real and the response has been very positive. My music career has been on point. Right now, we are working on a couple of new songs that will be released before the end of the year. My fan base is very much intact. My fans may have missed new songs from me, but my voice is my voice and it will continue to pave  the way for me in the music industry.

How did you survive without music for more than two years?

Segun, you want me to tell you that? You want to know how water found its way into the coconut? I won’t reveal that to you. That answer is between God and I.

While you were away, different things were said about you. Some said you went into transportation business in the UK. Some people said your trouble started since you left D’ Tunes Difference Entertainment to float your record label. Could you tell us the real story?

When people don’t know what you are up to, they tend to conjure different stories against your person. It is sad. It is sad because people don’t understand the level of hard work you have put into what you do to stay afloat despite the challenges you have faced. People don’t appreciate the work you have done over the years even before fame came. They only see the glory, but don’t know the story. When you stay off the scene, they come up with unfathomable lies to draw you out of your shell and paint you bad, but I am not moved. God gave me this talent and He will continue to be my guide. I don’t pay attention to what the naysayers spill against me. I concentrate on my job and put in my best all the time.

But something changed about your music career when you left D’Tunes; what was it?

Let me say this today, it paid me leaving D’Tunes when I left. It helped me to understand life better and emboldened me to focus on my music career very well. I met D’Tunes in 2008 or 2009. Before then, I was in a group before I met him and we are still very close even though we have not been working together. I had been recording songs before I met him. But one day, I went to his studio to record as a group. On our way going, I ran out of cash for transportation, so I called him (D’Tunes) and I told him I could no longer come to his house because there was no money. He told me to take a cab that he would pay. That was how it started. After the session, I went back home. After sometime, I went back to him and he said he had been looking for me. He said he felt I have the talent to do music, so he welcomed me and we started recording. He charged me N30, 000 but I could only raise N15, 000. That was how my relationship with D’Tunes started.

Your popular song, Sholee was a hit. You have dropped many songs after then, but none of them came close to the success of Sholee. What do you think about this?

‘Sholee’ was in a world of its own. It was a song that came at a time when Nigerians and lover of music needed something new. I am glad people love and still the song all over. I have dropped many songs after and they have equally been accepted. You can’t compare the success of one song to another because they both came at different times. The song ‘Sholee’ made me, no doubt. But a couple of other good songs that I have dropped have also done well in the market.

What did that song fetch you?

I can’t put a figure at that. I can’t explain what it fetched me because apart from the money, it changed my story. The song is the reason I am still here today because people know that Sean Tizzle has the talent. He has one of the most popular hit songs Nigerians have ever heard.

Maybe you could have dropped another hit song if you had stayed with D’Tunes…

(Cuts in…) There is a time for everything. I don’t have to struggle to release another hit song. Whether I was with D’Tunes or not, when God says yes to a song, it will blow. I had to leave D’Tunes because I wanted to try something new. You can’t continue to stay under the same roof for the rest of your life. There will be a time when you will want to try something new.

But your fans are struggling to switch to your new style. How are you handling this?

I don’t have any special way to handle it. Good music will never fade. As long as you give the people good music with a very solid beat, you are good to go. It is my duty to keep my fans entertained. It is only a matter of time before they start to understand that it is still the same Sean Tizzle.

With Olamide, Wizkid, Davido and others dominating the scene now, what are you bringing that is capable of displacing their songs?

There we go again. I don’t look at names. I look at substance. I am not worried about these people. I respect them for the successes they have had so far. I mean it is mind-blowing. They have done well for themselves. But one thing is certain: Sean Tizzle is not a push over in the music industry. They all know that I always come with fire. Fire in the sense that I always deliver electrifying matchless performances  for anybody. I may not have graced many stages in recent times, but when I mount any stage, the people know what they will get from it. Nobody can deny that fact. Show organisers can also attest to that fact. I am currently working with Krizbeatz on a couple of songs and I love the experience so much. In no time, our fans will hear from us. New songs are coming. New videos are also coming. Sean Tizzle is back with a bang!

How are you coping with the women in your life?

I have one woman in my life. I don’t have babymamas. I don’t want to grow up to tell my children that they have different mothers.