Doug Kaze is a lecturer, musician and songwriter from Jos, Plateau State his journey in music started way back at age 12, he wrote tons of songs for his friends and later founded a band. In this interview by KANGMWA GOFWEN, he talks about his genre of music and how well the music industry in Nigeria has thrived.
Your genre of music is not the popular Afro-Beats, tell us how you came about it and why you like that genre of music.
Well, my genre is a result of many years of exploring different genres. It is a fusion of different genres that I’ve worked on or paid attention to at different periods of my life. My earliest exposure to music was reggae. My father was a strong Bob Marley fan, so the sound was present at home. I later discovered hip-hop and fell in love with its sound when I started secondary school. I liked R&B at this time too and was already writing pieces in that genre. After my secondary school, most of my music was in the church context. This was where my attention went to African-American gospel. This was when I discovered artists like Kirk Franklin, Hezekiah Walker and Mary Mary. To my surprise when I picked up the guitar to start learning, my interest gradually went off to rock music. From 2004 to 2014, that would be my preoccupation. That was when I started a rock group with friends. While doing this, we explored how to combine local indigenous sounds with modern rock, and probably became the first group to introduce Hausa rock to the churches in Jos. When I left the band in 2014 for doctoral studies, I was alone and that gave me the space to explore music from many other angles, from my pre-rock days, to be specific. I started writing new songs drawing material from genres other than rock and fusing the sound with indigenous sounds. At this time, I’d also discovered Malian and Senegalese music which did not only resonate with local northern Nigerian sounds, but connected with me emotionally. That’s how my sound was born and it has continued to evolve as shown in my three albums.
What’s the idea behind your recently released single Balcony?
“Balcony” is my most recent release. It was released on February 4. It is a song about society. It is the voice of a commentator who observes society and questions some ideas and practices that have been normalized. The balcony is an outside space that is at the same time private, destabilising the division between public and private. In making the song, the imagination is about a citizen who uses such a space not only to relax but to observe and think about society and its values.
As a lecturer and lover of music, how would you rate the teaching of music in our universities?
Well, I can’t really say much about music instructions in our institutions since I teach in a different field. However, I can say that music lecturers in our universities are doing their best; they only need better or more facilities to do better. The music departments are not very different from other department in terms of funding. An underfunded music department cannot perform beyond that limitation.
You have loved music from an early age, why did you not study it back in school or why are you not a full-time musician?
Wow, I can’t say why it never occurred to me to choose music as a course I should study. I was already writing songs as a child, but it never crossed my mind to go to university to study music. At first, I wanted to study law because that was what every arts student wanted to study. Then my interest later went to English. I, however, consider myself a full-time musician oh! Yes, I am a civil servant, but in my mind, music is not second.
You were once part of a band, what happened to that band, and do you have plans of coming back together again?
Yes, I was with the band Trybe of the Sealed, which I founded in 2004. The band is still active and doing well, so there’s no question of regrouping. The group never disbanded; it has only evolved through the years, in terms of membership.
How well would you say the Nigerian music industry has thrived?
The Nigerian music industry has indeed grown into a global force. Afrobeats is everywhere now, and Nigerian artists are getting nominated and winning the Grammy. Nigerian artists are also doing well on leading streaming sites like YouTube, Apple Music and Spotify, and even shaping the sound of music globally. It wasn’t like that in the 1990s when I was growing up, when American sounds dominated the airwaves. Now Nigerians enjoy their own sounds and the world has joined them in that celebration.
What are the plans for your musical career going forward?
At the moment, I’m working towards collaborating more and expanding my fan base to other places outside Nigeria. I’m currently in a collaborative walk with Agbutun and Eric Limani. We’ve been building this thing called Soul, Folk and Chill – a collaborative concert. But we’re more than that. We get involved in one another’s projects and now we’re working towards launching a music business discussion platform with other artists in our city. I’m also currently working towards launching out into other African cities with live performance. This will unfold in due course.
If you are put in a position to pick between your teaching career and music, which will you go for and why?
This is a decision that is hard to make. I love teaching so much, just as much as I love music. But of recent I’ve been feeling like the music hasn’t got much attention like the teaching. Like the teaching has been trying to swallow the music. I’d love to give more attention to the music at this point – to doing more work with the band, to putting more effort and thoughts into promotion, to collaborating with artists at home and abroad, to traveling from city to city to share the music live with new audiences. This is where I am at the moment, let’s see where that takes me.
Jos is a place that breeds all kinds of artists but then, they eventually leave for places like Lagos or Abuja. What do you think can be done to retain those talents on the Plateau?
Truly, I don’t know any other city that has more natural musical talents than Jos. Someone once said there’s an artist in almost every house here! Jos is a city of musical dreamers. Artists and producers creating magic everywhere. Sadly, our music hardly leaves our dear hometown. The music is yet to benefit the artist even if everyone is listening to it. The problem? We have the art, but not the business. We generally have to learn the business in this age of the internet. We don’t need to leave the city because the world is now here via the internet. It is the knowledge of the business that would set artists apart. There is an overwhelming amount of information online that young artists can explore. I’d also encourage the people and media based in Jos to support their own local artists in ways they can. I’ve personally heard people in this city speak about our local music with contempt. Hey Jos folks, you can’t support every Jos artist, but you can support the Jos artists whose music has blessed you. Be intentional in supporting your favorite local artist. By support I mean, engage with their stuff on social media; pay for their music; stream their music – they need the numbers – and stop asking them to send you free songs via WhatsApp; buy tickets to their events. If you love what they do, support them.
Aside from music, how else do you relax?
Reading is one of the major ways of relaxation for me. Although I’m generally an indoor person, I love walking and looking around. I’ve not done that in a while though. Well, I did go to the Terminus railway station recently. Aimless driving with my favorite music or with my wife is something I also enjoy so much.
What are your last words to your fans?
I want my fans to know that I love them and I appreciate their support deeply. There is no artist without the fans. Deepest thanks to you for streaming my music, for introducing my music to your friends and family and for purchasing my event tickets. Thank you for praying for me as well.
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