Why I am called the ‘queen’ of Nollywood soundtracks — Inioluwa Gem

Inioluwa Kemi Oni also known as Inioluwa Gem is a performing and recording artiste, songwriter, movie soundtrack composer and producer. Her journey into music started from her days at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) where she sang the lead solo for the UJCM choir ‘Ojo ola a dara’. The song went viral and according to her, inspired her to pursue music.

She said, “One of the most defining moments in my songwriting career was when I was invited to a bootcamp by Mavin Records. It was around December, 2020, which was before recording boot camps became a thing in Nigeria”.

As a movie soundtrack composer, she has worked with notable names in the industry such as Biodun Stephens, Akin Alabi, Tolu Lord Tanner, Niyi Akinmolayan, Tina Chukwura, Chichi Nworah among others hence her alias, ‘the queen of Nollywood movie soundtracks’.

Speaking about her projects, she said, “One of the first movie soundtrack projects that got me some attention was the one I did for ‘Beauty and the Beast’, a Rok Nigeria movie project. Recently, I did the soundtrack for ‘Strangers’, by Biodun Stephens which was number one on Netflix for weeks after its release. I also did the soundtrack for her most recently released project, ‘Sista’.

“The pressure of being one of only a few women in the industry has been overwhelming at times, but I keep going because I believe in what I have to offer. I have plans to launch my own music career using the alias ‘Ariija’ to explore genres like Afro-pop, Afro-soul and Alte music. I also intend to continue to come up with even more creative soundtracks for the Nollywood movie industry”.