“My ‘Iyalaya Anybody’ song gave me my big break” – Fast-rising act Maverick
Starting off as a producer at the age of 16, the fast-rising
act Maverick has carved a niche for himself in the music industry. In
this interview with City People’s AGO ARINZE, Maverick speaks on his
music career and how his ‘Iyalaya Anybody’ single went viral online.
What genre of music do you do?
Afro-hip hop and afro-pop. If you’re to pick someone doing close to
what I’m doing, that’ll be Olamide. You know he has the shakiti bobo
kind of groove that makes you dance and then he has other types of beats
where he raps.
When did you start singing?
I have always had love for it since I was young. My grandfather likes
music, we had big speakers in my house and all those turntables, so I
really started loving music at that point in time. “But when I was 16, I
started producing because I produce my work; try to get my sound”.
While I was in school I didn’t want to do both and have one suffer, so I
faced the education. When I got out of school in 2012, I dropped my
first single.
Who would you say are your Role Models?
Internationally Jay-z, Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar. On the local
scene which is what I’m really connected to because that’s the market,
Don Jazzy because he’s a producer. Wizkid, I reside in Surulere and he’s
like the guy that opened the door for us. Olamide, he has made us
realize that from the streets you can develop into what you really want
to be; that part of him keeps motivating me everytime.
How do you intend to make a difference in the Nigerian music industry?
“I am versatile; that is, not only will I come from the line of
Olamide because of his rap but also because I’m a producer”. So I think
that also gives me an edge over having to compete on a regular basis,
that’s where I really look at. But then at the end of the day, another
thing I believe is once you work and you make good music, you’ll get
there. I think if you really work hard, put God on your side and you
make good music then you’ll actually get there. There’s enough space for
a lot of people “like the sky, stars plenty but all of them still dey
enter that sky”. That’s how I look at it.
What song gave your your big break?
Iyalaya anybody the remix with CDQ, Durella and Ozone. It’s been
played on radio frequently, we play it here in Lagos, play it in Abuja.
On the internet it went…wow and that’s why we working on the video
because it went viral.
Who would you love To work with?
Right now Olamide he even went out on twitter and instagram, he went
out to say he loved the Iyalaya Anybody. Wizkid definitely, I mean
Surulere bonding and all. Anybody who is hardworking, even if they are
not in my genre of music. I want to work with everybody, one of the
reason is your fan base will increase; “like having Durella who has been
in the game long before I came into the music scene and making a song
with him helped us breakthrough because he has his own fans”. Kiss
Daniel, Dija, Skales and maybe King Sunny Ade if God opens that big
door.
If you weren’t doing music what would you have been doing?
Engineering definitely, petroleum and gas, I would have actually gone
into that or if not, business. “I like that hustle spirit of you having
to sell a commodity to the market and get your value for it”. I would
have done social media or IT in terms of business because that’s what is
in vogue.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
My name is Wakama Ene Jnr. I am from Rivers State but I grew up
mostly in Lagos. I attended University of Lagos, studied engineering but
my love for music has kept me.
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