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People love being
appreciated and Siji is no different. Though he isn’t yet a mainstream
musician, he is glad people responded warmly to his recent show at
Jazzhole, Lagos. “It only served to confirm my belief that there is
plenty of room for an alternative music scene here. The love they
(audience) showed was overwhelming, it was a beautiful thing,” he
recalls.

But I couldn’t
resist telling him that hip hop – rather than his, Ade Bantu, Beautiful
Nubia and Nneka’s kind of music – appears to be the rave among youth.
“We are a bit on the fringe because people in the media have yet to
show us any love. The media dictates popular taste. If you guys get on
board, everybody follows,” he replies.

Nonetheless, he has
been busy on the performance circuit; collaborating with other artists,
and using the Internet to reach out to people. He is also on a
promotional tour of West Africa. He has shows coming up in Abuja and
Ghana amongst other places. “I’m reaching out to people and planting
the seed. In the next year or two, I’ll be looking for key concerts all
over the continent. Nigeria turns 50 this year, I have a few shows that
I have lined up to do [mark] that. I have some work with Wunmi in
Ghana, the World Cup in South Africa is about to start, I intend to be
there and do some shows. Guerrilla style promotional tour; have voice,
will travel.”

Traditional artist

He featured a
recital of his oriki (lineage praise poetry) by his father on ‘God
Given’, his debut album. He explains why. “That was his way of giving
me his blessing. Initially, I didn’t get a lot of support as an artist.
I had to be an engineer first before I could be an artist. I studied
mechanical engineering and once I had my degree, I took off my hat and
plunged into music. The oriki track was very popular amongst people in
the Diaspora, especially among the non Yoruba speaking people. The
funny thing is that we are going through a generational change, I can’t
recite my oriki. It’s a beautiful thing that I recorded it on tape so I
can pass it down to my children and children’s children.”

The musician’s dad
also opened his show at Jazzhole with his oriki. “Beautiful thing to
have done and I captured it for posterity. I’m a firm believer in the
fact that if we don’t keep the language of culture intact, overtime, we
will lose it and I see that happening already. I see little kids who
grew up here, who were born here who can’t speak a word of Yoruba and
it saddens me because you have the funny feeling that in a few years,
in a few generations down the line, the culture would have probably
vanished if we are not careful.”

Afro Soul

Though it is easy
to call his music folk music, Siji says it is actually ‘Afro Soul’. “It
is soul music at its core level but it’s heavily influenced by African
rhythm. It took me some time… I only started singing in Yoruba
recently. I was working with a great producer in New York and he
inspired me to start singing in my language. We did the cover song
‘Irinajo’ and that turned out to be a huge hit and really got me
thinking that wow, I need to begin to showcase my ethnicity more than
ever in my songs. It’s been an ongoing quest. I think I’ve found my
groove, I’ve found a comfortable medium within which to showcase my
ability, be it the instrumentation or the lyrics. I think I’ve found a
comfortable balance and I call it Afro Soul.”

Talking drum and
horns, he explains, are vital components of his music because, “When I
write music, the rhythm comes to me first. The talking drum itself is a
very tonal instrument. It’s a deep instrument; you can say a lot of
things with it. It’s been very helpful in anchoring that African rhythm
thing I’ve been trying to infuse my music with. And the horns of
course, you can’t go wrong with horns.”

Music and Engineering

Though he holds a
first degree and masters in Mechanical Engineering, Siji had always
been in love with music. “I found the perfect opportunity to satisfy my
musical curiosity while studying for my Engineering degree. They had a
grand piano in one of the theatres and I was always on it trying to
figure out sound. I taught myself how to play the piano while studying
for my degree, so it was only a matter of time. I guess the seed was
planted early while studying for my mechanical engineering degree.”

He hasn’t been
surviving solely on music, however. “The funny thing is that my
Mechanical Engineering degree has been an asset to me. I consult during
the down times in my music career; I was able to sustain myself by
consulting as an architecture draughtsman. My degree has always been an
asset, it’s never been a liability.”

The bachelor
reveals why his second album is self titled. “It’s a full portrayal of
where I stand as an individual and as an artist. If you noticed, a lot
of my musical pieces are autobiographical in nature, everything I sing
about are felt experiences on the one hand, opinions about life and
things. All my personal experiences I put them into my music. So,
‘Adesiji’ is a full portrayal of where I am today as an artist and an
individual.”

He is happy that
the album is “a great progression from where I was with the first
album. The African thing is at the forefront in my music now.” The
album includes tracks like ‘Morenike’,’ Irinajo’ and ’Enia Dudu’ The
artist who unwinds by cooking, travelling, walking and loves
photography, clarifies that ‘Morenike’ isn’t about a former or present
lover. “It is about the name itself. If I have a daughter, I will name
her Morenike because I‘ve always loved the cadence of that word. I
wrote it from that perspective. I’m not a father yet but I pray to one
day have a baby daughter I will call Morenike.”

Yearning for home

He made ‘Yearning
For Home’, his first ever video because “My friend had been telling me
I need to cut a video for my music. When he heard my second album he
said it’s like you have built the Empire State building but you haven’t
put any elevator in it. So, I listened to the record and I felt
‘Yearning For Home’ will be a perfect vehicle with which to tell a
particular story; my wanting to look at my ancestral homeland. It has
awakened my interest in video and one day, I would love to shoot a
movie or documentary. Getting behind the camera to direct my own work
opened the world of film to me.”

The proprietor of
Ivy Records draws inspiration from everyday people and everyday living
and has resolved to use “Nigeria as the backdrop for my next project.”
People he looks up to musically include Marvin Gaye, Miles Davis, Al
Green, John Coltrane, Fela, Haruna Ishola and Fatai Rolling Dollar.

Siji unwinds by cooking, travelling, and walking. He also loves photography.