Veteran Fuji musician, King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal, popularly known as KWAM 1, has shown times without number that he is a dynamic force to reckon with. Just when people are set to put lid on Fuji music as a dead genre, the king is ever in the horizon to fuse some sort of concoction with his Fuji music to produce something new, yet appealing to both the old and the new generation.
The next big thing on the table of the maestro is the K 1 Live Music concert featuring 2Face, Ali Baba, Olamide and others. In this short chat with Potpourri, KWAM 1 talks about the concert, politics, matrimony, Fuji music and his Collabo with Olamide:
By Aderonke AdeyeRi
You are always on the road for one show or the other; can we say this has been the reason for your inability to produce an album until recently when you came up with ‘State of the Nation’?
The opportunity to travel with my band to many countries has given me the chance to interact with international musicians and also to tap from their experiences. Music is a global phenomenon just like football that brings everyone together. I have performed and attended many world class musical concerts and seminars in Nigeria and even outside the shores of Africa in a spectacular way but this has not affected me from producing good albums. It has only opened my understanding and I also have to stress that I do not need to produce albums at this level of my music career every year to remain relevant in the Nigeria and global music industry. I am a brand to reckon with.
Your latest single ‘State of the Nation’ celebrated the Awujale of Ijebu’s 80th birthday; was this because you are from Ijebu Ode in Ogun state or does it have a political undertone?
‘State of the Nation’ is the x-ray of the situation of the country,Nigeria. Our economy is poor, many things seem to be wrong in the country and I felt it was high time I talked about it and I implored other musicians to preach it too through their music. I am not a politician, which means I am not contesting for any political position.
Why did you feature Olamide in the song?
I have a good relationship with my colleagues in the industry and Olamide would not be the first musician I have featured or done a collabo with. The reason I featured Olamide this time was just to bridge the gap between the older and younger generation. Music is meant to break barriers and that is what I have done.
Over the years, there have always been one rift or the other among the Fuji musicians. As an ambassador of Fuji music, what would you say the situation is at present?
I am not bothered about conflicts among Fuji artists because conflict is an inevitable thing among human beings. I am more concerned with how to promote Nigeria music industry, especially Fuji music globally. I have been in the industry for 43years, so things of little relevance do not bother me.
Why is it that Fuji musicians tend to prefer marrying many wives?
Marrying more than one wife in this part of the world is no big deal. And I must tell you that it is not peculiar to Fuji musicians alone. Late Fela Anikulapo Kuti was not a Fuji artist and yet he had 27 wives. It is an issue that has to do with the individual, it has nothing to do with a career or a set of people. Aren’t there Fuji musicians with one wife? Don’t judge people in generic terms, judge them on individual terms.
Can we link your relocating to Ijebu to any political ambition?
Relocating to Ijebu does not connote I have a political ambition there. I also have a house in Ibadan, does that mean if I relocate to Ibadan I also have a political ambition there ? I am at liberty to move to wherever I want at whenever I want.
How would compare the messages in today’s music to when you started?
What we have now is quite different and this is as a result of change. The world itself changes and that is what our musicians are trying to achieve. Musicians have to move with the trend but I will only implore my colleagues to work on the messages of their songs because every meaningful song must have a clear message. We should not be carried away with just making music to get people dancing alone, we should pay attention to messages we pass to the society.
Can you talk about your forthcoming concert, “K1 Live Unusual’ concert”?
(smiles) the concert will be something unusual and if we really want to achieve that, I think it has to be a surprise. I can only assure my fans that the concert will be music at its best.