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In
a season when some artistes are dropping out of school to embrace
music, others have proved they could combine development of their
talents with schooling, writes CHUX OHAI
Many years ago, parents didn’t like
children who preferred a career in music to medicine, law or
engineering. Musicians were generally regarded as occupying the lowest
rung of the social ladder and, so, they were hardly respected.
Although they worked hard at their
chosen vocations and sometimes, travelled far beyond these shores, many
musicians were hardly seen as useful members of the society. Most of the
time, they were dismissed as social misfits.
Unfortunately, time has not completely
changed this perception. Nowadays, there appears to be an increase in
the number of youths dropping out of school to take up a career in
music. While some of them have always said their passion for music was
the reason why they quit the classroom for the recording studio, others
put the blame on poverty and other challenges.
But a courageous few have managed to
resist the temptation to push aside their education and embrace the
glamorous life style of music artistes. With some now armed with
Master’s degrees in various disciplines, they have emerged as successful
and highly respected artistes with a wide fan base across the country.
Banky W
Olubankole Wellington, aka Banky W, is
one of the most popular music artistes in Nigeria today. He was born and
educated in the USA. By the time he was eight years old, his musical
talent had started to manifest. But his parents wanted him to pay
attention to his education first. A few years later, he won a
scholarship to attend college in New York and afterwards, bagged a
degree in engineering at the Rensselaer Polytechnic.
While he was at the institution, Banky W
kept pushing his dream to become a successful musician someday. Back
home in Nigeria, he won the hearts of many music fans with his
exceptionally smooth voice and, in due course, succeeded in winning a
loyal followership.
Over the past years, the velvet-voiced
singer has recorded a number of albums. He founded the Empire Mates
Entertainment, a records label, as a platform to promote his music and
to get it across to his fans in the country.
Apart from distinguishing himself as a
charismatic musician, Banky W is a philanthropist and a civil rights
activist. During the last nationwide protests against the removal of
fuel subsidy, he played a key role in mobilising the youths to take part
in the protest in Lagos.
Somehow, this talented artiste, whose
career is on the rise, has managed to keep out of trouble. Till date, he
has not been associated with any major scandal.
Tiwa Savage
Tiwa Savage is currently signed on to
Mavin Records. She attended Berklee College of Music where she studied
Jazz and took a degree in music business. Also, she has a degree in
business administration from the University of Kent in the United
Kingdom.
She began her music career n the UK,
touring as a background singer for the likes of Mary J. Blige, Sting,
George Michael, Kelly Clarkson and the Spice Girls. Before then, she had
worked briefly as a trainee accountant in a commercial bank in London.
A successful artiste in her own right,
Tiwa co-wrote Fantasia Barrino’s ‘Collard Greens and Cornbread’, which
was nominated for the American Grammy Award. This is perhaps, one of her
most important achievements. Apart from that, she has released two
single albums titled Love Me and Kele Kele Love. Last February, she got married to her long time business partner, Tee Billz.
Naeto C
Naetochukwu Chikwe is the son of the
Nigerian Ambassador to Ireland, Mrs. Kema Chikwe. He graduated in 2004
from the George Washington University with a Master’s degree in Biology
and still nurses the desire to become a medical doctor. In 2008 and
2009, he was named Best New Artist at the MTV Africa Music Awards.
Darey Art-Alade
Darey Art-Alade is the son of the
legendary Jazz musician, Art Alade. He is what you may call a ‘chip off
the old block’. Obviously, he had taken after his father at an early
age singing in church choirs and was a member of the National Troupe of
Nigeria Choir at a point.
Darey has been a disc jockey, TV
presenter, entertainment consultant, voice-over artist and
performing/recording artist at different times, before hitting it big on
the music scene. His break finally came in 2004 at the Project Fame
Academy. He participated in that edition of the reality TV talent hunt
show and had the opportunity to perform in front of millions of viewers.
He emerged third in the contest.
Unknown to many music fans, this
talented artiste graduated from the University of Lagos where he studied
Music. In 2011, he was the host of both the Gulder Ultimate Search and
Glo Naija Sings reality. So far, he has three albums to his credit.
P-Square
Apart from music, Peter and Paul Okoye,
the twins known as the P-Square, had a burning desire to be educated.
They had always made it clear to close friends and associates that they
wanted to go back to school. So in 1999, they applied to the University
of Abuja to study business administration. Fame and money could not
dissuade them from this goal. Just as they continued to hone their
skills and to improve on their performances, they were focused on their
educational needs.
The group is easily one of the most
successful in the country, having won several awards and a huge fan base
across Africa. They are listed among the 10 richest musicians in the
continent.
Dr. Sid
From an early age, Dr. Sid (real name is
Sidney Esiri), had his heart set on becoming a singer. However, his
life took a different course when he graduated from the Nigerian Air
Force Secondary School in Lagos and went on to the University of Ibadan
to study dental surgery. After graduating from the institution, he
joined the defunct Mo’Hits Records.
Wande Coal
Oluwatobi Wande Ojosipe, aka Wande Coal,
attended Federal Government College, Ijanikin, in Lagos State and the
University of Lagos where he studied Curriculum Studies. He got signed
to Don Jazzy’s Mo’Hits Records in 2006. He featured on D’banj’s Rundown/Funk you up album on singles like Loke, Tonosibe and Why Me.
Being signed to Mo’ Hits Records, he is also a member of the Mo’ Hits
Allstars and played a major role in the released CV(Curriculum Vitae) album. His first single of the cv album ololu fe has been described as one of the greatest love songs ever written by a Nigerian.
Mo Cheddah
In an age when most Nigerian artistes
pride themselves in leaving the classroom for the entertainment scene,
she has managed to complete her degree programme at the University of
Lagos. She is, no doubt, one of the youngest educated rap artistes in
Nigeria at the moment.
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