![NG-[A_BA[COMP_TABL_ALLC]:TABLETS_160x600](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vxyzGnWCu8SDmQ_pqFWxeL15nOv9CPMMVIqxr-o4xCT7UCwSdYnMwBr_vYwekRidDhsu3pdUrsZgfOm7Shl5o1NnoprcKG7F-u12-N87VDB2QtqZBRlU33onxlbaXAmcDmtFEiYAVD4JLV8xhOnrHDfb9jp_51iBsAZmfSkifW2MrPz67evg=s0-d)
“I make more money performing at weddings” -Tosin Martins
His hit song, “Oloomi” is more popular than Tosin himself because the song has gone far beyond the shores of Nigeria, owing to the fact that it is a love song. Tosin Martins came into the consciousness of many people when he released his hit single years back and since then he has come to stay. Known for adding glamour to every weddings he performs at, has made him practically busy every weekend. He started music professionally in 2007 and has produced 3 albums and currently working on the 4th one. The loving married Tosin comes from the prominent Martins family in Lagos and graduated as a lawyer from University of Lagos. Society Editor, Tayo Fajorin engaged him in an interview where he opened up on his marriage, his 17 years in the music industry and why he dumped Law for Music.
*****
What has been happening to Tosin Martins lately?
We have been busy recording and trying to wrap up the 3rd recording but it is actually the good album so that is taking me up and about in and outside the country for a while now to finish the details and hopefully the album should be ready soon.
Is there title for the album yet?
We are playing with few titles in our heads now and I have team of people around who are also looking into that to help us decide which the best is.
Do you do any other genre of music apart from signing love songs?
We have always done a multiple genre of music. I am a multi genre kind of artiste. I have done songs inFuji, highlife, soul, R&B, but essentially in all what I do, there is always a lot of afro centricity int it. It’s very afrocentric. I tried in as much as possible to put in signatures to let you know I am a Nigerian. I use a lot of Yoruba so it can swing both ways for people that neither understand one nor the other language and for the most part, I swing with inspiration, however it comes, I am not the kind of guy who tries to want to trail a certain sound because it is so called commercial but if it does not come naturally, I don’t do it, because if you want to be performing this things, like that it shows it is just like trying to be Wizkidwhen you are not. So what is the point being somebody else, it looks stupid, I do what comes to me naturally and what people can connect to and feel the sincerity.
Can you enumerate some of the collabos you have done?
Well, in the past on the 1st album, I did some collabos with Bukky, Samsung and Lara George, it was actually a love song but of course, not main stream love song commercial type, on the 2nd album, I did more collabos, there was Banky W, M.I. Jesse Jags, ego which is like a sequel to “Oloomi” called“Kosege” and on this new album, there are quite a lot on them and of course, there is a single with Tiwa Savage, “Champion Love” which is coming back in a different package and we have a big catch” on this new album but until when it comes out.
Any preference for a particular artist on your album?
To be honest, no, I swing with inspiration so it is how a sound from a song sounds to me that I know which particular artiste would best fit the song, we do it even if it is Terry G but I would not go in those lines but creativity has no limit for me. my limit are more in terms of contents, there are some things I will not say or sing about but as much as it is decent, it is good music, it is exciting and inspiring, I will sing it.
How do you handle competition in the midst of all these?
I have always felt it is not an issue because the truth is I feel whatever you do if it’s good enough and it can stand the test of time, you are there, all of us has come and KSA has not gone anywhere, the Onyeka Onwenus, late Michael Jackson and all so I feel on the surface, it looks like a challenge because sometimes a lot of sounds tend to block away others but once we have a proper industry that is properly structured with different radio stations, playing different genre of music, it is fine.
How profitable can you say music has been for you?
Well, it is all I have done, professionally since 1997, so I have not done anything apart from music. It is profitable. It has been 17 years.
How did music start for you?
I guess, it is in the university and that is the beautiful thing about university because it exposes you to a certain level of independence and you get the opportunity to discover yourself and see that I can do this for a living and that was what my university days afforded me. The space from family to discover yourself to think and try things out and that is where my fall back for extra cash came from apart from my parents own and it worked. I had looked at it and as soon as I finished serving, I just told myself this is what I wanted to do and I went for it.
Where did the passion for music come from?
I think it is a mix of many things, I grew up in church and I do gospel music also so you put that against the fact that I grew up in an environment where music is a big part of life and all the exposures I have had in my life has involved music so there is no way I would not have been in music.
How long have you been doing music?
Since 1997, professionally, I have been earning money through music but as Tosin Martins that everybody knows, it is in 2003.
Can we liken the Tosin Martins that sing love song to how he is at home?
Hmm! I am the one answering the question so of course, you will expect me to say yes and I think the best person to answer should be my wife. But I will be the first to admit, like most marriages, it comes with the challenges, there are times when I am not that sweet loving Tosin, the singer in my marriage because as human beings, nerves will get frayed and there will be times when you are not just feeling sweet. So we have our moments but for the most part we give God the glory. It has been awesome being married.
How do you joggle marriage with music?
I have the benefit that my peculiar kind of music protects me a bit and for whatever reasons when we started music, we never put my face out there as much as my voice so everybody knows Tosin Martins, the name and the voice but they don’t know the face, I can be standing beside you and you will not know it is me. I am as good as Lagbaja. Of course, I am not saying people don’t know my face but not like artiste who are always in their fans face, so that has an advantage and of course, I know I can’t keep it for long because when we move forward and higher, we are going to put the face to all the music but it has helped, considerably who I am, very simple natured kind of person I don’t come with the airs of a star. I do music because it is what I love to do, I did not start out to be a star and it gives me an opportunity to be able to express myself and I am grateful people love me for it. I earn a living from it no matter how little.
How do you source for funds for your music?
Well, at this level, from all that we earn we are able to put it together and carry on, with the business but no denying of facts that we are in a non-structured industry where funds are scarce and you have to be careful of what you get and handle it right.
For the most part, thank God for family, friends, fans who believed in me, once in a while, investors come to invest in events you are doing and there is a certain profits that comes in from there. It is lucrative on how one structured it and gets a team who know what they do.
Can you say performing at weddings is more profitable than through sales of your CDs?
To be honest, yes, because I started out with performing at weddings.
Do you do free shows at all?
A lot of time, there are promotional events that we do to let people know our new work, who we are and what we are about, especially when we go abroad to perform to crowd that may not necessarily be familiar with you and your music so you do those things but because it is what you do for a living, it has to be commercial.
Background….
I am from a family of 6, I am the last of 6 children from my parents. I went to school in Lagos, theBaptist Academy Primary and completed it in Abuja, Government Primary School then, I went toFederal Government College in Abuja then proceeded to University of Lagos to study Law, went toLaw School and qualified as a Lawyer, I am from Lagos State.
Why not practice Law after studying it?
I was satisfied with the little experience I had while serving and I did a bit of music administration kind of job for 6 months before post service year and also before I went into music. I just knew that is what I wanted to do and I went straight into it. There is no point wasting time after the first major single, ‘’Oloomi’’ which was my first connection with my audience, which is a love song and since then, I have been inundated with several invitations for weddings and I am grateful to God that up till now people are still calling me to perform, home and abroad, it is an experience they love when they look back on the wedding day, listen and see that I am there in person to do them the honour so I am grateful to God for this. It is being more profitable to be honest with you.
0 comments:
Post a Comment