Singer talks Nigerian roots, Wizkid recording, Afrobeats in exclusive interview

Nigerian born American pop singer, Jidenna, in an exclusive interview with Pulse Nigeria has addressed a number of issues relating to him, Afrobeats, and the Nigerian music industry.

Speaking on the same day of his arrival in Lagos at a hotel, the Grammy nominated singer said that coming back home is a special feeling, but this one is different due to all the cameras and activities that surround his homecoming.

“I haven’t been back while the cameras are here, so it’s cool,” he says. “It’s great. I dey like I no dey. I think the biggest thing for me is just being back. Each time I come back to Lagos, I get to see the new developments, the new malls, the new spots, so I’m excited to go out and just be around.”

Jidenna further disclosed his happiness at being able to bring his music to Lagos and Enugu, where he will be performing unheard tracks from his forthcoming album “Chief Don’t Run”.

“My dad when I was younger told me that if I was gonna do music, then I had to make sure that it was something that meant something to the whole world, and definitely to Nigeria and America; the two place that I am from. So to come back and be able to showcase the music here, and really give some exclusive peeks into records that no one else has heard, I think he will be proud of that he were still alive.”

In an educative revelation, he talked about recording with Wizkid. The duo had connected in the US, and spent several hours working on new music for both their albums. Photos of that meeting had appeared on social media, with Jidenna admitting to have listened to songs off Wizkid’s next album.

“We both have the same process when we are in the studio; the way we come up with melodies, the song concepts and what not. So we did some work on each other’s albums, I don’t know what will happen on it, cause you never know. It’s all a matter of time,” Jidenna said.

“But I love working with him. He like I, has a profound sense of duty to not just Nigeria, but the African continent. He was very focused, and his new album sounds like East Africa, West Africa, South Africa, North Africa, and even Central Africa. He has different sounds, and I love that about him.”

He also shared more on the rise of Afrobeat and its derivative sounds from Nigeria. He recognizes its growth, and admits that it is positive for the continent.

“It’s the beginning of a larger movement for Nigeria, for Africa to move into the world’s spotlight, be respected, be more understood, be appreciated for what we bring. It’s starting with music and dance, but it’s gonna expand to everything. To me, that’s what this signifies; it’s the beginning of a turning point.”

Afrobeats has steadily grown in Jidenna’s sound, with his latest single, ‘A little bit more’ containing African drum patterns and pidgin English. He attributes this to a creative evolution process, and reveals the happiness it gives him to have people connect with the new fusion.

“It’s a natural evolution, you know. The whole album is a variety of sounds, because I have lived in a lot of different places; in the US, in Enugu, and of course in Lagos. So I wanna make sure that each record feels like a new world. ‘Chief don’t run’ is a prequel to ‘Classic man’, and a prequel to ‘Long live the chief’. What happened? Who was Classic Man before he was a man, who was he when he was a boy? When his mom came to the US with him. So that’s what the video shows a little bit.

“The sound of 'A little beat more' – the Afrobeat flavor fused with some of the sounds that I’ve already been doing – it was natural, that’s what came to me that day. When I was making the records, with people from Wondaland Records like Roman GianAurthur and Nana, who I make all the music with. For the pidgin: I am a trickster, so I like when you are on the radio in the US, and you don’t expect to hear pidgin anywhere in the US. I thought that I could sneak it in there, and I did. So now it’s funny hearing it, because I can’t believe that I have people from Utah singing it and saying ‘What is a ‘wahala’? I like that. It’s the same thing with ‘Classic Man’, it’s all tricks you know.

On what he aims to take away from this trip, he explains the need to shoot his documentary, and throw light on the positives from the country.

"I’m excited that people are following me because I want to make sure they see the different sides of what we have here, and for me to learn. It will be a learning experience, not just for the people watching that are not from Nigeria, but for me also."