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Here's Pulse exclusive interview with 'Classic Man' singer in Lagos
Check out his exclusive interview with Pulse, as he talks about Lagos, recording with Wizkid, the Afrobeat movement and growth.
Jidenna in Lagos
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The swank king, popularly known for his hit song,‘Classic Man’, is in Lagos, Nigeria for an exclusive album launch party which will take place on September 1, 2016 at the music hub of Nigeria.
Jidenna will be debuting his album "Long Live The Chief" at Hard Rock Café, Lagos, on Thursday, September 1, 2016.
He will also tour the African continent for a series of exclusive performances, album release parties and the filming of a BBC documentary, which will chronicle his homecoming journey to Nigeria.
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Jidenna is best known for his popular song 'Classic man' featuring Roman GianArthur which was nominated at the 58th Grammy Awards held on February 2016 for Best rap/sung collaboration, a single contained in his collective EP "The Eephus" with Janelle Monae for Wondaland Records.
On His Feeling In Lagos:
“It’s always good to be back. This time is different though. I haven’t been back while the cameras are here, so it’s cool. 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.
On The Love From Nigeria:
It’s probably the most. Here and oOf course black people in the US, the pride that I feel here and there is tremendous. Even on Instagram and places where most artistes based in the US don’t have much. On the Instagram stats, it’s like the US, and then Nigeria, before any country in Europe. That’s how many people follow what we do, and so that just shows you. Other than that the feeling is great, the feeling is good. I’m not one to proclaim myself ambassador for anything. I’m just speaking, dressing, singing and rapping about my own personal experience, but Im glad so many people from Nigeria relate and love what I am doing out there in Nigeria and the world.
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On Bringing His Music To Nigeria:
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. It feels good, when I got off the plane it’s a very peaceful feeling. Even in the States, I love certain cities like New Orleans, New York city, but other cities is not exciting because it feels foreign, and it’s a different culture. So here, there’s a certain feeling of home, it feels good.
On The Spotlight On Afrobeat:
I have been waiting for it my whole life. Afrobeats didn’t exist in this form when I was younger. But just to have a sound that comes from the African continent, especially Nigeria, and now the whole world says that’s cool now. I’ve said this before, being teased for being African when you are little. I came with a very thick accent. Even my sisters were saying ‘you are bush. The way you talk is so bush. The way I pronounced all my words. So I will change how I spoke. Now, the people that get teased, have become the cool people that everybody want to be.
That’s what this Afrobeats movement is showing. 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.
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On Afrobeat In His Music:
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 His Concert In Lagos:
I like to tell a story through the show. It’s gotta be electrifying. I have to show sides that people don’t see. I’m pretty composed throughout the day, but during the show, I’ll get to show other sides of myself. But most of all, it’s the swank, the bounce that we got going on in the music. Some artistes right now they go on stage, and they don’t move a lot, or they just singing the song, or tell you to sing it. That’s like going to Shoprite and instead of bagging the groceries, they tell you to bag it yourself. You came to sing, I came to hear you sing. So for me I make sure I give my all in telling a story through a stage show.
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On Recording With Wizkid:
It was great, me and him vibed for hours. It was very easy actually. 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.
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.
For me it was just a great vibe. Very cool, sleek dude.
On What This Trip Means To Him:
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For me, it’s three things. One, it’s good to see my family. I just saw them in the lobby (of the hotel), my family first. Two, I always like to see what’s happening, Like what’s new, what’s going on, what are the new spots, who are the new people to meet, and all that. I’ll like to know. I want to know what the developments are in Lagos, and definitely in Enugu just to see. Because I haven’t been in Enugu for a little while.
The third is because we are shooting a mini-documentary. I think it’s important that people get go see Nigeria in a different light. It’s not all Boko Haram. It’s not all robberies and kidnappings. These are things that happen. But it’s just like going to the US, it’s not all mass shootings, and police don’t shoot everybody, although they do shoot some of us.
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 juts for the people watching that are not from Nigeria, but for me also.
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