Fast-rising singer, Korede Bello, speaks with CHUX OHAI about his hit-song ‘God Win’ and sundry matters
Korede Bello’s hit song, ‘God Win’, is still ruling the music scene in Nigeria and most of Africa. It is one of the favourites of disc-jockeys and a sure hit with night clubs in the country.
Asked why he decided to title the song ‘God Win’, in an interview with our correspondent, Korede says, “When I was recording the song, it occurred to me that the most active phrase was ‘God Win’. It was present in every line in the song. Besides, I felt that the phrase itself carried a lot of weight and it contained a powerful message that I should share with my fans. So I it was only natural to title it ‘God Win’.”
Korede also felt that ‘God Win’ was a prophetic statement – perhaps designed to artfully manipulate the emotions of the audience. Little wonder, it has morphed into a slogan that seems to have caught on like wild fire among music fans in the country. Nowadays, everywhere you go in Nigeria, people tend to end conversations or reply to enquiries with ‘God win’.
But, contrary to the notion that ‘God Win’ is a gospel song, the fast-rising artiste says it is not. “I’d say that the song is a testimony of the collective experience of the people around me, not necessarily my personal testimony. It is about the life of the average Nigerian and the challenges that he or she faces every day.
“Also the song, in a way, sums up the aspirations of many people who wish for a break from poverty and disease. Some are getting married everyday and prospering in different ways. We are all grateful to God for the changes in our lives. It is this general feeling of gratitude for God’s little mercies that this song expresses,” he says.
For an artiste who seems to have popped out from nowhere only to hit the music scene like a cyclone, Korede Bello is certainly not doing badly. But, like most other young and successful singers, he has a familiar grass-to-grace story to tell.
Admitting that the journey from total obscurity to the limelight, which started about five years ago, has not been very smooth, he says, “Let me assure you that unlike some artistes, I did not just come into show business by accident. Before getting to where I am now, I have had my fair share of challenges. For example, ‘God Win’ is not my first album. I had recorded a couple of singles that failed to make an impact in the market before I recorded ‘God win’. It was titled ‘I love Naija’. Although some of the songs in that album, which was released in 2010, did manage to get some attention from the media, they were not successful.”
The singer has since waved aside the past. Right now he is focused on working towards a very bright future. And ‘God win’, he notes, is the beginning of that future, which Don Jazzy and the rest of the Mavin Records team will possibly help in shaping.
At Mavin Records, life has assumed a beautiful dimension for Korede. “We are one strong and united family. We all love one another and, beyond being a musical family, we give support to one another at all times,” he says.
Still relishing the success of his last performance in London, courtesy of comedian Julius Agwu, the singer would give anything to repeat the trip, his first major trip since the inception of his career, no doubt. The sheer size of the crowd that had turned up to watch him play on that day showed just how much he is appreciated by music fans in the United Kingdom.
“The ladies, in particular, showed me love in London,” he says.
Unlike some of his contemporaries in the music industry, he has been fortunate enough to enjoy the backing of his immediate family. He says that they never questioned his preference for music as a career instead of other professions because they wanted the best for him. It probably explains why his career has flourished within a short period of time and why he appears to be so cool and confident all the time.
“Na God win,” he says, in Pidgin English.
Korede takes a look at the music industry and says that, despite the influx of more ambitious and aspiring artistes into the music industry, there is still a lot of room for improvement.
“Although the industry is a bit more orderly and better organised than it used to be, in terms of technology and the quality of music and videos produced by Nigerian artistes working at home and in the Diaspora, I still think there is still a lot of room left for more improvement,” he notes.
He would like to see some improvement in the distribution of works by recording artistes and in the provision of the right structures that would help take the industry to the next level.
“Stakeholders should come up with a strategy to help provide support for individual artistes that do not have records labels or other platforms that can help push their careers. Also, I look forward to the day that artistes will no longer have to worry about getting paid royalties for their works. Although I am aware of the existence of a few collecting societies, I think we still need more in this country,” Korede says.
Interestingly, in an age when musicians all over the world cannot afford to overlook the nefarious activities of pirates and other copyright infringers, the fast-rising singer says he is not worried about their operations.
He explains that with the advent of the social media, the power to control the distribution of works by music artistes now rests with fans or consumers who can access the products and buy them through online channels.
“With this in place, copyright owners can successfully outwit pirates by directly talking to their fans and appealing to them for patronage,” he says.
He won't for now, he is still being fed!
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