{"id":112312,"date":"2022-09-27T15:40:13","date_gmt":"2022-09-27T13:40:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/?p=112312"},"modified":"2023-05-24T10:50:50","modified_gmt":"2023-05-24T08:50:50","slug":"oxlade-on-the-verge-of-global-accl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/oxlade-on-the-verge-of-global-accl\/","title":{"rendered":"Oxlade on the verge of global acclaim"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Oxlade\u2019s ascent from obscurity to serenading about 20,000 people at The 02 Arena within a year is one for the books in Nigerian music. He has since staked his claim as one of the poster boys of contemporary Nigerian pop. The \u201cAway\u201d singer joins a crop of artists like Wizkid, Simi, whose formative years are shaped by experiences from Surulere, a popular community in the heart of Lagos mainland. Oxlade got in the public eye after \u201cMamiwota\u201d, a collaboration with Blaqbonez, went viral on social media. \u201cI wasn\u2019t active in the music scene when that song dropped; I was working at a cyber cafe because I needed to feed,<\/em>\u201d he says. That moment leading to a crowd at The 02 Arena chanting his lyrics verbatim would be a game-changer for the singer. \u201cThat experience made it possible for me to believe in myself and see a lot of greatness in my potential.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Born Ikuforiji Olaitan Abdulrahman, the singer started honing his craft at 10 when he became a member of a serenade group in the church choir. This was how he became acquainted with Alpha Ogini, who would later introduce him to Blaqbonez. It didn\u2019t take long before Oxlade, armed with his falsetto vocals and mesmerizing delivery, became the go-to artist for features and hooks by the who\u2019s who of music. Some of these records include \u201cNon-Living Thing\u201d with Ghana\u2019s Sarkodie, \u201cAll My Life\u201d with Nigeria\u2019s MI, \u201cSlow Down\u201d with Jamaica\u2019s Skip Marley, \u201cSaralm\u201d with Turkey\u2019s Umut Timur, and more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2020, the singer shared his first ever project, Oxygen<\/em>, whose release coincided with the dawn of the pandemic. \u201cIt was a blessing and curse because I couldn’t promote my music traditionally. I got frustrated and nothing really made sense to me but the beauty of music is that the songs that are destined to pop will pop regardless,<\/em>\u201d he says. The project is a collection of Afro-ballads that hints on hurt, romance, and dance. It houses fan-favorites such as \u201cHold On\u201d, \u201c02\u201d and \u201cAway\u201d, which became one of the biggest songs in Nigeria that year. In 2021, he raised the stakes with a near-surprise project dubbed Eclipse <\/em>which spawned the viral \u201cOjuju\u201d.  According to the singer who cites Wande Coal as his biggest influence, \u201chaving gone through the gallops and potholes in the journey of life, it was important for me to sing about my pain, position, mental health, and perception of love at the time<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The donkeywork of navigating the music industry as an independent artist since his debut would culminate in his recent signing to Epic and Columbia Records, both subsidiaries of Sony Music and in this piece, he speaks to PAM ahead of the new phase of his career that is about to be unlocked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Tell me about Olaitan before he became Oxlade<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Olaitan started from the church and has been doing music all his life. He grew up with his grandma after losing his mom at three. It was tough getting to this point because my family was against me being a musician, so I had to leave home and the rest is history. I\u2019m happy to have prioritized my happiness and made the decision to please myself first before anybody. That\u2019s why I am here today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Was there a lightbulb moment when you realized music is your calling <\/h5>\n\n\n\n

At the point \u201cMamiwota\u201d dropped, I wasn\u2019t active in the music scene. I was working at a cyber cafe because I needed to feed. Music has a purpose for me, music called me back and that\u2019s why it’s working out for me right now. Music has proven itself to me time after time. For instance, I performed at the O2 Arena alongside Wizkid in 2019, before I even had my own hit song. A lot of people will lobby for such an opportunity but in my case, it was a request from the artist directly. Moments like that made it possible for me to believe in myself and see a lot of greatness in my potential. I\u2019ll never forget it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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