{"id":91528,"date":"2021-11-03T12:45:08","date_gmt":"2021-11-03T10:45:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/?p=91528"},"modified":"2022-01-31T11:05:00","modified_gmt":"2022-01-31T10:05:00","slug":"back-in-office-mayorkuns-new-mandate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/back-in-office-mayorkuns-new-mandate\/","title":{"rendered":"Back In Office, Mayorkun\u2019s new mandate"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Mayorkun is the archetypal Nigerian superstar. Often in planes because of gigs and other engagements, he rescheduled this interview a few times, finally to organize it from his Lagos mansion. As he speaks to us, he gets dressed up, probably for a show or a party. He searches through thick chains and other jewelry, and walks us unintentionally into his dressing. The walls are filled with dozens of designer shoes and high-brand sneakers. Mayorkun<\/a>, born Adewale Mayowa Emmanuel, is all smiles and jokes, clearly not shy about showing us his numerous acquisitions. It all came \u201cnaturally<\/em>\u201d to him, he reveals. His fame, his relationship with money and the remarkable handle of his celebrity. \u201cI started singing in church and there was this choirmaster who really gave us a hard time. He taught us how to sing, basic skills and fundamental music<\/em>,\u201d he says. But in the ultra-competitive Nigerian industry, this cannot be enough. Many know how to sing, but only a few become the kind of icon, serial hitmaker, social elite and entertainer Mayorkun is. \u201cThe job of being an artist, I think most of us learn it on the job<\/em>,\u201d he shrugs. \u201cAnd having someone like Davido gave me a plus, because I was going with him to shows, I was seeing how he was doing and other stuff<\/em>\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Indeed, Mayorkun\u2019s meteoric rise will probably be linked with Davido<\/a> forever. Music was never his first plan, although it was particularly present in his upbringing. \u201cMusic has been a household thing<\/em>\u201d, he recalls. \u201cI\u2019ve recorded some church songs, I did back vocals and gospel songs, but it wasn’t anything major. The first time I really recorded a proper song, a major song, was when I met David. That was in 2016.\u201d <\/em>His mother was a Nollywood actress, a field probably as entertaining, vibrant and central as music in Nigeria. \u201cI think it probably influenced me in the way I move!<\/em>\u201d, he laughs. \u201cMy family is a family of artists! Everybody could do any entertainment stuff.<\/em> We act, we sing, we dance, we do a lot of art.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But where Mayorkun was raised, art is not common as a career, even if it is omnipresent. \u201cI grew up on the Mainlands, Lagos<\/em>\u201d, he tells us with a proud grin. \u201cThere, to be honest, in terms of career, whatever works for you works for you, do you understand? Most people play football on an amateur level, or mechanics\u2026 Just the mediocre jobs, not really anything mad like I do\u201d<\/em>. As a young man, Mayowa quickly settled for a random banking job. But his life suddenly took an unexpected turn when in 2016, he posted a now famous video of him on Twitter, covering \u201cThe Money<\/a>\u201d by Davido. The video ended up reaching the Afrobeats boss, who immediately decided to sign Mayorkun to his DMW imprint. What would have happened if he hadn\u2019t posted that video? \u201cI even talked about it today!<\/em>\u201d, he laughs. \u201cI\u2019d probably be working in some office, I don\u2019t know.  What I know is that I wouldn\u2019t be happy<\/em>\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, being signed by Davido does not grant an immediate and obvious success. Mayorkun\u2019s first song \u201cEleko<\/a>\u201d released in 2016 was an instant hit, climbing to a million views in ten days. But it also attracted a lot of doubts and criticism on his actual input in the song, and the too-striking number of views. \u201cIt was hurtful because I had just started and I wasn’t expecting anybody to give me this hostile welcoming<\/em>\u201d, he says. \u201cIt didn’t affect the song, because it was great anyways, but I didn’t appreciate it. Over time I grew out of it because I’ve had 20, 30 hits following that\u2026\u201d <\/em>To develop as a solo artist and break free from the Davido brand (without offending him) can quickly become a difficult task. But the singer doesn\u2019t seem worried about it at all. \u201cI think the audience has grown out of it<\/em>\u201d, he laughs. <\/em>\u201cThey have grown out of it. But David is still present, he was at my album\u2019s release, I just spoke to him before on this call. He\u2019s still there for me. David is like our older brother somehow. We can never leave him.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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