‘I can only work with Asa’ — Brymo talks lack of collaboration on new album

On his sixth studio album, Olawale ‘Brymo’ Ashimi did not feature any guest artiste, leading to speculations and conjectures by fans and music pundits.

Commenting on the matter in an interview with BBC Yoruba on Tuesday, Brymo said it is difficult to work with artistes who don’t talk about the same issues as him.

The ‘Entropy’ singer said Bukola ‘Asa’ Elemide, a France-based Nigerian singer, is the only artiste he can collaborate with.

Speaking in the Yoruba language, he said: “I have spoken to Asa’s handlers. What remains is to set it up.

“She is the one person who I can collaborate. What she talks about — love, social issues, everyday issues — are things that matter to me.

“I had important things to talk about. It is hard to bring someone who doesn’t know my thought process to collaborate on such a song.

“Many of my colleagues collaborate because of positioning. There is so much politics involved in collaboration so I chose to sing alone. I have collaborated in the past but I was not satisfied with the outcome.

Brymo said most artistes collaborate not because of music but rather, for the sake of advancement.

He also noted that most veteran indigenous musicians often “sing alone”.

“If you look at it well, many people like KSA, KWAM 1, Ayinde Barrister and other indigenous musicians hardly collaborate,” he said.

“Abroad too, people like Adele, Coldplay and Bruno Mars record albums alone.

The singer reacted to the criticisms that trailed his semi-nude appearance in the video for ‘Heya’, the lead single of the ‘Oso’ album.

He said: “The video is for people to see that were backward and need to change.

“I was not happy that people said I did something wrong. It means people have forgotten where we came from.

“I am a bush man, still living in a world made possible by the West. I, like other Africans, are just existing and not responsible for technological advancements and innovations.

“We have not contributed to the world. We don’t solve problems or create solutions.”

On recording thought-provoking songs, Brymo said he believes that “if everyone thinks [critically] in Nigeria, the country will be better”.