Niniola: Money — not talent — will take you places in the music industry

Afro-house singer Niniola has said the music industry is beyond the facade that talent alone can guarantee a successful career. 

The ‘Sicker’ singer, who released her sophomore album earlier than expected, said this during a recent media tour in the UK.

In a chat with Factory78, the singer said thriving in the music industry requires money more than talent and that upcoming acts need to invest in their career.

Niniola said: “In 2013 I went for a competition and I became the third runner-up and I got my prize money. With the prize money I invested in my career. I sought out one of the best producer Sarz and told him I wanted a hit song and that’s when I met my manager.

“When you’re not in the music industry on the outside, you think talent would take you places but it’s not. My manager told me ‘you need funds to promote and print CD jackets’.

“It’s a very capital intensive industry and so as an upcoming artiste you have to leave everything aside and invest in your career because at the end of the day it’s for you and you reap what you have sowed,” she said.

“Growing up in Lagos was fun. I come from a large family, I had cousins and relatives living in the house. We were up to about 30 or 40 living in the house at the time and obviously we couldn’t make our foods ourselves so we had cooks. It was like the Fuji house of commotion.”

“I listened to my parents records like Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers and Nigerian music. And that way I didn’t know I was training my voice by mimicking the voices that I heard.”

Niniola said she wasn’t one to write songs, much less her own.

She said: “If anyone had told me ten years ago that I would be writing my own songs I’d be like ‘it’s a lie’ because I always told myself ‘you can’t write anything’.”

A little confidence boost from prolific producer Cobahms Asuquo, after being berated by other producers, was all she needed to push herself to write her own songs.

On her musical aspirations, the singer said, “I would like to open for Beyonce”.

When asked about what it is like being a female artiste, the singer said, “I’m very proud of every female artiste in Nigeria because it is not an easy feat to be a female artiste but I’d like for us to continue with love”.

On what inspired her album, ‘This is Me‘, she said: “It is Niniola basically saying this is me, this is who I am. This is what I can do. I can jump on any track- dance tracks, I can sing ballads and do whatever I want with my voice.”