INTERVIEW: I got married, divorced during 10-year music hiatus, says GT Da Guitarman

Oluwagbemiro Akingbogun, fonldy called GT Da Guitarman, is a sensational artiste. Not only can he strum his fingers along the strings of a guitar with utmost finesse but he also has a voice that resonates and effortlessly hits every note with precision. He gained fame in the early 2000s with the release of ‘Eko Ile’ and has a career that spans almost two decades. In this interview with TheCable Lifestyle’s TAIWO OSHUNLOYE, GT speaks on his failed marriage, his journey to the music industry, his 10-year hiatus, and his re-emergence in the new Afrobeats era. He also talks about what he describes as the GT 2.0 era.

TheCable Lifestyle: What influenced your journey into music?

GT Da Guitarman: Talking in retrospect, it is easy to try and identify the catalyst that pushed me into music but lots of factors can be listed as the culprit of my obsession with music or my foray into music which has lasted decades now. There is my sister who was a member of the choir and she would bring songs home and we would both sing together.

There was the part of my dad who had a huge collection of Ebenezer Obey, King Sunny Ade, Shina Peters, and the like. And there was the fact that my mum was also a soprano singer. There is also the part of growing up in Amuwo Odofin and having talented brothers around me who also influenced my music.

My first group was formed with my childhood friends Segun Obaseki and Wale Oshadare. We formed a group called ‘Peers of Love’ and we tried singing like Plantation Boiz, Boys To Men, and Westlife. Basically, my journey into music was greatly influenced by my multicultural upbringing and the diverse musical influences around me. Growing up in Lagos and London exposed me to various genres of music and fostered a deep love and appreciation for music from an early age.

TheCable Lifestyle: How would you say your career has shaped your personality?

GT Da Guitarman: Throughout my career, I encountered numerous challenges and successes that have shaped my personality in profound ways. Music taught me resilience, music taught me perseverance and the importance of self-expression.

It has allowed me to connect with people from diverse backgrounds, fostering empathy and understanding. I get to see things outside myself now and I know that there is a story every one of us is writing and I just want to know what people are going through individually because this could be the inspiration for the next song.

I think I am more of an empath now thanks to music because I know that people are feeling these things that I sing about. For example, when I write songs about heartbreak, I really see people talk about how the song affected them or when I write songs about dreams and I see that oh! I am not the only one who has dreams, there are loads of people. It just basically helped me step out of my skin and try to understand people a lot more.

TheCable Lifestyle: Why did you decide to take a break from the music industry?

GT Da Guitarman: I am glad you said music industry because I mean I never left my guitar, I was always still singing and I still get to do a few gigs here and there. Taking a break from music was necessary for me to explore other passions and interests as well as to focus on personal growth and development. I mean I got married at some point even though I am divorced now. I have two amazing kids, I was able to live the life of a family man.

I delved into other businesses like mining, sales, marketing and I am glad that I had fun. These experiences are now the things that I put into music because these are the contents. At the end of the day, it provided me the opportunity to recharge creatively and gain new perspectives that ultimately enriched my musical journey and I am glad that I am better, I keep getting better, live in my comfort zone and that if you ask me is what they call growth.

TheCable Lifestyle: After a 10-year hiatus, what was the driving force to return to the music space?

GT Da Guitarman: It was obviously the deep-seated passion and love for creating music, I cannot do without singing. Sharing is a different conversation but making and creating music is something that I am addicted to. I am totally obsessed with creating music. During my time away, I continued to feel a strong pull towards the art and I knew that I had more to share with the world physically.

The boom in the Afrobeats space must have been an inspiration. You know seeing people like Burna Boy, Wizkid and the likes sell out stadiums and share their music must have also inspired me. But trust me, listen to the EP I dropped, you will know that I never left, I just was not sharing. It feels good to be back, the fans have been waiting and I am here to serve them good music and I promise never to leave again.

TheCable Lifestyle: You admitted to being separated from your wife years ago, are you guys back together now?

GT Da Guitarman: While I do appreciate your curiosity, I would like to keep my personal life private. However, I could say my experiences both personal and professional influenced my music and artistic expression in profound ways. Shout out to my ex-wife, she is amazing and I wish her all the best. I am happy we have two amazing kids and that is pretty much what is important right now.

I tell people when they start talking about marriage and whatnot is that it is okay for two people to go their separate ways. The miracle and the magic itself are the fact that they happened at some point in time. Every relationship will come to an end, I mean death is the final. Every relationship has an expiry date.

TheCable Lifestyle: What’s your thought on the current music landscape?

GT Da Guitarman: The Nigerian music industry is currently experiencing a period of unprecedented growth and innovation. I mean, none of us saw this coming. Trend watchers must have had a clue that it was going to happen, they have been predicting the boom but it still came as a shocker to a lot of us when it eventually happened.

Who would have thought that it would be people like Wizkid, Davido, and Burna Boy would win all the awards and get global recognition? The music industry is just amazing right now, it is ripe, it has blown our minds and it just reiterates the fact that nobody knows what will happen tomorrow. Just do what you have to do and live your life, enjoy what you are doing and God is the one that blesses the works of our hands.

It is inspiring to see artistes pushing boundaries, selling out stadiums, embracing diverse sounds and gaining global recognition. However, there are still challenges such as lack of infrastructure, and fair compensation of artistes that need to be addressed. The fact that songwriting is even an art, people now basically employ songwriters, and songwriters are getting recognition. It is also something but it can be better.

I am really excited about contributing my little quota to the development of the industry now that the distros are now there. A musician does not really need a label to release his songs. The internet boom has been crazy, someone who is relatively unknown today can just shoot to the sky tomorrow and you know interesting times are here if you ask me.

TheCable Lifestyle: There’s been a recent argument on ace singers who have claimed that they paved the way for the new generation, what’s your opinion on it?

GT Da Guitarman: I think it is a personal thing. An artiste can come out and say hey you did not pave the way for me. It is not a collective thing, some were inspired by the growth, and other people did their thing themselves. And if you know what it means to make a dream come true, you will understand that nobody can do anything for you except yourself.

It takes a lot of hard work and as the people who sort of started this whole wave, in our bid to make ourselves look nice we must always understand that there are also people who came before us and we can only just reference them by mentioning their names, that is pretty much what we can do. But for you to admit that someone paved the way for you, it is a personal thing.

Every generation of artistes contributes to the institution of music and it is essential to acknowledge and respect the contribution of those who came before us but at the same time, artistes need to support and uplift each other regardless of generation. This is to ensure that there is continued growth in the music industry. Put it to him, did Eedris Abdulkareem pave the way for me? I would say yes he did.

He came before me and I learnt a lot from the things they did then even though I somehow got into the mix years after. Seeing people do something is a way of inspiring you to either do better or do what they have done. And also understanding that we learnt from the template that they laid down. They paved the way for everybody that thinks they paved the way for them.

TheCable Lifestyle: Which of these new generation artistes does their sound appeal to you or you hope to feature one day?

GT Da Guitarman: Everyone, you would be shocked. You know I love Portable a lot. From Chike, Ckay, Portable, Adekunle Gold, Simi, Ruger, Wizkid, Burna Boy, Davido, and the list goes on. I would love to work with everyone. The popular and not-so-popular, as long as you have got music and you are true to your craft, I would love to do something with you.

A lot of these guys are doing amazingly well. ‘Calm Down’ literally took over the globe. Shout out to Rema for that beautiful song, I would love to work with as many musicians as I can and I hope they would also accept me as I am and see me as their brother because I need that love from the industry. A lot of them have not shown me love yet.

TheCable Lifestyle: What do you feel about the current government? Do you like their administration or their policies?

GT Da Guitarman: When I was growing up, I spoke a lot about my environment. I was very tuned to my environment, I spoke about politics and I ended up finding out that most of my fans were lecturers. I did speak on politics but in this GT 2.0 era, as an artiste I would rather focus on making music than engage in political discussions.

This is the reason why if you listen to ‘Elody‘, the EP, most of the songs are just happy vibes. I intentionally wanted to explore and pick the frequencies that I resonate with. I did not want to keep resonating with lower-vibrating frequencies, I opted for joy, for peace, for love, for enlightenment. However, I believe in the importance of good governance and policies that prioritizes the well-being and prosperity of all citizens.

TheCable Lifestyle: What are your thoughts on the economic crisis in the country?

GT Da Guitarman: The economic crisis in Nigeria like other countries is a complex issue that requires a thoughtful and strategic solution. As an elliotician who reads and follows the trend a lot, I trade the stock market, I tend to know even before things happen sometimes. While it undoubtedly presents challenges, it also presents opportunities for growth, innovation and resilience.

The dollar went against the naira and it got close to two thousand, I think that was an opportunity for investors to come in and I am pretty sure investors came in. I think we will experience growth soon and just like every economic cycle, things go from bad to good and we are just experiencing the bad now.

This is what will inspire us to dig into the necessary solutions that will move us forward. We should invest in our naira. Ours is just madness, we have a very unhealthy obsession with foreign products and it is no wonder why we are where we are

TheCable Lifestyle: What should we expect from the newly returned GT?

GT Da Guitarman: Expect a Gen Z kind of GT, I always tell people that being a Gen Z is a thing of the mind. Expect greatness, expect someone who is an upcoming again. I am going to be putting all my energy like an upcoming artiste, thankfully I have built my goodwill all over the years. So I believe that it would not be as stressful as the first one.

With my return to the music scene, fans can expect a renewed sense of passion, creativity and authenticity in my music. I am excited to share ‘Elody’, my new EP, which reflects my personal and artistic evolution over the past decade. You would find Amapiano, Ballad, Nigerian Pop, Nigerian R&B. Elody is a balanced EP that shows the musical dexterity of GT Da Guitarman and it is way beyond the box that people have put me in over the years.