Solomon Oyeniyi, better known as K-Solo, is one entertainment practitioner whose contribution to the music industry cannot be downplayed. It is on record, popular artiste, Timaya, rode on his back to hit the limelight. K-Solo produced the album that gave him a break. As a music producer of note, he has produced hit songs for the likes of Sunny Neji, T.w.o, Klever J, to mention a few. He has also given good account of himself as a singer. In this interview, K-Solo tells WOLE ADEPOJU how he comported himself when he made his first million from music production. He also speaks about his love life. Excerpts:
How do you feel with the emergence of new crops of producers taking the center stage?
I cannot feel any other way than good because it’s a natural thing for new people to come up. It’s not peculiar to the industry. It happens in every sector. A number of them like Mastercraft, V-tek and the likes that were under my tutelage. So, I can only be happy that another way through which I am contributing to the industry and touching lives is bearing fruits right before my own eyes. Basically, what I will not stop to do is to listen and give the room to raw talents so that we can have a better industry. We have boys doing very well, Young John and the rest. So, what I think some of us, who are older, should do is to go back to the drawing board, come up with fresh ideas, work with new hands, if you are still young at heart, renew your brand and make it better. My priority is to make sure we have good sound, let new faces come up and assist, where necessary.
I have heard so many things. Some say I did yahoo, some say I have sponsors I am fronting for and so on. But I tell you, I never engaged in yahoo or was ever sponsored by anybody. God is the only sponsor I have and every single kobo I have made is through music
Your new-found wealth is also generating talks. What is your reaction?
I have heard so many things. Some say I did yahoo, some say I have sponsors I am fronting for and so on. But I tell you, I never engaged in yahoo or was ever sponsored by anybody. God is the only sponsor I have and every single kobo I have made is through music. Many may be wondering that he has not had a major hit or something in recent times, but the truth is that we have been living like this for a long time. I have not been wearing Ebu (fake), as we call it, and we have not been driving bad cars, if what we drive now looks so big to them, and we have to grow like they are growing, too. And I think the reason people see it as new-found wealth is Instagram. They see you pose and all that, but basically, that is how it should be, because we are into show business and we must look good because that is what we sell, and don’t forget that they say looking good is good business. So, that is what they see. But honestly, too, one has moved up.
On another note, you have been so happy in your marriage after the previous failed one. Can you let us into what has made the difference in this one?
It’s the sweetest life (mild laughter). It’s the sweetest life and the truth of the matter is that when you have not got to your destination, you are just wasting time. It’s like your woman sees an advert with names and your name is not there and she’s concerned and tells you to get your name on it. You are sleeping over a period of time and she wakes you to ask if there are no sections. She is concerned about your growth. Outside of that, she is not a burden on you; she strives to make money on her own, too. She makes me happy that I can’t even explain it. Having said that, what I think happened to me in the past that actually gave me bad press was that there was a situation where a young boy did not know fakers were around him. I was a young boy that did not understand that I had so much gut in me and they saw it before me and they wanted to use it to climb. I did not know, but when I realised this was not where I was supposed to be and I decided to leave, a lot were framed against me, but we thank God that at the end of the day, we are not where we were before….we have moved up with a better home and everything fine and new. The fact is that there are hiccups, but they only act as the ladder to take you to the next level and make you bigger.
Can you recount your venture into music and production?
Before, I used to say it started from the church, but it actually started from my days in primary school. I was not born with a silver spoon, but God so blessed me that I had all I wanted. My father was able to send me to a good school and they taught us music and I ended up being the school pianist. I played songs of praise every morning on the Assembly. Although my dad did not like it, but as a primary school boy, I came home with the school piano to learn the song for the next day and my dad got upset like ‘you are supposed to be reading your book, not that piano.’ Later, I stopped bringing it home and I started coming home with a manuscript and the day he discovered it was a manuscript and not exercise book, he was upset again. The whole music started from primary school. It was from school to church, I backslid (laughs) and went to the club and back to the church, before we now made it a commercial thing and now it makes money for me.
What was it like making your first millions?
Hmmm, funny enough it did not get into my head, if that was what you were thinking. Actually, I started producing for the fun of it because producers were barely celebrated back then and artistes had stabbed me a lot. Even the Timaya project was still out of love of music. It was like you can sing and I can do beat and we came together. It was out of pure love for the music. I remember, we would go to Alaba Market, stay and help them pack CDs. Most of the big marketers we have now were doing jackets and CD compilations. To God be all the glory. But basically, I think my first major money was about N7million from Timaya’s job. But I was very composed that people did not know what I had. It was just in my account and I was still buying my roadside fried chicken and drinking my garri. So, it did not change me and I did not go mad or lose my head because
of it.
