In a season when some artistes are dropping out
of school to embrace music, others have proved they could combine development
of their talents with schooling.
Many years ago, parents didn’t like children who
preferred a career in music to medicine, law or engineering. Musicians were
generally regarded as occupying the lowest rung of the social ladder and, so,
they were hardly respected.
Although they worked hard at their chosen
vocations and sometimes, travelled far beyond these shores, many musicians were
hardly seen as useful members of the society. Most of the time, they were
dismissed as social misfits.
Unfortunately, time has not completely changed
this perception. Nowadays, there appears to be an increase in the number of
youths dropping out of school to take up a career in music. While some of them
have always said their passion for music was the reason why they quit the
classroom for the recording studio, others put the blame on poverty and other
challenges.
But a courageous few have managed to resist the
temptation to push aside their education and embrace the glamorous life style
of music artistes. With some now armed with Master’s degrees in various
disciplines, they have emerged as successful and highly respected artistes with
a wide fan base across the country.
Banky W
Olubankole Wellington, aka Banky W, is one of the
most popular music artistes in Nigeria today. He was born and educated in the
USA. By the time he was eight years old, his musical talent had started to
manifest. But his parents wanted him to pay attention to his education first. A
few years later, he won a scholarship to attend college in New York and
afterwards, bagged a degree in engineering at the Rensselaer Polytechnic.
While he was at the institution, Banky W kept
pushing his dream to become a successful musician someday. Back home in
Nigeria, he won the hearts of many music fans with his exceptionally smooth voice
and, in due course, succeeded in winning a loyal followership.
Over the past years, the velvet-voiced singer has
recorded a number of albums. He founded the Empire Mates Entertainment, a
records label, as a platform to promote his music and to get it across to his
fans in the country.
Apart from distinguishing himself as a
charismatic musician, Banky W is a philanthropist and a civil rights activist.
During the last nationwide protests against the removal of fuel subsidy, he
played a key role in mobilising the youths to take part in the protest in
Lagos.
Somehow, this talented artiste, whose career is
on the rise, has managed to keep out of trouble. Till date, he has not been
associated with any major scandal.
Tiwa Savage
Tiwa Savage is currently signed on to Mavin
Records. She attended Berklee College of Music where she studied Jazz and took
a degree in music business. Also, she has a degree in business administration
from the University of Kent in the United Kingdom.
She began her music career in the UK, touring as a
background singer for the likes of Mary J. Blige, Sting, George Michael, Kelly
Clarkson and the Spice Girls. Before then, she had worked briefly as a trainee
accountant in a commercial bank in London.
A successful artiste in her own right, Tiwa
co-wrote Fantasia Barrino’s ‘Collard Greens and Cornbread’, which was nominated
for the American Grammy Award. This is perhaps, one of her most important
achievements. Apart from that, she has released two single albums titled Love
Me and Kele Kele Love. Last February, she got engaged to her long
time business partner, Tee Billz.
Naeto C
Naetochukwu Chikwe is the son of the former Nigerian
Ambassador to Ireland, Mrs. Kema Chikwe. He graduated in 2004 from the George
Washington University with a Master’s degree in Biology and still nurses the
desire to become a medical doctor. In 2008 and 2009, he was named Best New
Artist at the MTV Africa Music Awards.
Darey Art-Alade
Darey Art-Alade is the son of the legendary Jazz
musician, Art Alade. He is what you may call a ‘chip off the old block’.
Obviously, he had taken after his father at an early age singing in church
choirs and was a member of the National Troupe of Nigeria Choir at a
point.
Darey has been a disc jockey, TV presenter,
entertainment consultant, voice-over artist and performing/recording artist at
different times, before hitting it big on the music scene. His break finally
came in 2004 at the Project Fame Academy. He participated in that edition of
the reality TV talent hunt show and had the opportunity to perform in front of
millions of viewers. He emerged third in the contest.
Unknown to many music fans, this talented artiste
graduated from the University of Lagos where he studied Music. In 2011, he was
the host of both the Gulder Ultimate Search and Glo Naija Sings reality. So
far, he has three albums to his credit.
P-Square
Apart from music, Peter and Paul Okoye, the twins
known as the P-Square, had a burning desire to be educated. They had always
made it clear to close friends and associates that they wanted to go back to
school. So in 1999, they applied to the University of Abuja to study business
administration. Fame and money could not dissuade them from this goal. Just as
they continued to hone their skills and to improve on their performances, they
were focused on their educational needs.
The group is easily one of the most successful in
the country, having won several awards and a huge fan base across Africa. They
are listed among the 10 richest musicians in the continent.
Dr. Sid
From an early age, Dr. Sid (real name is Sidney
Esiri), had his heart set on becoming a singer. However, his life took a
different course when he graduated from the Nigerian Air Force Secondary School
in Lagos and went on to the University of Ibadan to study dental surgery. After
graduating from the institution, he joined the defunct Mo’Hits Records and now signed to Don Jazzy's MARVIN Records.
Wande Coal
Oluwatobi Wande Ojosipe, aka Wande Coal, attended
Federal Government College, Ijanikin, in Lagos State and the University of
Lagos where he studied Curriculum Studies. He got signed to Don Jazzy’s Mo’Hits
Records in 2006. He featured on D’banj’s Rundown/Funk you up album on
singles like Loke, Tonosibe and Why Me. Being signed to
Mo’ Hits Records, he is also a member of the Mo’ Hits Allstars and played a
major role in the released CV(Curriculum Vitae) album. His first single
of the cv album ololu fe has been described as one of the
greatest love songs ever written by a Nigerian. He is now one of the stars in MAVIN Records.
Mo Cheddah
In an age when most Nigerian artistes pride
themselves in leaving the classroom for the entertainment scene, she has
managed to complete her degree programme at the University of Lagos. She is, no
doubt, one of the youngest educated rap artistes in Nigeria at the moment.
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