“If I had not gotten married, I could have had children out of wedlock” - Darey discusses his marriage, business, and musical career #WithChude
Artist and businessman, Darey Art Alade joins the host of #WithChude and co-founder of Joy, Inc., Chude Jideonwo to share his experience so far in the music industry, his marriage, and the highlights of his 20-year long career.
“I had listened to a vast range of songs from the traditional to juju, all sorts of music. So my music then was about finding ways to express differently from what others had done. To no regrets, I did everything with my heart, any challenge, any song, any topic, in different forms. For me, the culture early on was also important. Unlike now, when Nigerians grooved to Nigerian songs ten to fifteen years ago, it was not a thing that Nigerians would enjoy Nigerian music like it is now.
On his decision to get married, He said, "Love is a decision. A lot of people think it is a feeling. You decide to love someone, and you decide to spend your life with someone. It does not happen by accident. Even bringing into the world is no mistake. You knew what you were doing before you brought this ‘unwanted’ child into the world. For me, that decision to get married was purely personal. It didn't hinge on anybody's feelings or anybody’s reality, except for the person in my life.”
“If I had not gotten married, I could have had children out of wedlock. I could have moved out of the country. I could have succumbed to the pressure of people who kept telling me, “Oh, your talent is not here”. It is not here, but where do I go? Anything could have happened but I have absolutely no regrets. Working together with your spouse is not for everyone, but if you have someone you can quickly get along with, finish each other's sentences, stand each other, then thank you stars. The work environment is different. To get things done, you have to understand what role you both play. We cannot both be bosses at the same time. In the scenario that we have both created that works, we figure it out,” he added.
On the highlights of his over two decades career in the music industry, He shared that "One of my proudest achievements would be my family, and then my businesses. Putting my head down along with my family and colleagues to do the work, put our money where our mouth is, and make a difference. The third would just be my music. I am blessed to have an interesting career."
Talking about what next to expect from him, he said, "I think I am at a point now where I am looking at building something that can last for eternity, whether it is from a business perspective or my music, but generally breaking new frontiers. The next frontier is in tech, but we will be unveiling what kind of tech it is as time goes on.
Watch a video excerpt of the conversation here: