‘Not the Girl’ was mere fiction—Dare Art Alade
He's remained fresh since he settled on us like dew with his first album- From Me 2 U, in April 2006. A proud chip of his late father's musical creativity, he caps his with good roundedness of the entire arts with particular reference to broadcasting, comparing, anchoring and an incredible stage presence.
DareHe's one of the very few Nigerian singers with terrific vocal dexterity. His expertise comes to bare especially when performing live with a band, which he prefers to do rather than mime to CD which most of his peers do when on stage.
Now spelt Darey- as against the original native spelling of his name, 'Dare from Oluwadamilare- his songs Carry Dey Go and Not the Girl have been chart toppers in two different classifications. The former- Top Song and the latter- Top Video.
Today we journey into the mind of this gorgeous looking father of one, as he reveals the intention behind his creations and tells us why we should wait for UnDAREYted, his coming album. Enjoy the excerpts.
How old is the song 'Carry Dey Go' now?
Carry dey go is about a year and a half old. It was shot in Abuja by Clarence Peters.
What was the idea behind the conception and exactly how did it come to you?
It was an attempt at creating a distinct sound. It was also a product of Tu Face and I's combined experience. The beat was first created by TY Mix specifically for me and then the chorus came second when Tu Face and I were driving to the studio in Abuja from the airport.
How long did it take you to write and tidy up the song?
The whole song including the version with Naeto C was finished within one weekend and the main drive was that for 2face and myself to come together it has to be a fusion of backgrounds and that must be heard and felt in the music. All this we did effortlessly and we had fun also.
Why did you decide on featuring Tu-Face?
Carry dey go was a song that we enjoyed recording. I figured that if two quality musicians like 2face and I came together we could make something magical.
And so you were so sure it would blow just like it has...?
Honestly, we never thought it would blow like this. God really blessed the project and also I thank my bro Tu-face for lending his talent. The only clue we probably had was that we really had fun in Abuja while recording the song. We actually recorded two tracks together so look out for the second one titled “Se ti gbo” (Have you heard) coming on the unDAREYted album.
Was the message in 'Not the girl' directed at anybody or else how did you arrive at the name, Owoyemi Akinwale?
The song isn't directed at anybody. The Owoyemi name is actually Natz's real name (Tu Face's manager) and he was there with us giving ideas so I decided to turn his name into a woman's (laughter), so it is not directed at anybody . It's mainly fictional.
What do you think is in the song that draws so many people to it?
Sometimes it's difficult to put ourselves in other people's shoes but Cobhams and myself pulled it off together very nicely I think. He's such a genius. I think people are attracted to the message and delivery of the song. It's a sincere, heartfelt song that speaks directly to people in the situation described in the song and those who have either been there before or are on the verge.
Who directed the video?
The video was put together by my production company “soul produktionz ltd” and it was directed by Mark and Gwydion.
Why did you shoot outside Nigeria? Was it that the concept of the video could not be achieved if shot in Nigeria?
We used Cape Town in South Africa because of its beautiful scenery and also to add variety to my video collection. I have already shot about ten music videos in Nigeria over the short course of my career.
I have created jobs and represented our culture and tech-ability. I would love to shoot also in places like Seychelles, Jamaica and other unknown locations around the world.
So you are not surprised that the video is highly rated among top-standard videos...?
Not the girl has been on the air waves for about two months now and has currently hit Number One spot around Nigeria and on some Charts in Africa. Yet, there are still more videos coming this year. We still have over five unreleased new videos.