Nigeria’s fast rising artist, Oladapo, known by friends as ‘Ola with the most’ is a gifted musician with a distinct sound palette.
On the surface, one will assume he sounds like a lot of people, yet he’s overcome a lot of skepticism and obstacles to get to where he is.
Oladapo signed with Sony music a while back. He just released his EP ‘Blind’ some few days ago and right after, he had a chat with our team at Musicwormcity.
Here’s our chat
What is your full name?
Tonade Oladapo Adetunji, aka Ola with the most, you guys know me by my first name Oladapo, my artist name
Where are you from?
I am from Ogun state, Yewa North
What is your favorite movie?
The matrix, the one with Keanu Reeves. If you don’t know what I am talking about, go and watch it now.
To be invincible or be able to read minds? Why?
I think I will rather read people’s minds than the other. You could be physically invincible, what of your emotions?
If you were to be reincarnated, would you rather be a person or a thing? Why?
*repeats question* to be honest, I have tried out being a person and I think being a ‘thing’ seems enticing. I will like to try that
Three things you never leave your house without’
This bag *shows the bag*My friends think I can afford to change it, but I don’t want to. I think I have some emotional connections to it. I don’t leave my house without my phone, and my charger. But the problem is, I still don’t charge my phone.
What is something that if you don’t do in a day, your day is incomplete?
If I don’t eat, a good number of times in a day. I and my roommate, we gats chau(we have to eat).
Which talent would you most likely have
If I was not a singer, I am multi-talented tho. I can draw,I am a poet, though I am shy, I am good at public speaking. But I wish I was more athletic, I would love to be in the world of sports.
On what occasion would you lie?
P.S. I am a terrible liar, so I would rather not. But as a secondary school student, especially a boarder, I have had to lie a couple of times to save myself. Nothing too serious, a couple of white lies.
What is your idea of a successful musician?
Someone that is able to impact some kind of emotions in anyone who listens to their songs, not just the money value.
What did you think you did right, to get noticed by Sony?
I think it is getting to know who I am and what I do. I would advise anyone who is on this same path to find their own self and sound. Once you are in doubt about your identity, it affects what you put out. And most listeners don’t know they have the ability to decipher this, but it is the reason why most musicians are not just getting as much ovation as they expect.
Adele once said, “the bigger your career gets, the smaller your life gets”, do you agree with that?
The past year has proved her right, especially with my life as a case study. Lost a couple of friends, tried to gain some back while trying to make new ones. But I know for sure, my circle gets smaller by the day.
What is your motto?
As it says on my IG bio, intimacy births music.
“Intimacy births music?” Walk us through that
It means you have to be in tune with yourself for people to like what you put out, you have to be emotionally intimate with yourself, so people can be intimate with your song. As an artist, you have to be able share real life experiences, so as to capture the heart of your listeners
Blind, what is your inspiration for the EP
Blind is a tribute to my former self. A me, that was blind to the intricacies of what love and life means, sounds cliche. All the tracks on my EP were recorded at different times and at each time, I was better and wiser than the last time. My EP captures a lot of my growth experiences, with a part of me struggling with the other part. A struggle of me trying to be better.
How do you get your inspiration to write?
I write my music using both other people’s experiences and mine. I try to be as honest as I can and due to my inability to lie, I just almost always end up writing songs about myself.
What track on your EP was the hardest to put together
Honestly, I don’t think there is one.but i appreciate the making process of track 3, fine. I think it was because I had just deleted the number of my inspiration for the song some moments before trying to record it. I tried to record it multiple times before then, it was not connecting. Almost immediately, i got a message from her, I deleted her number and voila, i went straight to record and boom! magic.
What track on your EP do you feel the most connected with?
It won’t make any sense if I was only connected to one, my EP is a project that I am very invested with and I am very connected with every track on it. Choosing just one feels like giving away my love children, and I love every track.
How has the reaction for your single, alone, been? And how do you feel about it?
The day I dropped the snippet alone, that was the day I got the most views, organically on my page. People were curious, I got calls from TV stations, talking about how people connected with the snippet. Now that the song is out, the love I have gotten from fans and even sony has been amazing.
Without using the usual names, describe your kind of music to a lay man
I think my music is afrobeat, afrofusion. I infuse a lot of elements. I would describe my music as upbeat because you will feel the urge to dance, and you will definitely listen to what I am saying. I always have a story for you to connect with.
Which musician, living or dead would you like to share the stage with?
Everyone in my life knows how much love and admiration I have for Lagbaja. It will be an honor to have a concert with him.
What do you know now and wish you knew five years ago?
I would love for myself to know that nothing comes easy, and I should have started grinding earlier. I wish I had known that the most important thing I need is me, to be me.
What do you know now and never wish to forget.
I hope I never forget that not everyone will think or react to things like me. I want to always remember that people are different.
What is the last thing you’ll ever do for publicity?
I won’t lie for fame, I always will stay true to me
Three random facts about you
I love spaghetti, food is one of my favourite things, apart from music, I am still a student and I am a fun person. I look quiet, but talk to me, I love to talk.
Watch the full interview here
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