GODBLESS UBIEBIFAYEN Building a Successful Band is a Life Sentence
He is one of Nigeria’s accomplished live band musicians. Growing up with a rather tough father, childhood was rough, tough and penal for him. Today, he’s grown into a man who appreciates the strict training and his first love: music. As a young man, he co
I’m Grateful My Wife is in My Life, If Not, I May Have been Worse than This Take us back in time into your childhood.
My parents gave birth to my younger brother and I. I am like Michael Jackson who really never enjoyed childhood. My parents were very strict. The only time we had the privilege to play was when we were in school and my father knew when we would close. We walked from Kavajina Primary School, Warri, to the house, and my parents knew the walking distance. So if we came home minutes later than expected time of arrival from school, to the Warri main market where he worked as a trader, it meant trouble. I am like Michael Jackson who really never enjoyed childhood. My parents were very strict. The only time we had the privilege to play was when we were in school and my father knew when we would close. We walked from Kavajina Primary School, Warri, to the house, and my parents knew the walking distance. So if we came home minutes later than expected time of arrival from school, to the Warri main market where he worked as a trader, it meant trouble. He bought two stools so when we returned from school, we joined him at the market where he traded and did our assignments.
My father never joked with education. He was a disciplinarian. My mother is the opposite of my dad. Even when she whipped us, we won’t feel the pain because she was very calm. We called my dad the general and so sometimes my mother reported us to my dad. Now, my children call me general too because when the ‘general’ is around they behave. We grew up under a disciplined umbrella.
What kind of a child were you?
I was the very calm one while my younger brother was the stubborn type. My mum told me I loved Bournvita a lot.
What’s your relationship with your mother and your brother?
While growing up, my father liked my brother more because he believed he was cleverer. I wasn’t jealous as I took my younger brother like my pet. I love my mum because she is very nice. She never complained.
Growing up, I never liked my dad not knowing that I’ll grow up to realise all he was doing was to put us on the right track.
Now that my children do some things, I look at them and laugh. But if it was my dad in my shoes now, he would have whipped them mercilessly.
I really went through torture. My dad thought that’s the only way to discipline a child. I have learnt better and corrected the likelihood of same mistake with my children.
You must have been a hard young man for your dad to have been tough on you?
I was a naïve child doing things out of ignorance, but my father never understood that. I don’t flog my children all the time. I must have warned my children severally before flogging them. It’s better dialoguing with your child then lashing them all the time. My father never understood that because of the ancient style of training a child.
What’s your relationship with your children?
My girls are closer to me whilst the guys are closer to their mom. But I tend to balance everything.
You have been married for how long and how will you describe your marital life?
I grew up in Warri as a chronic Casanova until I met my wife. I’ve never spent two months with a girlfriend. I and a friend, now a Pastor, attended Urhobo College in Warri. We were music ambassadors in school always representing the school at music competitions. I sang and my friends rapped. I sang on purpose knowing full well that I’m blessed with the voice by God. I was like the 2face and Michael Jackson of those days. We came first each I went for competitions and the girls were always outside waiting for me. I grew up having the girls at my beck and call. When Iwent left Warri, my dad wanted me togo to the University of Ife to study Music, but I got wind of VictorUwaifo’s School of Music. My dad liked him and welcomed the idea. The advantage of school of music is that after completing Grade 8, I could go to University of Ife to start from 200 Level. After Grade 8 and waiting to go to Ife, I chose to come to Lagos for a demo at Ark Records in Ikeja. In that studio, I was told they needed a singer who would be doing backups for people coming around for demo. I was and the studio owner fell in love with my voice and I was immediately employed. There I met Yinka Davie and Manny Eke. I had problems with my dad after I finished from the music school and told him I wasn’t interested in going to the university. He disagreed with me. I left Warri to Lagos not knowing anybody. I stayed with
Jerry Fatuase whose father had a house in Anthony Village but his father didn’t want him to study music. I was kept away from his father despite the fact that I slept in their house, in the afternoons though.
My experience brings me to love the song ‘Ojuelegba’ by Wizkid. I once slept under Ikeja Bridge and Ojuelegba Bridge for two weeks. It was a big deal for me so I didn’t go to Ife. All I wanted was music. Going to the University of Ife would waste my time. Asides backing up, I learnt sound engineering, playing the bass guitar and music production.
From the studio I joined Onyeka Onwenu.