“I’m Making Gospel Music Street-Penetrating”: Singer Gaise Baba Changing the Face of Faith-Based Music
From hits like Jesu ni Logo to Emergency and Elijah Level, all from the A Decade After album, Akinade Ibuoye, popularly known as Gaise Baba, is undoubtedly having a great 2022. The Economics graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University is a recording and performing artiste who is poised to change the face of faith-based music with his unique sounds.
In this interview by Legit.ng's Femi Oguntayo, Gaise Baba discusses how embracing his unique sound was a challenge for him at a point in his music career, as well as how his growing up influenced his kind of music
Source: Instagram
His vision: Taking Christian music to the street, marketplace, and city centre
For Gaise Baba, representing an ideology is the vision.
He wants to be an iconic messenger pushing a message and advancing a particular agenda - just like Bob Marley, 2pac, and Fela Kuti did - and their kind of music was rich in a particular type of ideology.
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"For me, it would be the light of Christ, but not just in that 'Gospel music' sense, but in a more culture-shaping sense, in a more city-taking sense, street-penetrating sense. I really want to blaze a new trail with Christian contents and take Christian contents and biblical value to the streets, market place and to the city center," he tells Legit.ng.
Gaise Baba's Afro-fusion faith-based music
Akinade Ibuoye, unlike every other gospel musician, is creating a niche for himself in the gospel music industry with his unique Afro-fusion style.
According to him, music is what he uses to influence his society, people and culture for good. Therefore, his music is topical and conveys positive messages and vibes with my music.
However, describing his kind of music, he said:
"My music is Afro-fusion with faith-based content. I am big on faith; I am a Christian, which is like my music's foundation. So I can say it is Afro-fusion because it is a fusion of different African sounds.
"There is a lot of African flavor in the beats, in the percussions in the general vibes and flow of the music. But then, it is still a fusion of different sounds. So the only consistent thing is the Afro – the Africaness in the music."
Getting signed to Sanctified Records after school
Speaking on how he started music professionally, Gaise Baba explained that even though he started writing songs in 2004, music started for him professionally in 2009. He studied Economics at the Obafemi Awolowo University, graduated around 2008 and participated in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in 2009.
"I was around this same period that I started to take music seriously. Fortunately for me, in 2010 I got the opportunity of a record deal (Sanctified Records) and that was how I was able to go professional with the music. So far so good I thank God for how far he has helped me," he said.
Growing up for Gaise Baba and music background
He also narrated how he spent the first 10 years of his life in Ile Ife in Osun State before his family moved to Lagos. According to him, his childhood was simple, and he grew up watching more of the Yemi my lover, the earlier years of Mount Zion, C&S Ayo ni and the likes.
At a younger age of four, Gaise said his mother would take him and his sisters to churches to sing the C&S Ayo Ni O song titled Leyin Jesu ko se nikan. He said this exposed him to singing in public right from a younger age.
On how this influenced his kind of music, he said:
"I grew up in Ile Ife, and there was a lot of Yoruba, and we only spoke English in school. So, when I was back at home, we spoke Yoruba; when I was outside playing, we spoke Yoruba. So, my Yoruba is authentic; it is not Lagos Yoruba, and people comment on that a lot about my music.
"Also the kind of music I grew up on, I didn't grow up on a lot of foreign music. I grew up listening to the likes of Ebenezer Obey, C&S Ayo ni o, Evangelist Tele mi, Kayode Fasola, Olandoh Owo, Fumi Aragbaye. Those were the music I grew up on and definitely it has had an impact on my music."
Gaise Baba's Okemesi-Ekiti origin and how he was honoured by the Ekiti State Government
Okemesi-Ekiti is a town in Ekiti West Local Government Area of Ekiti State and is a hometown to notable and great creatives in the Nigerian entertainment industry. Products like the late veteran actor Jimoh Aliu, Kola Ogunmola, his children Yomi and Peju Ogunmola, and many more young creatives like Bukunmi Oluwashina and now Gaise Baba.
Gaise spoke to Legit.ng about how he feels honoured to be appreciated by his people and enjoy the kind of support he is getting from them. He said:
"I am incredibly honoured to join the long line of great artists, creatives, and thespians that have come out of Okemesi-Ekiti. People like Jimoh Aliu, Baba Ogunmola and his children like Yomi and Peju Ogunmola are like great creatives that have come out of Okemesi-Ekiti. To be called in the same breath as such great men and women is an honour that I do not take lightly.
"To know that Okemesi indegenes are aware and conscious of the work that I am doing and are proud of it, it is an incredible honour for me. I am really glad and I feel blessed and I have nothing but thanks and appreciative for every single Okemesi-Ekiti indigene that is rooting for their boy – Gaise Baba."
He, however, revealed that he visits the town often and plans to host his Lounge 464 concert and a charity event one day.
"I visit Okemesi pretty often, at least once a year. In my childhood, we always went home for Christmas. We were always home on the 23rd and would be there till New Year; it was a family culture. But, you know, now that everybody don marry finish… but I still go home every year. I was still there some weeks back to spend time with my parents, so I still go home."
In 2013, Gaise was honoured by the Ekiti State Government as a cultural ambassador by the governor at that time, Dr Kayode Fayemi.
"I was one of the 14 people honoured as cultural ambassadors, I was the youngest, both in age and career span. So, it meant a lot to be receiving such a honour in just about three years into my professional career. That was really a big and great deal for me," he said.
"My Dad was a little bit disappointed I was going into music"
For someone who graduated with a Second Class Upper from a notable institution like the Obafemi Awolowo University, Gaise's dad, just like every African parent, had thought he would get a good job or go into academics. But, even though he revealed his dad is now one of his biggest fans, it wasn't like that initially.
"It took him some time to come to terms with it. But I have to give him credit; he took time to persuade me; he wasn't forceful, he was just trying to persuade me and get other family members also to persuade me, but I think when he saw that I was adamant and certain that this was the path I was going to tow, he started to warm up to it a little bit.
"But I think that time when I was honored by the State Government that he saw that there might actually be a bright future here. Right now, my dad is one of my biggest fans. He supports the music, same as my mum who has been supportive from the very beginning, so my family members are all on board now," Gaise said.
"How I deal with advances from female admirers"
Gaise Baba also revealed that the Emergency song in his A Decade After album was just an answer to the 'dealing with female admirers' question. According to him, fleeing is the best option, just like the Bible says, "flee from every appearance of evil".
He said: "That was why I sang this is an emergency, mo bese mi soro speedily. When you find your find yourself in emergency situations, you flee. You don't want to stain your story or your name. What do I do? I try to give myself brain, I don't want to think I am immune to falling and blood runs in my body and I have emotions. So, I try as much as possible to avoid precarious situations."
Shifting from the traditional gospel songs and its challenges
Gaise Baba has now travelled far and wide and even outside the shores of Nigeria with his style of music. However, he explained to Legit.ng that it was quite challenging at some point for him to embrace that uniqueness as his music was not like the traditional gospel music or like circular ones about women or money.
He said: "My music is with a purpose and because of that it has been an interesting journey, challenging yes, it has taken me years to embrace this uniqueness and to understand that my path is different and so my journey will also be different from other artists.
"This is what has led to me building platforms and concerts like light Out where we go around high schools, organizing concerts and inspiring the teenagers, Aramanda, which is a kind of urban Christian festival, Lounge 464, which is like my own base where I am performing to my own community. So, I am not waiting for any organization to invite me before I can engage my audience, I am creating my platforms and avenue. So we started that late 2020. So, yes, embracing my uniqueness is my greatest challenge and I just had to understand that my uniqueness is my power," he said.
Late Osinachi Nwachukwu’s twin sister Amarachi signs management deal with gospel record label
Legit.ng earlier reported that Amarachi Eze, twin sister to the late Osinachi Nwachukwu, recently signed a new management deal with a gospel record label – Able Cee Studio Record.
Amarachi announced via her Facebook page that she thanked God and her friends worldwide for their wishes and support.
She also added that she wouldn't end the journey halfway. The singer, however, on behalf of her husband, her late twin sister's children, family, and friends, appreciated everyone who supported her.
Source: Legit.ng
