On Saturday June 20, 2009, friends, fans and colleagues of mutiple awards winner, Innocent Ujah Idibia popularly known as 2Face, gathered at the Thisday Dome in Abuja to celebrate the 10th year anniversary of the star singer. The hype was very strong on TV and both fans and critics of the artiste caught the frenzy. He performed alongside some other top Nigerian acts. Seun Apara caught up with him in a private place and he spoke at length about his struggles in the past ten years.
Excerpts-
How can you describe your struggles in the last ten years?
Well, in the last ten years there has been so many ups and downs moment. I have been praised and criticized as well. But I thank God for giving me the strength to carry on till now and stay true to my music.
Which was your greatest challenge in the last ten years?
The greatest challenge is still being able to come up with good music till now. The challenges to overcome the sophomore jinx after the successful release of my debut album.
What is your greatest regret so far? I have a couple of regrets looking back but I don’t want to call them regrets. I would rather say things I should have done differently. Probably if I haven’t done them, I would have made worse mistake. So I don’t really look at them as regrets but as stuff that happened and I have learned from.
What inspired you most in the past ten years?
I think the MTV Europe Music Awards really gave me whole lots of inspiration but right now my children are my major inspiration.
What about the people that contributed to the success of your career in the last ten years?
There has couple of people that has been part of my movement in the past years. These people are God sent and I really appreciate them.
Over the last ten years, what is the greatest decision you ever made in your career?
Wow! The greatest decision I ever made was leaving school for music. It wasn’t easy but I told myself have to do it then.
Which of your decisions did you regretted most?
I don’t want to use the word regrets but there were mistakes that have learnt lots of lessons from.
What were those mistakes?
I can’t really pin-point but there were some things I would have done right or better. But in all I think I have also made some fair decisions.
Is it true there are crises in Hypertek at the moment?
There is nothing like that.
We heard you kicked out some staff?
That is not true. None of my staff has left. The truth is that I don’t want to use anybody to experiment but use myself as the experiment over the release of my last album. Hypertek is a relatively new company and we are getting some things right. We have been able to identify the weak and the strong points of different individuals. We are re-organizing the company for better positioning so that when we start releasing our artistes’ albums, there won’t be any lapses.
Was that why you returned to Now Muzik for management?
Hypetek has never been my management outfit.
But Nazi has been handling different management projects for you and for Hypertek?
Nazi is my personal manager. It has nothing to do with Hypertek. In life, certain things should be given to those that have the qualifications. This explains why I decided to work with Now Muzik.
We heard you are currently working on your fourth album?
I am actually working on my 6th, 7th, 8th and 10th album now all together.
Is there any possibility of working with Kennis Music later in the future?
I will. They are veterans in this business and we have to respect that fact. They have the experience and they know the terrain very well. There is nothing we can do without one or two advice from them and working with them in some areas. Even as I speak right now, there are some things I still do with them.
Some people are of the opinion that you shouldn’t have left Kennis Music at the time you left?
One thing about growth in life is that you have to stand up and take up challenges. It’s not easy to decide that you want to do something. It’s possible you encounter some difficulties or completely bewildered. That is exactly what I did with this album and I have learned a lot in the process. Hypertek Entertainment might not have much money to do massive promotions like others but the album is not doing badly. It’s picking up. Another reason is that I have lots of things am working on at the moment which probably didn’t allow me to concentrate more on the album. But I must tell you that is a good experience. You can’t wait for people to do things for you all the time. Sometime you just have to take up the responsibility by yourself.
How have you been coping with the stress of fending for five children?
Well, I thank God for their mothers because they have made things easy for me. They are very understanding and that reduces lots of pressure on me. They know the nature of my work and they are very co-operative because am not always around. If not for them, probably I would have run mad by now. I appreciate them a lot.
Is it true you are getting married to one of them?
I don’t know who I will marry yet but I want to get married. I don’t know my wife to be yet. May be it would be one of them and may be not; I don’t know but let’s leave everything to God. I don’t want wahala (problem) o.
What does it mean to be successful?
To be successful is having fulfillment in what you do and been able to reach the height of your career. At the end you are still very calm and peaceful; you are not worried that some people are after your life probably because you have wronged them. This is success to me. Achieving all the heights in your career and still be at peace with your God and the people around you.
What do you think is the way forward for the Nigeria music industry at the moment?
The way forward is that people should get professionals to do the work. If you want to sign a contract, get professional entertainment lawyers. If you want management, talk to the people that are well grounded in that area. If it is also PR that you want, get the professionals to do it. The truth is that we need more professionals in the industry because there are lots of talents. In the aspect of distribution too, we need professionals.
How will you rate the Nigeria music industry at the moment?
We are getting there.
What is your most priced possession at the moment?
I am not actually a materialistic person so I may not be able to lay claim to anything. Without sounding partial, I have wonderful people around me but my most priced possessions for now are my children.
One of your sons, Nino, is in a football academy. Why not a music school?
Yea Nino, that is true. He still learns music and freestyles once in a while. He is free to do whatever he wants to do but you know he is still a very small boy to make a decision right now.
What is your worth at the moment?
I don’t know actually. I’m just like a normal guy next door.
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