Yinka Davies Super Exclusive: ‘I Never Wanted To Do Music’

By Ayeni Adekunle and Osagie Alonge

You’ll probably say you’ve heard it all when the name Yinka Davies pops up. Eccentric and free spirited, this beautiful untamed singer has a burning passion that cannot be quenched. The problem is that we don’t know what it is. After years of musical adventure, she finally released her debut album a few weeks ago. Nigerian Entertainment Today got the mother of two talking as she lets us into her world; the men in her life, her music, family and more…

It’s probably cliché, everybody must have asked, why did it take so long to release your album. Why did it take so long to do this? Why do you think it’s the right time?

There’s no righter time than now. Now is always time.

So why didn’t you do this 10, 15, 20 years ago? You gave an interview to True Love back in 2005, you were talking about album launches in Lagos and Abuja. You’ve been through hell and back and now you are ready. What happened then?

I can’t really say; it’s hard recollecting the past, most times I blank out.

Why do you blank out?

It was a decision, conscious one. Most times you don’t want to remember stuff, good or bad. But the most important thing is to make sure everyday is the most important.

I followed your career for some time. Are you happy? Or better still are you satisfied with your career?

You can never be just content enough. You have to work higher, but for me personally, I’m at peace with myself. I am complete but you never stop wanting more though.

I spoke with Asa in 2005 at Question Mark studios way before she put any song on radio and she spoke very fondly of you. She said you were one of her influences and that she learnt so much from you and would want to be like you. Six years down the line, Asa has become a major player as she is finding her way abroad. Do you feel some sense of fulfilment or do you take lessons from her saying ‘that could have been me’. You could have been Angelina Kidjo or maybe Lauryn Hill…Do you think you could have done more?

Let me console myself by saying I have a band and It was a decision of mine that I would not leave Lagos for anywhere in the world without my band. Most times when our foreign counterparts come over here to perform, they do so with their band.

But one could say they are established already, that’s being practical…

But that’s not how an artiste should be, you must be eccentric. You have to explain your craft, there’s so much involved.

People say the bulk of your problem… (Yinka cuts in)

If you call it a problem, you give it some kind of ‘blood clot’ where blood can’t flow freely. You need to give it some kind of adventure…

So you can just wake up one morning and say you don’t want this again?

Exactly.

Was that what happened with Mr. Majekodumi? You guys had worked together for some time and all of a sudden…did that set you back?

(Sighs) Nothing sets you back if you don’t want it to. Set me back? I won’t say so. I would say you miss having the person you had around but that’s it, you’re back to life, you’re back to reality, you’re moving forward.

You left, Lagbaja and the Colours band. You left them before the big break came. Do you feel you could have benefited more if you were around during the years of the major hits and all that? It seems your voice as the lead vocalist was the formula that reigns on Lagbaja’s sound even up till today…

I would say I actually got forced to be a musician because of that.

How do you mean?

I was too sure I wasn’t going to be a musician for too long so I just went and did my supporting, signed my membership and ran back to the theatre. I ran back to be a fine artiste. I wasn’t really interested in music at all.

Why?

It’s light, it’s nothing challenging, it’s nothing energy driven.

But you didn’t end up doing a lot of theatre?

Exactly! Because I broke my leg and that was it and I then had to go back to music but I was getting awards for my works in the theatre.

So you think the accident was a major setback?

It would be wrong to look at things in that light. I don’t want to call these ‘mishaps’ setbacks. They are not setbacks, they are more or less major stepping stones for you to actually learn and see how to reconstruct and reorder, and then you realize.

You were away for about a year and a half, there was a fund raising event put together, you had support from industry people. What was the major lesson you learnt from all of that?

Believe me when I say, I’m still the same person. Make everyday great but forget everything.

Why would you want to forget everything?

It’s necessary, it makes it easy for you to live and breathe easy…for me.

So you mean you don’t draw from experiences like these to make your music?

You need to understand how stubborn goats are; they don’t see, they just go. I’m not trying to tell you I’m a goat which I am but in a very…

The materials from this album, where would you say you drew experience from if you decided to let them go?

They may come in the course of sitting and gisting, they may come elsewhere…

So you write all your songs yourself?

Yes

Did you ever write for Asa?

No.

Did Asa ever live with you?

Yes, for a little while.

Have you listened to her new album, what do you think about it?

I’ve listened to it one or two times.

Are you an Asa fan?

No I’m not a fan.

Are you a fan of 2face Idibia

No, I’m not. We are all colleagues…

Are you a fan of Yinka Davies?

No, I’m not o! If I am, I’ll let you know (Laughs)

So, now do we say that you have eventually broken the jinx; now that this album is out, do we expect back-to-back releases of songs and videos and albums or is this just meant to satisfy those who have been waiting for your album?

(Laughs) we just have to wait and see.

People have complained that the album is just an assembly of old Yinka Davies materials, that you didn’t go back to the studio and create new stuff and all that.

Really and truly, I didn’t want to lose the sound that came from the people that started the project with me, so I had to let it come out. The hard drive where my materials were stored crashed and everything was lost for a while, that was about the time I granted the interview in the magazine where I talked about releasing my album. And that would have been it; I would have released it and gone on to other things. It wasn’t easy going back to start over again because writing for me is as intense as performing.

People also say you used the opportunity of being a judge on the Nigerian Idols talent show to ride on your comeback…

But isn’t that a good thing? Because if I didn’t do it when people like FAJ and the late Wale Olomu were gathering money for me to do something, why didn’t I do that then? I didn’t do it then. I didn’t do it when I had a lot of people ready to support me, I didn’t do it when Dele Momodu became Ovation.

Why didn’t you do it then?

Because, craft is not about money, craft is about time.

But you had materials, I remember listening to a song you did, a remix of Ayinde Barrister’s song ‘Owo, I thought that was genius but it was nowhere. Would it be right to hold you responsible for ‘starving’ the fans of Yinka Davies’ music?

Yes, hold me responsible but just as you do that, set aside the anger and the pain and let’s focus on what is on ground now. Really and truly, I think it’s because, when you have a nature, you tend to take things in your stride. I wish I could help myself, help answer questions. You’re right about people thinking I’m funny.

There’s a philosophy that says very brilliant people don’t go far in life. Would you say that applies to you? You’re probably over confident, you know, how everybody tells you that you’re good, talented and all. Does that get to you, do you think that might have misled you in a way?

I’m grateful I ever got to the chance to be an artiste, I’m more grateful I’m still standing. That I have so much favour that keeps me in the minds of people, even after, I cannot explain it. It is not something of my making. I cannot take credit for being who I am. I cannot take that kind of glory, it’s too heavy and that means if that person is still standing after so long then that means something great is still there. And as for the people that say great people don’t make it, I’m bold to say greatness takes you beyond. This is not about greatness, it’s about the ‘being’ and living with the ‘being’ and giving it meaning.

What’s your ambition?

My ambition…living and loving.

If it was by your own making, if all the elements were within your control, where would Yinka Davies be today?

I don’t know, in the farm?

Doing what in the farm?

Farming, involving myself in animal husbandry, getting pepper from the north… (Laughs)

(Laughs) is that a joke?

No, it’s a desire. A major desire.

Do people take you seriously?

I have asked myself that question; I haven’t been able to answer me but if I allow myself to think of how people with take me I will not continue because that means there’s something greater than myself working. There must be some reason why this (my life) is so. I can’t explain.

When did you become a Christian?

I’ve been a Christian before my accident, but I started getting serious when I got myself together, that took a year and a half.

Do you have problems with men?

Oh no, I don’t (laughs)

You appear very playful, very eccentric, very unpredictable, very unstable, so it must have affected your relationship with men. Men want stable women right? Has it been an issue?

No, I didn’t really see it, whoever comes, comes, whoever goes, goes. Men have not been a problem for me.

How do you mean; you don’t give a care about them or you have them in excess supply?

That and that too, but not that I don’t care about him too but if you want to stay fine, if you want to go, fine.

Yeni is 50 this year; I have always thought that it would be hard to keep Yeni in the house because Yeni herself is a man. Do you think you are like that? Can you be a housewife?

Has the man tried? But, yes I can…I hope (laughs). I’m a woman; I need to be a woman when a man that is true to himself comes, I’ll be a woman completely.

Am I right to say that what you’ve done with music, is probably what you’ve done with men. Are you taking music, men and life for granted?

You can put it like that; I might have taken men for granted. First of all, there’s a tradition, certain kind of lifestyle; you must be married before 29, or else your parents will kill you if you don’t. There are so many things in our country that is really like what?! It’s about the liberation of the mind. I won’t want to be caged by ‘I need to be married before the/ engaged before 29’. What’s your problem?!

Were you ever proposed to or engaged to be married at anytime?

Well, someone tried it and I sort of lost the ring on the third day or something but it wasn’t intentional.

You have two sons; where are their fathers?

Yes, I’ll rather not talk about personal stuff.

How have you been able to keep that aspect of your life from the public?

I didn’t. It achieved itself. Who has the time to keep up with that? What kind of waking and sleeping burden is that, that’s a lot of chore!

Were both your pregnancies decisions or did they just happened?

No, they just happened, both of them. That was when I actually realized I could be a babe. I don’t believe in abortion. That’s the part that still intrigues me, if I’m that insane, how come I could be with a man and not want him to go? Where do you want to go? But the thing is if you are not there, I’m not sad.

So what occupies you?

Anything

What’s your regular day like?

I’m looking at you and I’m forming sounds, that is my regular day. If I have someone who cares and is concerned about me for me, that’s a lot of work so you have to accommodate me in your daily routine.

Who did you take after in your family?

Both my parents. My dad was an aeronautic engineer, he is late.

Who do you look like?

Both of them.

How’s your relationship with your mum?

Tough, tough, tough. I will discuss when the time is right.

You know how we build dreams with our kids; you know, we want them to be doctors and all that. So obviously, your mum isn’t happy with some things…

They can never be happy with anything! That’s who they are; they are parents for God’s sake. I guess the liberation was just so much. Daddy was too liberal, we just discussed about matters, I would discuss about the time I smoked and would make him promise if he stopped smoking then I would.

King Sunny Ade said at a time he ran away from home. You look like someone who would have left home at a time, did you?

I left at the age of 15 but I had to go back; my mum and dad were separating and I was too upset about it. I left because my parents were fighting.

Did you go and hang with friends or did you go to a studio?

No, mummy left, dad took the opposite direction and I took another direction.

Do you believe in marriage, will you try marriage?

Oh yes, I won’t divorce; I don’t support it and don’t believe in it. From childhood, it’s been a desire to see it. It’s an amazing thing. It’s a union, it’s something you cannot explain, you expect a child to come, you expect them to have sex, if they don’t, you feel sad for them.

Your music reflects all of this and more?

It reflects on the individual, just you feeling accountable for yourself. If you love yourself, you will be able to love another. It’s like the Yoruba community; parents would take care of any person’s child. I miss all that back in Ebute-Metta. What changed in Nigeria? Where are your grandmothers, your grandfathers? That love we shared at home?

You talk about this in your music?

No I don’t.

What does this album center around?

Faith, fate, love, nation building. It’s my eccentric state, in my total destabilized mannerism, I’m still sane.

But the album isn’t available

Oh it is, it will circulate eventually, it will happen.

Is it on the streets?

It cannot be on the street, if you do not want to give people trash, it mustn’t be on the streets.

How many people can afford the album at 4500 Naira?

The market woman would.

For 4500 Naira?

Oh, she would. All you need is the way you sell it to her, it’s called marketing. We used to do market place parties, Ogunde started it. All they need to do is go to the market and play; the market woman will talk to her fellow market women. They will bring out the money and pay for it, they would not think about it. And they will be bought because you’ve given them quality, you don’t give people trash. When they see quality, they will know what to do. The market women in Eko call me Yinka Davies, they don’t call me Funmi, they know me well, I was surprised. I’m positive they will buy. You must show respect, that’s why it’s taken so long.

And your music speaks for everyone?

I did it for all.

And at a time when younger people are coming into music, the Wizkids and all, do you think you have time?

I’m timeless; I don’t need to have time. I’m too alive to be stopped by anything.

This is your own project, financed by Yinka Davies, you have your own band. What are the key issues surrounding your industry that you think if addressed will make your life better as a performer?

For me personally, let’s just make sure the structures are in place like the agencies, dealing with vanities because artistes are crazy, obviously you won’t want to deal with me but then I understand, let there be some structures. Once there’s a basic infrastructure to keep the body steady, the artiste can feel better. Everybody doesn’t care, we all want to make money which isn’t bad but there’s always something more

I know you have toured and performed in several countries and all that and a lot of artistes of your era moved abroad. I know you had that opportunity and you were aware of these challenges they were facing also. Even KSA, Lagbaja continue to try to penetrate the foreign market. Did you consider relocation and if you did not, why?

I’m not a fan of snow; that takes out 30% of that wanting to go anywhere. I’m horrible with food; that covers 70%.

How do you survive when you tour?

I do Coca-Cola and grapes.

What has been the longest duration and where?

One month in Milan and another in London.

Was it your band or did you work with a band?

I worked with another band.

So is it possible to say that there was a time you were manageable? – because if you work in a band then you have to play by some certain rules…

You need to understand that as an actor, you must be disciplined. You must be there on time, you must practice. There’s no way you can say in my madness, I’m still not orderly.

But you didn’t deliver a single album in almost 20 years or more.

I know and I’m sorry Nigeria.

Don’t you think you would work better under the structures of a record label?

Who says I won’t.

Will a new single drop soon?

Yes, let’s say July and a video too.

Lets’ assume you make it here, will be satisfied in running this market or will you be looking at going international?

There is no way we won’t go international because it’s time for Nigeria to go international. We are international people.