Poet, actor,
singer and song-writer launches his debut album this Sunday at Freedom Park,
Lagos. The album which he has described as “a collection of poems, is titled Ajo
Akanbi told us
that his deep love for music began during his childhood days of watching the gelede
festival in Ibara Abeokuta and listening to the music of late Ayinla Omowura,
Haruna Isola Yusuff Olatunji, S.Aka and other Caribbean music on his father’s
radiogramme.
He started
actively pursuing singing as a career when he became part of a band, Bongo Man,
while he was at the Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU in Ile-Ife.He however
confirmed his calling to Music after the revered poet, Wole Soyinka gave him an
opportunity to perform “The Song of the Lagoon Nomad” after the demolition of
Maroko during the Sisi Clara workshop back in 1991. Yinkalater went on to work
as a writer- he published poems, wrote screenplays and script for documentaries
before returning back to his first love, Music.
Ajo which literally translates to journey in Yoruba, is
the singer’s musical journey through life. The 10 track album is an
experimental album with specks of highlife and juju flavour. The album features
some of Nigeria’s finest singers Yinka Davies, Bunmi Sanya and Sweden based JMJ
,
On why he choseAjo as the name of his first album, Akanbi
said “The title aptly summarises my life’s journey as the album’s content is
couched in the idioms of my trainings in my deep Yoruba culture.
The power of my
music lies in the message; the arrangement of the words and the interpretation
by the producer. We both were not shy about doing things with freshness .I
tried to be simple, not sounding processed. The rawness that produces truth
told in purity but the thoughts and delivery, profound. I leave the final
judgement in the hands of the listeners.”
Although this Ajo is his first album, Yinka has
some more songs to gift to the world. He said “The
world should expect more from me musically. I have some music waiting to be
done.
I have some produced already but which
cannot make this album. As a never -say-never creative soul who believes in originality,
expect more from me.”
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