If former Minister of Aviation, Mrs. Kema Chikwe had had her way, she wouldn’t have allowed her son, Naetochukwu to play music. Nobody would blame her if she had taken such decision because in Africa, children of royalty don’t pursue such a lowly career. Of course, in this clime, music is reserved only for the dregs of society.
However, after much sweats, Naetochukwu eventually got the blessing of mum to pursue his dream and today, as the popular singer known as Naeto C, he is better for it. Hear him: “Mum never wanted me to sing. But I wanted to be independent, empower myself, and at the same time I had my goals and aspirations, this being my motive, I decided to go into music.”
In this interview, he tells more about himself, his music, challenges and vision. Enjoy:
Parental upbringing
My general upbringing has molded my life. I came from a big family and I grew up in difference places. I’ve always been well grounded and it is a blessing and great privilege to a lot of us. Some people may not have had the opportunity to grow up in a stable house hold, which is unfortunate but then I am lucky to have had that.
Gains of sound education
The truth of the matter is that as a musician your educational background doesn’t really play a role. Your informal education is different, which is what you learnt outside the school. My educational background has not made me a better musician, rather it has created a fulfillment for me as a person, it has raised me to a certain stage that at the end of the day, I can decide to retire from music and still have something else to focus upon. Though, some of my colleagues do not have the privilege of furthering their education, it did not stop them from being some of the best musicians on the continent. Everybody has its strength but then education is something that is very important, not just for young men of my age, but also for children and young adults because that is the only way you can create options for yourself. With my educational background, I have more exposure than some of my colleagues or more experience that will eventually contribute to my overall success as a musician.
My mother and I
My mother never wanted me to get into music. She never made any contribution towards my music career, but at the end of the day, I made her proud. Today, she is my number one fan. What we need to understand is that it doesn’t really work that way in the entertainment industry. If you are good, you are good, and if you are not good, you are not good. The only way to get quality shows is that you have to be hard working. There are no two ways about getting to the top. I have been in this game since 2006 and obviously hard work has taken me to where I am today.
My new album
I have in the marker a 17-track album which was released on February 6. It has two videos. My collaboration with Asa was a blessing. Truly the album has been getting a good airplay. Sometimes you can put out a good album and it may not be well received so, the opportunity I have now is quite good. It will enable me to take my music to different places, advertising myself.
Music power
For a along time, music has been one of those things that people have empowered themselves with, some musicians start their music from old age, not just the empowerment, not only coming from the ghetto, or rag to riches story but it is about gaining yourself independence. The reason I started doing music was not because I was suffering from abject poverty, but as an individual I wanted to be independent, I wanted to empower myself. So, I had my goals and aspirations. I see in my community that a lot of young adults live with their parents, even after getting married. But you have individuals like me who have goals and aspirations, who want to be independent and empower themselves, and the only way to do that is through music.
Contented
I am contented doing music but I faced a lot of challenges going back to school. Another challenge was getting out a big hit. I know that life is all about challenges, about positioning yourself, about taking advantage of things, and creating options for yourself. Really, being in music has been wonderful. It has helped create a platform for me. I know I can go far and for this reason I have decided to upgrade my educational background to a Master’s degree level, so that I can explore other options for myself and at the same time contribute to my music.
Participating in Star Trek
This is the first time I am participating in any show put together by Star larger. I am excited with this new found love.
Affairs with actress
Really, I don’t talk about my personal life. Yes, people always say that I am dating somebody but the best way is just to ignore it. I learnt this when they said I was dating Sasha. But I really try to stay away from relationship.
Beyond fame
One thing about being popular is that people never know your true stories. At times, people say negative things about me or my mum and it could be somebody who doesn’t like us that is spreading such gossip which is usually wrong. So, it is difficult defending yourself in the media, when you try to do so, it backfires.
My fans
I want to thank my fans for supporting me. I want them to continue supporting me. I am going to continue giving them quality music and quality representation. I will be as respectful as possible and would always be humble to my fans. http://nigerian-movies.net
source: sunnewsonline
Go here to see the original:
Mum detested music, but I persisted and became a star- Naeto C