Gospel singer, Sammie Okposo, speaks with OLUSHOLA RICKETTS about his past, music career and marriage.
What is the secret of your staying power?
I have been able to identify my race, choose my space and run on my lane. I understand that I am a gospel music artiste and I don’t derail. When I released Welu Welu, it was a new sound and people questioned why I did a traditional gospel music. But after a while, the song became almost as popular as our national anthem.
I usually study the industry and I move with the trends. For you to remain relevant, you have to be dynamic; regardless of whether the sound changes or not.
Why did you reduce the rate at which you put out music?
I am still very active; my fifth album was released on October 1 last year. I don’t just release albums like others do. I take my time to record songs and make sure I am satisfied with what I want to feed the public with.
When I decide to go on tour, I could do that for three or four years and I would release an album after each tour. I have never fallen into the temptation of releasing an album every six months or one single every three months.
Many things have been written about you, including your affairs with women. How do you cope with controversies?
Everyone has controversies, but the way you handle things matters a lot. I don’t let negative things put me in a corner because it is part of life. Whether we like it or not, certain things are meant to happen. When those things happen, you deal with them well and move on.
Was there a particular event that almost broke you?
I am stronger than that; none of them affected me. I don’t regret anything in life. All the things I have faced are part of my life as an individual. Given another chance to come back to this world, I wouldn’t change anything about me. What you see today is a product of everything I have experienced.
When did you give your life to Christ?
I was born into a strong Christian home but I wanted to explore as a youth. That is common with young people. I got born-again in June 2000.
I think it is good for a youth to go and see the world, especially when he or she thinks the parents are lying whenever they try to direct his or her path. I misbehaved because I felt I could take care of myself. After seeing what the world had to offer, I understood the difference between being in the care of your parents and being left alone.
What were those things that attracted you to the world?
As a youth, I wanted to experience certain things. I am not a saint; I have done it all. I tell people never to think I woke up and I became who I am today or that I have always been like this. My parents were happy when I turned a new leaf but they still didn’t like the fact that I was doing music. My father wanted me to be an accountant. When I started music 20 years ago, you couldn’t boldly tell your parents that you wanted to become a musician. Then, our parents decided our destinies; they wanted their children to be lawyers, doctors and accountants. They didn’t even care if it was something you wanted or not. The biggest award I have received so far was when my father looked at me before he died and said he was proud of me. He said he could see and he liked what I was doing. He said people used to accord him respect as my dad and he often saw me on television.
What stirred your interest in music?
I started playing the piano when I was nine years old. Do you know how it feels when you do something and you are happy about it? I saw that there was no way I could do anything else because it was music that gave me joy. I didn’t even think of making money from it; I just wanted to be happy. I didn’t want to become a frustrated accountant who would be counting money for people. If I had become an accountant, I would have embezzled money out of frustration. Music makes me happy and I have sacrificed my whole life for it. It is not an easy feat to be the only gospel artiste in Nigeria that has ever been endorsed by a big brand like Globacom.
How did you feel when you became a Glo ambassador?
I was so happy. I felt my hard work had not been in vain. I didn’t even see it coming; I was just working and being unique. With the endorsement, I further believed that there is nothing impossible in life.
Are you aware that certain people felt you were not appointed an ambassador on merit?
If you remember how huge Welu Welu was when it came out, you will not disturb yourself about such claims.
What inspired the song, Welu Welu?
As pointed out earlier, I left home to experience the world. I could have died like some of my friends but God was merciful to me. I am not special but God treated me specially. It was a song of gratitude to God from the deepest part of my heart. The song resonated with many people because they started looking back at their situations. People became thankful to God for the gift of life, even though they were not billionaires.
Were you thinking of death when you made Welu Welu?
No, I was not thinking of death. When I was making the song, people didn’t understand why I was making such sound. It was the period everyone wanted to be a Michael Jackson or an R Kelly. But I told my friends that I liked the sound and I had much confidence in it. When I released the song, things changed for me. Till today, regardless of how many songs I perform at an event, I must perform Welu Welu before people would be satisfied. The song has not left me for the past 20 years.
Do you feel bad that many people don’t know any of your songs other than Welu Welu?
I don’t feel bad because every artiste needs that one big song. If you don’t have a song like that, then there is a problem. I have made other hit songs that have fetched me a lot of money from YouTube, iTunes and other platforms. For people to pay money to listen to your songs, it is a big deal. The dynamics of music has changed with the advent of social media. In the past, it was very easy to become popular as an artiste. We only had NTA, MBI and AIT; so, promoting your music was not hard. But now, I cannot name all the radio and television stations that are in Lagos alone. A lot of attention is now on social media and I believe that in the next 10 years, people will not watch TV any longer.
As a gospel musician, I make music for the church because the church is my immediate environment. If the church is not using your music for praise and worship or special number, you have failed.
Has marriage changed anything about you?
Marriage has given me a sort of balance and it has made me stay focused. My wife loves good music and that is why she could marry me. She is a huge support system for me. I sang for her on our wedding day eight years ago. Marriage is something every man needs to experience, but you should only enter it when you are ready because it is a serious business.
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