Adele’s success as a musician has many important lessons for others in her line of work.
Here are some of them
8 Lessons Nigerian Musicians Can Learn From Adele
1. Be Comfortable In Your Own Skin
When you hear the
name Adele, what comes to your mind? Her weight? Of course not! Adele’s weight
has never been an issue for her. In fact, she has always maintained that she is
happy with her weight and would only change if it affected her health or sex
life. In a 2009 interview, Adele stated: “I like looking nice, but I always put
comfort over fashion. I don’t find thin girls attractive; be happy and healthy.
I’ve never had a problem with the way I look. I’d rather have lunch with my
friends than go to a gym.” This stance of hers has gained her more respect and
fans from around the world. Even when the likes of Karl Lagerfield and the late
Joan Rivers criticised her, Adele always maintains that she is happy. This does
not mean you should gorge yourself on everything edible while claiming to be
healthy. If you do not like your weight, work on reducing it. If you are okay
with your appearance, do not let words or people’s actions affect you.
2. Get The Right Team
Most Nigerian musicians are guilty of this. Just because you and
Segun grew up in the hood doesn’t mean he should become your manager or
publicist. Every right thinking musician should recognise the need to have the
right people handling their career. Adele was discovered after a friend of hers
posted a demo of her music on Myspace. Did she in return make that friend her
manager? No! Instead with the help of her record label she realised that as a newcomer,
only someone with experience could help her attain the heights she and her
music aimed for. Coming closer to home, Wizkid has also had his own share of
managerial problems. But like everyone in the know will attest, joining forces
with the experienced and highly respected Sunday Are has done more good than
harm for his career.
3. Keep your private life PRIVATE!
Being a celebrity
automatically means that every facet of your life will be under scrutiny. We
get that. But at the same time, not everyone needs to know what you and your
wife or vice versa had for breakfast. Or where you guys will be spending your
vacation, or the sex of your child before he/she is born. When Adele got
engaged to her current boyfriend Simon Konecki, who is the father of her son,
that was all we knew about them: the fact that they were a couple. The next we
heard about them was when their son Angelo was born. Adele and Simon even sued
a UK photo agency for publishing photos of their son without their permission.
If you must reveal details from your private life, let it be from you or your
publicist. Bottom line, be the source of information about your life. It’s a
shame that some of our musicians even go as far as faking their own deaths to
put themselves out there (I no mention name o).
4. Be In Control
The way the
music industry is structured sometimes does not allow the artiste to have full
control over his or her song-making process. This is understandable. But at the
same time, make conscious efforts not to be the only voice in your own career.
Learn every aspect of the business, from song writing to producing and even
distribution. While making 25, her soon to be released album, Adele was in
charge of everything. She chose the producers she wanted to work with, the
video directors, song writers, instrumentalists and even the studio she
recorded in.
5. Talent, Sometimes, is Everything
Most musicians in
this part of the world go into music because they are attracted to the fame and
trappings they think music offers, without realising that before anyone can
succeed in the music world, your talent should not be in question. Yes, some
musicians are successful not because they are the best singers, but because
they know how to take advantage of the opportunities that come their way.
Therein lies their true talent. Talent is the fodder for a successful career even
if your first two or three songs are hits. Nothing guarantees a long and
fulfilling career more than talent. Musicians have come and gone, and while
some say it is the harsh environment that led to the demise of their career,
the truth remains that they found it hard to cope with the changing times; a
trivial thing if they were talented. Adele’s talent has never been in doubt,
even after her long break from music.
6. Timing is Important
It has been four
years since Adele last released an album. Four years! It seems unbelievable. In
that time, she did not release any song or video (except the James Bond sound
track) and she made very few press appearances. All this worked in her favour
when her latest single Hello hit the airwaves. Everyone remembered with
nostalgia the feelings her songs gave them, so when the news broke that she was
set to release a new record, everyone, including her non-fans, all bought her
music. While I’m not advising our acts to go on a long hiatus, it’ll do you
good if you plan your career well.
7. Stick With Your Winning Formula
Ever since
Adele’s first album came out with almost all emotional songs, all her other
musical efforts have toed the same line, even in an age where techno/dance
songs have become the norm. Moral of the story: once you find that winning
style or genre, stick with it, versatility be damned. Although a move like this
may backfire, it is up to you to read the handwriting on the wall and do the
right thing.
8. Collaborations May Not Be The Best
The news recently broke that
Beyonce – the Almighty Beyonce, had asked Adele to duet on a song with her but
she refused. Jay Z also allegedly chased Sade Adu for years before she agreed
to collaborate with him. Since no one knows why these two musicians refused to
collaborate with Bey and Jay, it is safe to assume that they did not need the
star power and added attention a collaboration with Beyonce or Jigga would
offer them. They could blow their own trumpet and still get the world to dance.
Yet examples abound of Nigerian musicians who have done more harm than good to
their career because of ill-advised remixes or collabos with so called ‘stars.’
This article was written by ‘Bisola Alawode. ‘Bisola is a journalist and PR
consultant. He can be reached via his email address [email protected]
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