27th May, 2011
Emerging artistes that gathered at Koga Entertainment Centre, Oregun, Lagos last Friday, heard home truths from three leading lights in the music industry as they were tutored on the need not only to identify their areas of strength, but also to master the art and science of building a fan base as well as pushing their works in the market.
The event was at the Red Bull Music Academy, the first leg of which was held in Abuja on Tuesday, where popular DJ Jimmy Jatt, well-known hip hop act, eLDee and talented DJ Klem, who is an alumnus of the academy, brought experts in the industry together from different countries, to share experiences, hone their arts and forge collaboration.
The workshop is part of the preliminary sessions of the 2011 edition of the academy holding in Madrid, Spain.
Apart from the fact that Jatt is Red Bull Nigeria’s Ambassador to this year’s RBMA, he is also the best man for the job of handling that kind of workshop given his relationship with many upcoming artistes.
Some established acts including eLDee, attest to the fact that he played vital roles in the development of their careers.
With the RBMA workshop, DJ Jimmy Jatt thus had an opportunity to coach the young colleagues in a structured environment.
According to Jatt, “an artiste needs to be sincere to himself or herself by identifying his or her area of strength and focusing on it. Some are good at singing, others at production, while there is also a room in artiste management.â€
For those convinced about their talent, however, he enjoined them to be patient enough to connect with those who have grown in the industry and sample their songs before pushing them to the public arena. Besides, they need to explore avenues available on the internet.
“In this 2011, if you are an entertainer and you are not using any of the new media platforms, you are not doing anything. Use the internet positively and with that, you do not need much money.
“You should also learn to sample your music before you step out. The piece may sound good to you, but it is not for you alone. Test it on people that understand music. I have been a judge of many music competitions and I wondered when some people came forward to sing and could not help asking them, ‘did you sing this to your sister before you came?’†he stated.
eLDee spoke extensively on the need for a young artiste to be mindful of technical details relevant to his/her art. He also enjoined them to inculcate cultural forms that include highlife in their music. Launched in 1998, the Red Bull Music Academy is a place to be for many who want to interact with talents and skills with gurus from different parts of the world. Annually, the academy that travels from one country to another takes as many as 60 participants, who it offers the chance to perform in some of the host city’s most iconic clubs and concert halls.