31st July, 2013
About a year ago, delectable Susan Opute-Somosu caused a revolution in Namibian music industry. She floated a multi-media entertainment empire in the small South African nation, a feat achieved not only as a foreigner, but as a woman.
In Windhoek, Susan owns a state-of-the-art private music production and recording facilities. And the empire’s flagship, Sustones Records, since its birth last year, has become the ‘go to’ studio in that country. The same feat she wants to replicate in her home country, Nigeria.
Speaking with P.M.NEWS Showbiz Trends on her visit to Lagos recently to unveil her Nigeria arm of the label, Susan said she is coming to Nigeria to give a lot of talents the opportunity to realise their potentials.
“It is obvious that Nigeria is brimming with lots of talents that still need exposure. Sustones Records is coming to give voice to those talents and help them in the pursuit of their career,” said Susan.
Reminded of the nature of music labels in Nigeria and being the first female label owner in this era, Susan said she’s up to the task.
“First and foremost, I am not here in Nigeria to compete with anybody but to create my own brand. And besides, my personal mantra is ‘make hardwork and prayer your habit; success would be yours’. With this always at the back of my mind, I move on with what I planned to do. Sustones is coming to stay in Nigeria and we are poised to let the world know of our vast talents,” she boasted.
Susan said Sustones Records studio is designed and equipped to handle tracking, over dub, vocal problems, key and pitch correction, mix and remix, stereo and 5.1 surround mixing, digital mastering and analogue/digital formats combined or separate.
The label arm of the studio has also taken one of the artistes on its wing for mentoring. The lone artiste, coincidentally a Nigerian, by stage name Naija Boy, has been promoted by the label to an enviable place in the Southern African music circuit.
Naija Boy already has two single-Ile Ijo and Olote. They are top rated songs in Namibia, South Africa and other southern African countries. The first track, Ile Ijo also has a video which was shot in South Africa by Access Ways Production.
But like the proverbial saying, home is always home, Susan plans to replicate her Namibian experience at home with the introduction of Naija Boy to the Nigerian music industry.
She said Naija Boy is an artiste whose style of music will easily be attractive to Nigerian music audience because he plays what is known as House music with some Afrobeat flavour.
Susan left Nigeria in 2002. Before living in Namibia, she briefly lived in the United Kingdom. She is a graduate of Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Lagos. She also holds a Masters’ Degree in Business Administration from same university.
—Funsho Arogundade