I Was Scared To Carry My Baby

pmnews-placeholder

Versatile music producer cum singer, Gabriel Oche-Amanyi, popularly known as Terry G, tells BAYO ADETU about his life as a father, career and other issues

What are you working on now?

We are working on my tour of Europe and America. I’m just waiting for my management team to conclude the arrangements. The tour will last for a month and it’s going to be fun.

You recently launched your fourth album in Abuja with a concert. Tell us about it?

The title of the album is Book of Ginger, and it is meant to show the other side of my personality and musical career. It talks more about my new person, my new identity.

How many tracks do you have in the album?

I have 22 tracks in the

•Terry G
•Terry G

. They are pages and chapters that make the album a book.

What inspired Book of Ginger?

Book Of Ginger is an album and a book of life and then it has a lot of pages, chapters and inside this Book of Ginger project, I decided to diversify my talent in terms of changing my style. You people know me for a particular brand so I decided to do a little Rap and Blues which I used to do before and some other styles of music which at the moment is doing good in the market.

Are you changing your style of music?

I’m not changing my style of music; it’s the same way I do the production. Basically, I want to spice my music up a little because I found out that I wasn’t accessible because of the image I portray  and most people see me and get scared because of the kind of song I do. I learnt from what people used to say about me that ‘Terry G is crazy’, so I decided to make a little adjustment to and make myself accessible to people. They will now have it in mind that this is business and I’m acting on prepared scripts.

What informs this decision. Are you feeling threatened in anyway?

I’m a versatile producer. As a leader, when you follow the same pattern, your followers will get tired of you and the reason they are interested in you is because you spice up your job. I don’t see everybody in the industry as a threat to me; neither do I see myself competing with anybody. I have my personal style and brand which has been working for me, and it is not easy for anybody to imitate. I’m unique with my songs, when you hear my songs, you will know it’s mine. So, I never get scared of my colleagues or compete with anybody because I know people like my songs.

You’re one of the most consistent Nigerian artistes. How have you been able to maintain this feat?

In every position we find ourselves in life, we are all learners and the day you stop learning is the day you don’t exist in life. I believe that I’m still a learner, so I put myself in a position of an upcoming artiste because such idea gives me the opportunity to learn from people. At the end of the day it broadens your idea. I still go out to the streets, I still relate with people because my music speaks for the people.

You talked about re-branding your personality and music. Why?

Sometimes you see life changing constantly and sometimes you see it in a different way and platform. I now see much value in my life and the future. When I say my future, it has to do with my kid. Since my son was born, I started changing a lot of things about myself and it actually helped to scare a lot of negative friends from me.

Related News

How will you compare your life as a single guy and now that you’re a father?

Being a father has given me a new life, it has made me see the other side of life and it has put me in place because when you are thinking about tomorrow, you will want to be more responsible. It has helped me a lot to compose myself and think of tomorrow and the future.

So, can you encourage your son take after you in music?

Yes, I can, but I want to train him to become a footballer. I was supposed to be a footballer as well. There are lots of talents out there but there are no resources for them to make their dreams come true. In those days, there was little interest in football, and no sponsors. But I believe that with my own platform, my son should be able to do it.

What if he declines?

He will do music. Even as he is growing, he has the idea of music already.

How did you feel the first time you carried him?

I was scared to carry him because I had never carried a baby before. Prior to this time, children were always scared when I wanted to carry them, may be because of my dreads. I was the happiest man in the world when my woman was delivered of a baby boy.

What if it was a female child?

I didn’t want a girl, I really wanted Terry G Junior and God gave me.

How did you meet Mimi, the mother of your child?

It was during my first major performance in London; that was where we met. I met her through a friend, so we just started chatting. She wanted to know more about me. But she was amazed to realize that there’s a difference between Terry G and Gabriel.

Do you have plans to marry her officially?

Yes, we are making plans for that. The right time will come because it’s not just about getting married. When it’s time, we will.

What happened to House of Ginger, the group you formed some years back?

House of Ginger is a household name. It is a musical group created by me and I personally disbanded the group, though it never faded away. I think I wasn’t really capable of managing the group. I wasn’t that strong financially and I was just like a solo man -no sponsor, so it was quite hectic. I just had to dissolve the group and face other things. I have passion for House of Ginger, but whatever is worth doing, is worth doing well.

—Bayo Adetu

 

Load more