The past few days of my life was so occupied that I could not make out time to write anything on this platform. It was so busy that even as I am writing this little story of mine I had to cancel some performances not because I wanted to but because of the constant travelling and singing, my voice has become so fatigued that it became paramount that I rest myself.
This whole performance started just like the other once I have done but the difference was that I was moving from one performance to another which meant that I had no time to rest nor replenish my strength. My only hope was the little sleep I was getting mostly as I journey with my crew to the next event centre. I had little or no time for myself because my phone was under the custody of my performance manager who happens to be very strict when it comes to playing by the rules. Because of that, I was unable to come online to write or check what was happening on the platform.
Was this the kind of life I wanted to live?
This question started playing in my head at some point during the entire journey. At the time I began to wonder if I had the answer to the question of was I just following through with the unfolding events. I must state that I have learnt to see beyond my inner mind and the dreams I have about my career. It is not because I am not doing well in the field rather it is because I wish to understand more what it takes to stand out in the world of music and performance.
Just as we can see in other areas of life be it banking, medicine, sports, engineering etc every individual tries so hard to be the best in their areas of endeavour. You cannot be the best without standing out in anything you do. Just the same way we see footballers putting extra time to train, which is the same way musicians train even much more.
I remember the early stage of my career when I use to engage in rehearsals both in the day and all nights just because I wanted to stand out. At some point, it felt stupid and useless not because I was not gaining anything from the rehearsals rather it was because at that time I was not having performances where I could show the things I have learnt. My first instrument was my voice which was the utmost reason why I entered the university to study the act of singing.
It was in this process that I fell in love with the soprano saxophone which later became my third instrument because as soon as I got into school, the piano became my second instrument. The act of singing as I learnt goes a long way even beyond what we understand and know as music.
For someone to become a vocalist, you must be ready to push yourself a little further than you can imagine because singing is an act therefore you must be ready to allow your imaginations and creativity to come into play. Anytime I take the microphone to sing, one thing will always be on my mind and that thing is to make my audience fall in love with whatever comes out of my mouth be it reggae, blues, Afrobeat, classical, funk from the oldies etc, I try so much to make them want more of whatever I am giving them at every particular time. I learnt this secret from my numerous mentors and role models who have been in this field for so long. It is not just about holding a microphone and singing, it is about observing the mood of your audience at all times.
The last performance I finished before my voice took a downturn on me was at a traditional wedding ceremony of a friend.
I shouldn’t have accepted the invitation when she brought it to me but for the sake of friendship, I had to accept even though I was already booked for a performance just a day before her own in another state far away from her venue. I had to finish the preceding performance at about 6:45 pm just to be on transit to be able to arrive at her place before time. I must confess that this was the hardest move I have made in the history of my musical career although my performance manager warned me earlier that this could happen if I accepted the invitation, I had no option than to accept and bear the consequences which are telling on my voice right now.
All the same, I wish her a wonderful married life.
I am not regretting deciding to honour my friend’s invitation, I am rather happy that I was able to put a beautiful smile on her face when I was on stage singing for her and the husband as they danced to the music with such great joy. I have also learnt that friendship and family are more than money and this has always been in my mind anytime I am faced with such a decision to make. My only regret is that I had to cancel the remaining performances already booked because that voice as an instrument needed to have some rest just to recover from the stress which I have placed on it for so long. The life of a musician is not all rosy as some people will think. My sincere advice to you is that you should not over labour yourself in whatever you do, know when to take a break because a dead man cannot perform nor do anything. Stay safe.
