Time zones may be different but the spirit of music connects every African to her roots. Kanwulia, who recently performed in Lagos, Nigeria during the Easter holidays tells the story of her journey into music from the perspective of a budding female singer, societal expectations and cultural integrity in this chat with Yinka Olatunbosun.
How did your journey into music begin?
My journey began very early. My whole family had called me the drama queen. I have been gallivanting all around the house singing. I have been singing along with songs as a baby. I started singing in the church as well. I started performing in school. Ultimately, I decided to go to the university to study Dramatic Arts. Music has been something that has always been a part of my life.
That’s quite interesting. Where did you study Dramatic Arts?
I studied at the New York University, Tisch School of Arts
Let’s talk about your childhood. I am sure it is marked by different experiences. How were you able to embrace your African identity despite having varied cultural experiences?
I was born in the US but I moved to Lagos when I was five or six. I grew up in Lagos. I went to both primary and secondary schools in Lagos and then went to the UK for A levels before ending up in the US for my university education. Growing up in Lagos was a unique situation. Even though I was in Lagos, my house was very western. My mom is American and my dad is Nigerian. Even from the food we ate, things were different. The music and the shows we watched and the holidays that we celebrated were unique. It is only recently that Nigerians started celebrating thanksgiving and things like that. Being in Lagos allowed me to stay connected to my culture and my heritage which always followed me wherever I went. Lagos is my home.
What’s the name ‘Kanwulia’ from and what does it mean?
Kanwulia is a Delta-Ibo name that my dad gave me. It was my grandmother’s name. My grandmother is Delta-Ibo and my name means let us rejoice. It was fitting that I use that name as my introduction to the world. I want to be known for evoking emotion in people, meaningful emotions, making them laugh and forget about the wahala to the day-to-day grind.
Have you ever been pressured to make songs that do not match your taste or persona?
Of course, I have to be clear on this. Being pressured does not necessarily mean something in a heightened negative way. I don’t necessarily find that to be a bad thing. Being an artist, you have to experiment. You have to find out about your sound. As a young artist, I wasn’t sure what my sound was. Trying a bunch of things is how I got to know what I really like or not.
Can you describe your creative process? Do you write your songs or do you freestyle?
Kanwulia
It really just depends. I think it is a little bit of both. I told my mom the story of how I was in Jakande traffic trying to get to my studio session and I was just antsy. I turned everything off and all the horns from Danfo, okada and the people selling in traffic inspired me to write a song. I wrote a song in that traffic on my way to my studio session.
But sometimes, I sing and write about something of interest. Sometimes, I hear melody in my sleep and I wake up to go to the studio around 2am and then go back to bed. It really just depends on what inspires me at the moment.
What influences do you have in music? Who are your role models?
Nigerian gospel music has a lot of impact on my music especially the call and response aspect of it. One of my favourite gospel songs is Ijoba Orun. I think the melodies, simplicity and meaning of Nigerian gospel music has really been impactful. Even though the music I created would not be easily classified as gospel music, there are some aspects that definitely carry over. Another genre of music that has been really important to me is Jazz music. I am a classically trained jazz singer so I grew up listening to the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, Sammy Davies Jnr and a bunch of gospel and blues legends. And so, jazz music has been very influential in my music as well. Of course, the Whitney’s and the Beyonces, Mariah Careys. My mom listened to a lot of Luther Vandross and 90s R&B writing. That really shaped my writing as well.
Do you remember the first time your talent was discovered in singing or anything else?
I was at Standard Bearers School in Ikoyi and later, they moved to Lekki. I was in year 5 or so and we were doing the Christmas show and there was no Santa Claus and the boy that was supposed to play the role got sick and did not show up in school that day. I went to our principal Mrs Oni at the time and I said I wanted to be Santa Claus. She said How could I be Santa Claus. I put on the costume with the beard and everything and I went out there and did it. Mind you, this whole time we had been rehearsing with his six year old boy who was supposed to play Santa Claus. That’s my earliest memory of being thrown into the arts.
Are you prepared for the demands of celebrity life, the fame and pressure to confirm with certain standards of fashion and beauty?
I am prepared to be myself and I am prepared to not conform. I’m prepared to move in a way that shows my integrity and character. I think that the music industry is a beast and it will always be. I think where a lot of artists mess up is that they think they have to do one thing or the other to be accepted. I just hope that I put my music out there and people identify with it and at the end of the day, everybody likes it. Conforming is not for me and I will be kicking in some doors.
Would you say that women have it tougher in their music career than the male folks?
Kanwulia
I think there is a stereotype surrounding women in music that we are either less qualified or not as good or not as respected in the industry. In the Afrobeats genre, it is definitely male-dominated. But we have seen some women like Ayrr Starr, Tems and the young beautiful women who are really good in music. I think it is really difficult to gain that respect at first because of the existing stereotype.
How would you describe your music or classify it and what are the core messages in it?
I think as a young woman, it is really important to have self worth and to be confident with who you are. A lot of my music is tailored towards building confidence and they sound almost like anthems when you are with friends. I will classify my music as feel-good music and that can come in different genres. Coming from my background, it is hard to say what genre my music is. It can have different elements or themes but I think I will classify it as feel good music.
One of my feel-good anthems is Gbera. It came about as a joke in the studio. But Gbera is about a lady doing shakara. There is also Wahala No Dey Finish. That is one should not stop enjoying life just because of hard times.
