In Conversation With Yemi Alade On Her Trailblazing Career

The narrative of not competing with anyone is a well-worn trope in the music industry. Yemi Alade, however, earnestly embodies this epithet. Since vaulting to superstardom in 2014 with Johnny, a single whose propulsive rhythms, cinematic storytelling, and whimsical video left audiences in a daze, Yemi Alade has occupied a singular position in the industry. Over the years, she has curated a larger-than-life pan-African image, placing her in the lineage of stalwarts like Miriam Makeba, Brenda Fassie, and Angeliqué Kidjo. And yet, beneath this steely, larger-than-life persona which serves as a vehicle for her heritage-laden music, she is warm, bubbly, and often gregarious. On social media, she often posts videos documenting her culinary adventures. In these videos, she evinces an open-heartedness that almost seems to lull her millions of followers into believing she’s their friendly neighbor who lives down the road.

Moments before Yemi Alade joins the Google Meet call, she is wrapping up a shoot. Immediately she joins the call, she apologizes for her tardiness and gives an overview of her packed itinerary. “I’m having a 2-day, 48-hour, studio session. Back-to-back production with barely any sleep. Most of my days involve a lot of emails and virtual meetings. That can start from as early as 8am and wrap up as late as 10:30pm.” As we settle into the rhythm of the conversation, I start to feel for myself the unbridled warmth that drips through her music and social media posts. Our conversation mostly foregrounds her trailblazing career but we also cover a lot of ground, including her thoughts on AI music and the changing shape of the music industry, her rise to fame, and not least her latest single Shawa Shawa (Ashawo.)

Our conversation, transcribed below, has been edited lightly for clarity. 

I would absolutely love to hear the backstory of your latest single Shawa Shawa (Ashawo). Not only is it a brilliant take on Highlife, with its groovy rhythms and chipper melodies, but it feels like the perfect song to usher in the festive season.
You’re correct. It’s very “Highlifey.” Shawa Shawa is a call back to the root of my career as a musician. I wanted to make music that was nostalgic and very reminiscent of nightlife in Nigeria, Africa in general, where people are having a good time winding down after a hard day’s work and there’s a musician with a guitar who’s just singing stories. That’s what music is all about: creating a story through melody. 
 

This might be a stretch but I think Shawa Shawa (Ashawo) and Johnny, your breakout single are from the same lineage. For one, they both lean strongly into Highlife. But beyond that, they have an Eastern (Igbo) flavour. You’re of Igbo and Yoruba heritage but a good number of the songs in your canon sound Igbo-inspired. Do you agree with this characterization and why do you think this is?

Yes, Johnny and Shawa Shawa are in the same bracket and they share the same roots in terms of how easily I create melodies that seem to have more of an Igbo flair. But when I make music, I don’t target Igbo or Yoruba. I’m the perfect mix, the perfect balance. I’m proudly Nigerian. I’m proudly African and I just make my music as it comes to me. 

Your professional foray into music started in 2009 when you won the Peak Talent Show, and since then you’ve been on this amazing journey. Last year, you got your first solo Grammy nomination, which shows you’re still hitting new milestones. But how does being this deep into your career feel like? 

It’s really not something I actively think about. It’s when people remind me that I’m able to see how far I’ve come in terms of the number of years I’ve dedicated to my art. Also, when something nostalgic happens, that allows me to reflect on how long I’ve been doing this for. 

I find it interesting that you said it’s not something you think about actively. But the industry has changed radically over the years. The barrier to entry into music has never been lower. The volume of music churned out every New Music Friday is staggering. And now AI is further exacerbating this trend. With the click of a button, people now generate songs that are starting to compete with human-created music. In all of this, as a musician, do you feel a sense of dread, or perhaps the need to constantly reinvent yourself to maintain a sense of novelty in our rapidly evolving entertainment landscape? 

I’m my biggest muse and if I get bored with myself, I definitely expect people to get bored with me. So when it comes to reinvention, it’s a personal journey for me. I do it for myself and the world just has to adjust now and then. About AI and technological advancement, there’s nothing we can do but go with the flow. We were dealing with Blackberry one year and then all of a sudden it’s Instagram and now TikTok. Things just keep coming up, new dimensions, new flows, new trends. We just have to get with it or miss out on the program. And in that aspect, I try my best to do what I can.

Interesting. So, I like the fact that you touched on the AI conversation. Would you ever consider using AI to make music?
I have been playing with the idea in my head. It just hasn’t manifested because there’s something so artificial about it and it feels like a huge shortcut. But I also haven’t understood why I have to do that—use AI. Because I feel like if I dabble in it, I lose my essence, my magic, the ability to create what AI cannot create.

That’s an interesting perspective. But others would argue that the way forward is a symbiosis between human and AI creativity.
I really don’t know because, like I said, it’s going to snuff the magic out of me if I lean into that. I feel like it should be the last resort when there is nothing left in your chamber of magic. Then you could go there. I would probably consider it if I were at a point where I’d lost all my juices. Until then I continue to create my magic myself.

In your long career, you’ve scored several hit songs but I would argue that album curation is where we find you at the height of your powers. What would you say informs your decision to start working on an album and should we be on the lookout for your next album?

I hope 2026 permits me to drop an album because I’m in the mood where I just feel like dropping singles back to back but I have enough songs for 10 albums. Creating an album is a huge undertaking, it goes beyond just making music. It’s a bit like running a relay. You keep passing the baton to the next project and the next one. It’s a lot of work. And like you said, the industry is super saturated. Every second there’s a new EP, a new album. New artist per millisecond (Laughs.) I’m not saying that I consider these people before I release my music. But when I feel the pulse is right, I’ll drop an album. 

Earlier on we touched on your parents being from different parts of the country. How was growing up for you?

My childhood was like pretty much every other Nigerian or African in the world. It was a mixture of bitter, sweet, and sour, and then sweet again because we all learned lessons along the way. But the beautiful part about my childhood is that as a kid born into a multi-tribal family, I enjoyed the beautiful side of culture. We had two cultures at home: Yoruba and Igbo. I especially enjoyed the food as well. And in terms of the music, it was like double blessings for me and that really opened my mind and opened my heart to cultures. I guess that is why I am a lover of cultures from around the world, panafrican in every way because deep down in my foundation there is already the idea of many cultures under one umbrella.

As a kid did you have aspirations of a music career?
I found music to be an escape for myself but it was just a hobby for me for the longest time. I loved Beyoncé and many other artists, but I didn’t know I could be them. Every time I sang, I felt super-human. Every time I led a presentation that involved singing at school, I noticed the audience was always in awe of me—it was always the same reaction.

 
What I hear is that you were always aware of your musical talents but for the longest period you simply regarded it as a hobby. At what point did you start seriously considering music as a career?

I remember saying a little prayer to God when I was in primary school. I just said, “Lord, please make me the sunshine in this family.” I didn’t know what I was saying and why I said that, but that prayer resonated with me for the longest time. And I just continued with my relationship in music. But then it became professional for me when I won the Peak Talent Show in 2009. I then realized that I could turn this hobby into a career. Every other thing I was doing before that was just fun and games. I was just having fun, passing time, trying to graduate from school.

Talk to me about the journey to winning the Peak Talent Show. 

The interesting thing about the Peak talent show is that it was a friend of mine who brought my attention to it. She would joke that I was wasting the talent God gave me. So she went online, filled out the form, and insisted that I attend. That’s literally how I got there. There was some kind of strike going on in school, so I used the opportunity because I had nothing better to do. I went out of curiosity. It was such a strange moment for me because we had to line up. I kept asking myself “What am I looking for?” But I never left because I was so curious. Eventually, I qualified and kept going till I eventually won.

I recently spoke to Zlatan whose entry point to the music industry was also a competition he won while he was in school. Recalling the story, he told me something very interesting. He said winning that competition became like a burden for him because he was immediately faced with the pressure of parlaying his triumph into a real career in music. Did you have a similar experience?
Oh, I totally understand his pain when he says that it became like a burden. I won a certain amount of cash money but most of it was for development so that didn’t come to me. I’m not complaining. However, my face was publicized all around Nigeria but I didn’t even have a means of transportation so I was on the streets catching buses and bikes and people would recognize and call out to me. I felt very awkward because I was just trying to live my life with whatever little money I had. So that was a burden for me. Sometimes I would have to mask myself so that I wouldn’t get spotted in certain places. But it was the platform that I needed to get to where I am now. I don’t know how else I would have taken music more seriously if I hadn’t won the talent show. I don’t know how else

What was the journey from winning the competition in 2009 to releasing  Johnny, an Afrobeats hall-of-fame, in 2014 like?

That was probably the longest number of years in my life. Because that was my journey to just knowing who I wanted to be in this crazy world. I drifted from producer office to producer studio with little or no money to pay for the services that I was asking for. The hunger was really real in many dimensions. I’m happy that I never stopped. I’m also happy that I met the right people along the way who also encouraged me. I’m happy that I didn’t allow criticism to pull me back and I did not allow self-doubt to consume me or the public’s opinion to determine my idea of myself. I stayed original. It’s just like farming: one of the hardest parts of farming is tilling the ground.

What is your biggest challenge now as an established artist?
My biggest challenge is myself right now.

How so?

It’s very easy to settle into comfort and stop trying. Discomfort is actually what brings the fruit of labor. It forces you to make a way where there seems to be none. It makes you get up, show up, and be your own superhero every day.

What do you think about the current state of the industry? 
I feel like the industry is going to do what the industry is going to do, and that is always going to favor the industry over the artist. I’ve seen this play out over time. First with the eradication of CDs and DVDs. We thought it was all a joke but they devalued the essence of an artist because CDs and similar physical hardware were an extension of the artist. The emergence of playlisting on streaming platforms has also reduced the value and the star power of artists. Soon AI will run all these playlists and I don’t know what the world is going to do with artists. I don’t know what the world has in store for artists. I do hope that there are people out there who will continue to appreciate authentic artists.

If you weren’t doing music today, what would you be doing?
I probably know that I would be using my BSC in geography for something. But honestly, it’s not realistic. I really try not to think of the what-ifs, because at every stage God always equips me.

For my final question, what should your fans expect from you moving forward?

I feel like the world expects too much from me. I’m joking (Laughs.) Oh my God. I feel like my latest single right now, Shawa Shawa, is a taste of what is to come.