Music: A Conversation with Dara Alamutu (Part One)

Dara Alamutu is not your run-of-the-mill Nigerian producer. His sound, style and approach to music is not only different but exciting. His music, which may not appeal to the average afro-beats loving Nigerian, approaches life and relationships from a more personal level.

His album, NUHAI, was released on the 1st of August and in a bid to celebrate its release and congratulate him, I invited him over for a conversation by my pool side. Dara is all boyish charm and loud laughter. He settled into the seat with a sigh, clapped his hands and said ‘Okay let’s begin!’ And so our conversation began.

Koro: What do you want the fans to get the most out of your music?

• Dara: I want to open their minds. I want people to know they can make this type of music regardless of where they are from. I also want my listeners to know that relationships are not that complicated. The album talks about various issues in relationships – like pride and respecting your partners.

Koro: Who influences you the most when it comes to music and art?

• Dara: I draw inspiration from different people. Jay-Z is my business mentor. Even though TIDAL is struggling –

Koro: TIDAL is struggling because black people do not want to pay for muisc

• Dara: Yeah! Music is at the stage where you cannot force people to pay for your music when they can get it for free. Release your music for free, rack up numbers in downloads and take your business to a big company name like NIKE to get marketing money based on those numbers.

Koro: Okay who else?

• Dara: Wizkid. Wizkid is not making foreign music but he is making foreign moves, and I know where he came from as an artist. Wizkid has found a way to maneuver the international market without compromising where he started from. And D’Banj as well. People say he is washed up but I don’t think so.

Koro: I think he’s making more moves than we know. He’s moved past the Tongolo music. G.O.O.D Music helped to elevate him.

• Dara: Very true. Let me just say, people like Jay and Bey  show that you can be successful without having tattoos or smoking weed or doing something crazy.

Koro: You never know who you inspire as an artist –

• Dara: I’m not an artist o abeg. I am a producer. I make music because I enjoy it. In 2015, you can’t limit yourself to music, do you know what I mean? I don’t want to be in that box of being an artist, it’s a very tight box.

Koro: Hmm you’re right. Back to your album, did you feature only Nigerians?

• Dara: *short laugh* No. I can count the amount of Nigerians on my tape – it’s not a good thing but, yeah. There’s you, Jrah, me, Sutra (Ghanaian) and a bunch of others. Nigerians don’t support people who make music that isn’t played in SIP or Vapors.

Koro: Yup!

• Dara: Look at Asa and Sade, respect internationally but probably won’t sell out a large crowd in Lagos

Koro: Compared to Wizkid who will sell out anywhere.

• Dara: I’m here to let Nigerians know that they take light in my house too, I have to buy diesel, I have to sit in Lagos traffic too. My parents are so Nigerian. I make this type of music but I am just like you. The art of making music is more than just smoking weed and saying what you feel –

Koro: Nigerian music sounds the same right?

• Dara: Yes. The same ol shit.

Koro: And your album brings out something different. I hear songs about shaking nyash or spraying money and I listen to your album and I’m like wow. I listen to WHIPPIN‘ by Jrah and I love it

• Dara: I made something for the Nigerian clubs though. Let me play it. *Dara plays a short clip* This can be played in QUILOX *laughs*

Koro: I see what you mean. It’s interesting that you’re Nigerian and you’re not making Nigerian-type music.

• Dara: It’s a different system. From the producing to the releasing. It’s free and the album comes with discounts from certain stores.

Koro: So how can people get the album?

• Dara: It’s simple really. Although the album is free, they can head over to http://www.daraalamutu.co.uk/ to download the songs and make a donation to Kids Against Cancer using this http://www.gofundme.com/kidsagainstcancer

Koro: Awesome.

The album is great, and I am not just saying this because I am not it, or because I know Dara personally. It really is a different sound and he put so much work into the production as any hard working artist would with their work.