My name is Tega. I鈥檓 a musician who recently starred in the Netflix drama, All Na Vibes. I moved to Ibadan when I was nine. I moved around a lot because my parents were clergy people. And yes, I turned out the way you鈥檇 expect a pastor鈥檚 kid to: free, happy and living with nature. I like eating, playing games and watching squirrels walk around.
When did you start making music?
I started early. As a kid, I used to make choruses for my brother for fun. I was a big fan of Eminem and used to rap all his lyrics, even the ones I couldn鈥檛 hear. Back then, the only way to get lyrics was to wait ten minutes for the A-Z lyrics to load, or you listen, pause and write down each line on paper. The second process subconsciously helped me understand the way lyrics are put together, the syntax of a song.
Down the line, I tried to be a petroleum engineer then a computer scientist because I wanted to make money. You know you just want to make money when you’re a kid.
Isn鈥檛 Nigeria just catching up on the money-making side of computer science?
Yeah, that鈥檚 the cool thing. I got in early. I really liked computers and programming. At 15, I鈥檇 already imagined having my own tech company. I had this book where I drew and designed the uniforms my company staff would wear. I was also a big fan of Steve Jobs.
But then?
You know music. It comes out and tells you to say goodbye to all your other dreams. I started singing covers and posting on social media when I was in secondary school. Then I quit university in 2017. I was 17 and attending Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Delta State. I only stayed there two weeks before I left for Ibadan to stay with my brother who was at the UI, studying theatre and performing arts. I applied there and got admitted, but I didn鈥檛 accept the admission because I wanted to focus on music.
It was around that time I got a gig to play at Freedom Park, Lagos. Someone had gone through my Instagram and loved my covers. I was 18. It made me realise I really wanted to make a name for myself doing music on the road like the artists I admired. Fun fact: the road is bad; it鈥檚 full of traffic and potholes.
What did you do while you were at UI though?
I started performing. I even busked in public places for voluntary donations. People gathered, and some said I sounded so well. My best experience was playing my guitar somewhere around the student union building, when an old lady, one of the cooks, came out and was like, 鈥淚 thought it was the radio.鈥
Were your parents okay with you quitting school?
When I quit the first time, it was to enrol in UI, so my parents were kinda cool with it. When I didn鈥檛 end up attending UI, it was strange because I thought they鈥檇 say no. In fact, I was willing to fight them. I already had my speech planned. But they just asked, 鈥淚s that what you want to do?鈥 I said yes. They said, ok. I was a bit pissed by their response. It was almost like they didn鈥檛 give a fuck.
Now, I鈥檓 doing a music diploma, a songwriting thing in London. I鈥檒l be back in Nigeria in September and probably get more juicy gigs.
In All Na Vibes, your character said he didn鈥檛 want to make dance music, but music his parents would be proud of. Can you relate to that?
Oh, that was just the director and the producer. It felt weird when they brought up that line because I don鈥檛 actually care about that. But I made it sound convincing.
Since you started making music full time, what has the journey been like?
It鈥檚 been insane. It started with that gig in Lagos. Mind you, I wasn鈥檛 even paid for it. I was young, so I didn鈥檛 really care. I thought it was just one of many, and that others would pay. But the industry doesn’t work that way. If you keep dishing out free gigs, you’ll keep getting free gigs. The older I got, the more I started to feel insane like I was wasting my time. The industry is fraught with people who want to take advantage of you, trying to get you to sign shitty contracts. I never did sign anything. I even got into a big fight with a guy who wanted to be my manager. I went from a scared, stressed-out kid to realising the industry is hectic, but it鈥檚 business.
But I did many things on the way, like starting a doughnut business with my brother in 2019. Before Krispy Kreme came to Nigeria, we attempted something like It in Ibadan, which I鈥檓 very proud of. I left the business because my music started doing fine.
Sounds like the industry showed you shege
There were moments when I felt like I鈥檓 almost there, I’m about to blow, like when I opened for Johnny Drille in 2019. That was the biggest crowd I鈥檇 ever played for. I thought all the hard work was just about to pay off, but the moment passed. That was when I understood I needed to have a plan and just stick to it, not caring when the big break would come but just enjoying the process.
I鈥檓 building something, and everything I do adds to the things I鈥檝e already done. I鈥檝e also since realised people love sincerity. People like to feel seen and heard when they listen to music, which is what I鈥檝e been trying to do with mine. You鈥檙e telling people stories, so the least you can do is tell people what matters.
What does 鈥渂lowing鈥 mean to you?
I used to say I wanted to be famous, but now, I don鈥檛 even know. What a lot of artists struggle with when they become famous is maintaining a connection with fans on a personal level. Even a little fame would make you unable to respond to most of the feedback you get from fans. For me, blowing up is a long-run thing. It鈥檚 not about making one viral song. It鈥檚 about building something that inspires and outlives you, a legacy.
How did you go from putting all your eggs in your music career to being the lead character in All Na Vibes?
It was random. Remember I mentioned my brother studied theatre arts? He started a theatre group with a vision to change the industry. I cameoed as a random musician in one of the group director鈥檚 movies in Ibadan. He called me later, during COVID, and asked if I鈥檇 like to be in a movie. I wasn鈥檛 doing anything besides learning to produce music, so I said, let鈥檚 do this. I thought it鈥檇 just be a Youtube thing. I really don鈥檛 know what gave them the idea that I鈥檇 be good, but they trusted me with their project. Now, I鈥檓 a Netflix actor.
Will you continue acting, or is it a one-time thing?
I can鈥檛 really say. I鈥檓 not sure. I鈥檓 so nervous that I haven鈥檛 even seen All Na Vibes. I tried to watch the movie the night it came out, but as soon as I saw my face, I shut down the computer. First of all, I go very hard on myself, which I think I need to do less because, you know, everyone is allowed to grow. There鈥檚 that, and there鈥檚 the thing about other actors confirming that they also feel uncomfortable watching themselves in movies.
How alike are you and Abiola, the character you played?
He believes in a lot of conspiracy theories, and I wouldn鈥檛 say I believe them too, but I like asking many questions. You鈥檒l find me in a wormhole of books, Wikipedia pages and Youtube, researching one topic because I want to know the truth. We鈥檙e quite alike in a lot of other things. We both make music. We鈥檙e chill people. He doesn鈥檛 have my charm, but he鈥檚 calmer. We鈥檙e different creatures at the core.
In the spirit of talking about conspiracies, do you have a super controversial take on music?
I feel like music you can download and play on your phone could and should be free. People should pay if they want to, but it should be available at zero cost. Many of the songs that inspired me when I was a kid, I don鈥檛 remember how I got them. They came to my phone by the power of the almighty. People shouldn鈥檛 be denied the chance to listen to music because they can鈥檛 pay for it. Digital music should be free.
Then how would you get paid as a musician?
You perform. There are a lot of other ways to make money from your music. If you go to my website, all my songs are there and downloadable for free. It鈥檚 how it鈥檚 always going to be unless I get signed to a label that controls everything, which I don鈥檛 want to do. Music should be free.
Interesting. Who do you make music for?
I write for people who are going through it, people who sometimes sit down to evaluate their life then feel grateful or pissed off about it. Basically, people who are aware of their humanity.
When I鈥檓 going through something, I make music to explain myself to myself. The emotions get so heavy that the only way to get them off my chest would be to write about them. For some people, when they feel something, they go punch a wall. For me, I just write, even if I never release the music. I might eventually make money from it, and people may feel so connected that they鈥檇 be willing to pay for it, but in the beginning, I write to explain myself.
Do you have a favourite song you鈥檝e written?
I have many. But one of my favourites is To Be Missed, a song I did for All Na Vibes. The whole concept is me realising in 2018 or 2019 that we鈥檙e all designed to want to be remembered, especially when we鈥檙e not in a place anymore. It鈥檚 okay to feel a bit lost, or like someone who wanted you before doesn鈥檛 anymore. It鈥檚 human nature to feel that way.
It sounds like a heartbreak song. How many have you written when you were heartbroken?
Between 2018 and 2020, almost all the songs I wrote were about heartbreak, and I wrote many good songs then. Most musicians would agree that some of the best songs have come from heartbreak.
What are your fave heartbreak songs you didn鈥檛 write?
Sunburn by Ed Sheeran. I wish I was the one who wrote it. I likeLast Last. That鈥檚 a proper sad song. And you can make it even sadder if you sing it acoustically. But it鈥檚 a vibe. You know Nigerians will always make it a vibe, even if it’s sad.
Who or what influences your music?
Two of my biggest influences are Ed Sheeran and Passenger. But in recent times, it鈥檚 been places. The more time I spend in Ibadan, the more I fall in love with the place. I interact with it in a way that it starts to feel like a person and begins to inspire me. Nigeria inspired me to make angry songs like Gossip, from my old EP.
What does it feel like performing on stage to an audience holding on to every word?
No matter how many times it happens 鈥 though it doesn鈥檛 happen many times 鈥 it makes me feel like the world should just end. It鈥檚 just so consuming, it kind of makes you feel small. Or maybe it鈥檚 just me wanting to feel small in that moment. I don鈥檛 know how to explain it, but it鈥檚 beautiful. I just want to embrace the moment and live in it in a way that鈥檚 not intrusive, and I can鈥檛 get too used to it so that it continues to feel special every time.
What鈥檚 the least or most you鈥檝e been paid, whether in music or acting?
Today鈥檚 prices are not really like 2022鈥檚. Last year it was in six digits. And I may not play in any show until September, when I鈥檓 back in Nigeria.
How fulfilled do you feel?
Very fulfilled. I鈥檝e learnt to abide in everything I do, however great or small. I used to compare myself with others, but I have learnt that it doesn鈥檛 matter. Right now, I feel very fulfilled, doing exactly what I want and how I want it. I write and perform music, get paid for it, and I have songs people listen to. My 16-year-old self would be mindblown. I think that鈥檚 enough fulfilment for me.
What sort of legacy do you want to create?
Make albums of the highest quality. Do concept projects. I have onee coming out that I鈥檝e been working on for a long time now. It鈥檒l be out when I return to Nigeria. I don鈥檛 want it to be a collection of random stuff. There are stories behind it, and everything just works together to create this really cool, sweetcake album.
I also want to work on the performance scene in Lagos and Ibadan. One of my dreams is to have it more structured and easier for artists coming after me to find places to perform. Right now, I鈥檓 focused on putting out quality projects and collaborating with artists. When I return, I want to work with more people even outside my space.
Which Nigerian artists would you like to work with?
Lagbaja. Asa 鈥 she鈥檚 been at the top of my list since I was a kid. 2Baba, interestingly. His music isn鈥檛 the same again, but I plan to tap into 2Face of the 2000s. I want to work with Obongjayar too.
What are the struggles you face as an artist?
Making music regularly while always being online. It鈥檚 a lot to juggle as an artist.
What are you currently working on?
An EP, which will be out soon. Expect a minimum of four songs.
