This was totally unplanned but it was all good. Even though Demola (OXYGEN CYLINDER) had not told me I would be meeting Aisha today, it was all together a pleasant encounter. I must say that if judged her outward appearance, Aisha does not come across as one who would win a congeniality award, however, immediately I introduced myself; all that was history. As I took her outstretched hand (to shake it of course) her face creased into a very warm smile and so we began our short chat. Here is how it went.
AJS: Tell us about yourself.
AISHA: well, there is not much to tell (laughs)
AJS: Go ahead, it’s ok.
AISHA: My name is Aisha, born; Aisha Sanni Shittu, I’m a student. Lagos State University.
AJS: Studying?
AISHA: English Language.
AJS: Great, when are we hoping that you will be out?
AISHA: In about a year and a half, hopefully….without the srikes…(laughs).
AJS: So, did music find you, or vice-versa.
AISHA: I think it was a mutual feeling, it was something that we both wanted to do. Music has been wanting to do me for a while, so I just agreed about six years ago.
AJS: That’s 2004?
AISHA: Yeah, approximately, but I have been …you know, everybody says…it’s cliché to say that I have been singing since I was six…you know, but yeah, in primary school you do a lot of all these things. It’s basically part of grooming here. So I started recording professionally in 2004. I started with Alec Music; I wasn't signed up to them, so I was just going there and recording with Frank Mudi. Then he sort of broke out of the studio, I think there was a minor conflict at the time. Since I wasn’t signed up to them, I just left and Frank opened up his own studio.
AJS: How about now, any recent work?
AISHA: Yeah, of course, I have been working in the studio. I have a couple of songs I have recorded. I mean, if I decided to…or if there was a gun to my head and I had to put out an album, I have a couple of songs to put out. Thing is, that we need to be relevant throughout the year, I say we, meaning, myself and my crew. We need to be relevant, so I need to know the kind of songs I put out right now.
AJS: And the crew is?
AISHA: The crew is NIGHTBLAZE and OXYGEN CYLINDER, that’s my management. I’m signed in to NIGHTBLAZE as a record label and my management is the OXYGEN CYLINDER.
AJS: What is your genre of music.
AISHA: My comfort zone,….I’m not gonna box myself into a particular genre, because this is my first album, so I’ll just say, my comfort zone is RnB. Everybody loves RnB (smiling mischievously) but you know, in Naija, you just can’t be an RnB artiste “like that, like that” you have to add a little bit of Yoruba...it’ll be safe to say that I could do a little bit of stuff. I don’t know about my rapping skills oh (chuckles) but RnB, Pop, you will find that in my album. Then you will find a little bit, “little" being the operating word here, you will find a little bit of FUJI.
AJS: Hmm.
AISHA: Yeah’ I know people are not going to be expecting it but, I’m trying to do something like that.
AJS: Hmm, very interesting, so who were you listening to while growing up?
AISHA: Growing up, hmm, I was listening to Lionel Richie, Adewale Ayuba, Shina Peters, Colintin.
AJS: Good stuff?
AISHA: Yeah, good stuff, that’s what they were always listening to, you know, the whole “Ijo Yoyo” and everything. It was basically Lionel Richie, Michael Jackson a little bit of Mary. J Blige. I liked the whole; I’m going down “swag” then Brandy.
AJS: Have you ever been compared to any existing artiste, within or outside Nigeria?
AISHA: seeing that I’m just coming out…
AJS: NO, I mean, even within a small circle.
AISHA: Em, at a time, I did em, well I was working on a pop track, in fact two pop tracks actually, and somebody said; “Oh, that sounds like Lady Gaga” and I was like; (sarcastically) yeah right..(at this point we both burst out laughing) you get a little bit of that. Yeah the name of the track is Super Woman. People tend to compare you, they see and go; “Oh Queen Latifa” (chuckles), well I’m not really out yet, but we would see what people have to say. I’m not going to say I have been directly compared to anybody…well….oh yeah they compare me to a guy….they say I sound like a guy. (I’m cracked up at this point). Somebody actually tackled me on Twitter a few days ago, the person was like, “Come I’m hearing a male voice on this track and your avatar is female, WHO YOU BE SEF?” and I’m like ah…I’m female oh.
AJS: These things happen.
AISHA: O yeah, they do.
AJS: If you weren’t doing music, what would it be?
AISHA: Well, I’m very interested in; I know this might sound a little vain, but I’m very interested in hair, make up and spa treatment.
AJS: It’s not vain..that’s cash men.
AISHA: (laughs) As in I really like it, besides the money, I want to open a spa someday, a state of the art spa.
AJS: Regardless of whether you are doing music or not?
AISHA: Yes, actually, I really want to do it.
AJS: Who, have you worked with since you started?
AISHA: 2005 or 2006 Thisday concert, at th Polo club, where JAY-Z and Beyonce came,
Yeah, I did backup for Majek Fashek.
AJS: Oh, really…theee MAJEK?
AISHA: (nodding in agreement) theee MAJEK.
AJS: Anyone else?
AISHA: Yeah, I did a song with DR SID. I think that was in 2004 or 2005.
AJS: Was he with MO-HITS at the time?
AISHA: No…of course not. Even at the time we did the Thisday concert, he wasn’t with MO-HITS. I think he was doing something with Weird mc at the time, but this was even before that time, we worked on a song together. He was just SIDNEY then.
AJS: What artistes would be in your dream collabos?
AISHA: I like BEZ…yeah BEZ is cool.
AJS: So, what draws you to BEZ?
AISHA: I think it’s the way he depicts his music…I mean, when I listen to the lyrics, they are not; and I mean this in the best possible way, they are not spectacular. You know, it’s like you say something so small, but you make it sound so grand. I have only heard one track of his really, I heard that the other songs like SUPER SUN are good, but the only one I have heard is MORE YOU and its sooo…I thought it was so nice. I like BEZ a lot, I like ASA. They kind of sound alike right?
AJS: If you were to paint a picture of yourself, one year from now, say, at the end of 2011, how would it look?
AISHA: Well…errm… you really want to know?..(smiling)
AJS: You bet.
AISHA: Ok, let me be realistic. If I were to paint a realistic picture of myself at the end of 2011, I would have finished working on my first and second albums, would have done a couple of shows, hopefully two or three endorsements…err…(thinking hard)
AJS: Ok…and….don’t stop, paint your picture.
AISHA: I am, I’m on it…I’m going. A couple of endorsements…lots and lots and lots of money (laughs). About two or three cars. Well, I think that’s all I want to say for now sha, the rest I would just want to hide for now. In my head it is a very beautiful picture, If I were to paint it myself…hmm. Ok don’t worry, I think that’s enough.
AJS: Tell me about the song that you are promoting now.
AISHA: The song is, IF I HEAR. Yeah, it’s a pretty interesting song. I think everybody can relate to the song, I mean, people tend to push it to women, but that is not what it is about, because everybody says ‘if I hear’.
AJS: So, what’s the story behind it?
AISHA: Hmmm…I should have thought about this before I recorded (laughs)…it’s like, errr..hmm.. wow, the story behind it, is basically, a girl talking to a guy and then, the guy probably tells her,“I love you” and she is like, “ If I hear”. The girl goes; You drive a G-Class…If I hear. If I hear means like “it’s a lie” or like BS stuff like dat. I think it’s a very interesting song. I think guys can relate with the “If I HEAR” and girls would relate to “who’s BB torch is that?”
AJS: What has the challenge been, as a relatively unknown artiste in this industry?
AISHA: If you say “challenge” then you mean just one, but there have been lots of challenges. First, I’m female and I think down here, it’s kinda difficult to come out when you are female. It’s almost like you can’t hustle like a guy. There are certain things that you have to do if you want to come out. Guys tend to be strong enough you know. That’s my own observation oh, It has been very difficult, when you go to record labels..hmm…at the time I started, I visited a few record labels, which I would not mention and they are like; “oh..you are too English, you need to infuse some Yoruba and all that”. Some said “oh your voice needs to be higher or lower”. They just come up with all sorts of excuses. Sometimes they want you to come and do backup for them, but have no plans to sign you. Then of course you have the whole (gesturing quotation marks with fingers) “guy –girl thing” in the industry.
AJS: We all know that one.
AISHA: We all go through that one at one point or another and when you are not willing, you are roasting. At the end of the day it’s all going to be better if we keep trying, I mean, six years is pretty much, a while. you know when you are working on something and people in the studio are telling you, its nice, you are expecting everybody out there to feel it. People are like, this is the track you going to blow, do you know how many times people have said “this is the track you are going to blow”? hehehe you know.
AJS: Six years coming.
AISHA: Oh, my God! (laughs)…yeah…like this is it right here.
AJS: Like I said before; These things happen.
AISHA: Yes, I mean at the end of the day, for you to be able to have a story to tell, you have to have seen certain things. I probably won’t have anything to tell you right now, if this was my first time, I hadn’t done anything with anybody, I hadn’t been through anything, I probably wouldn’t have anything to tell you. It would just be, ok yeah, this is my first song, oh I have never worked with anybody… you know, so that’s just it.
AJS: It has been fun speaking with you, I do wish you the best, especially with that picture of yours
Discussion Concluded at 2:57pm 22-01-2011.
Listen to AISHA'S single below.
