Dapo, born Oladapo Fasuyi is the only artiste known in Nigeria to be experimenting with acid jazz: a kind of popular dance music incorporating elements of jazz, funk, soul, and hip hop. The acid jazz scene in Africa is not well known, but Dapo is doing his best, through his music, to bring this genre to the limelight.
He talks the album, love for alternative singer Asa, and more. Excerpt below:
Tell us about yourself. Who is DAPO?
My name is Oladapo Fasuyi. I will describe him in a third person: he is a dream fulfiller . He can’t really get enough of himself. He is a man, who lets his words out through his music. Dapo is a Nigerian born artiste and of course, he is sexy!
What have you been up to? What are you working on at the moment?
I have been working on my album, doing a few performances through The Diplomatic Jazz Nights and other jazz festivals.
How many tracks do you have on your debut album, In the Time of Suffering and when is it out?
Seven tracks
Who are your favourite artistes?
Asa, Bez , John Legend, Benjamin Clementine and Eryka Badu.
What inspired the song, Beautiful? Why did you have to dedicate a song to a living artiste?
What inspired the song, Beautiful is my genuine love for Asa. She has been an inspiration to me. She’s my idol. I had the opportunity of meeting her once which was arranged by Onyeka Nwelue. He called me up to come. When I got there and I saw Asa, I was star-struck and I could not muster the courage to talk to her. I was speechless. It was a dream come true. Very distressing, at the same time, fulfilling. I did not know what to do. I left without talking to her. When I got home, I asked myself: “Why couldn’t you just talk to her?” I did not even say anything. After that meeting, I decided to dedicate a song to her. This song is like a love letter; the kind we used to write back in the days. I wrote the lines quickly and recorded it. And we shot the video immediately as well. I did not need to spend more energy on this long dream. However, I met her again during her concert and I kept staring at her.
Are there artistes you want to collaborate with in the future? Who are they?
Of course, I would love to collaborate with these artistes honestly.
What are we expecting from you after the release of your album?
Once the album is out, we have a Europe tour planned out. We will move. Then, we will start spreading the Word and World of Dapo, letting it sink into people’s minds and souls, letting the songs stay forever because I don’t ever want to be forgotten.
What is your favourite city?
For now, it is Rome.
You’ve been visiting Rome often these days? What is the connection with Italy?
Yes o. I have been visiting Rome because that is where I am recording my album. I love the Italians because only them accepted me when every other person said no to me. It can be difficult to get the diplomatic community in Nigeria to trust the artistic community because of experiences in the past where people sought for visa to go and promote their arts in Europe and ran away to seek for asylum. It is scary. I understand their fears, but the Italians took a bet on my case and here I am, happy. I am grateful to them for trusting me and I won’t let them down. More so, my first ever real concert was at The Diplomatic Jazz Nights, hosted by the Consul General of Italy, Mr Andrea Pompermaier. It even got featured in Italy’s first English newspaper, The Italian Insider. I am also thankful to the CEO/Founder of La Cave Musik, Mr Onyeka Nwelue for making that happen and for his never-die attitude, with all the brouhaha he went through in the hands of bureaucracy.
Do you have any words for your fans?
Be who you are! The road to success is very rough but then you don’t have to give up no matter what. Do your best to achieve all you dream of. Most importantly, “You have to be strong, you hear me? You have to be very strong.”
Watch his visuals for ‘Beautiful’ below:
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