Posted by 
Idahams, the fast-rising pop artiste sharing the story of the average young Nigerian from Bonny Island, River State, through his music, is taking his listeners through a whole new journey with his music.
With his conscious lyrics and projects, the rising star aims to tell the world his story while not being bound by genre as he plans to express himself fully musically in whichever genre he deems fit.
Born Hart Idawarifagha Ishmael, the artiste spent most of his formative years from the age of 10 experiencing and absorbing Highlife music through his father’s love for the genre and alongside the hardships that came with living on the small island of Bonny at the time.
Bonny Island, a small island town in Rivers state with an estimated population of 302,000 people is located at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. Widely regarded as the traditional trading centre for fish, salt, palm oil, and more for the Ijaw people, it is home to the headquarters of multinational oil companies like Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG), Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited (MPN), making the community degenerate environmental degradation from oil spillage.
Imagine how devastated its residents were when oil spillage killed most of their primary trading sources in 2014. That incident changed the course of Idahams’ life and his family.
“When I was 12, my dad was shot in a protest. He came out with his friends because of what was happening in our community. The oil company was not doing what they were supposed to do. So he came out with his friends to protest and was shot in the waist,” he told Netng.
“Oil spilt in our river, and the fishes were dying. My grandfather used to be a fisherman before he died. So imagine going fishing, and you find out that the fishes are all gone because of the oil spill,” he told Netng.
After some tragic events that led to the loss of his parents, the artiste had to hustle it out on the streets of Port-Harcourt to make music. The tumultuous journey which later landed him a deal with Grafton Entertainment also led him to Lagos to learn music production. During his time behind the scenes, he had produced and written songs for artistes like Waconzy, Duncan Mighty, Mr 2kay and more.
Before he became a performing music artiste, he had already been an ardent player of musical instruments like the bass guitar, keyboard and the rest as a child in the Anglican Church.
In 2016, he debuted with the release of his single ‘Anything For You’, but he didn’t get a big break until his 2018 single ‘No One Else’. The single, which hit the Nigerian airwaves by storm, has currently hit over 2 million streams with its remix with Nigerian singer Teni.
On September 16, 2022, Idahams released his debut album ‘Truth, Love and Confessions’. We spoke with the rising star about his album, background and how it has shaped his sound and message as an artiste; here is what he had to say.
What was your background like?
My background is filled with a whole lot of challenges and life experiences. It wasn’t that smooth because of the things I was close to, the people I was close to and the things my eyes and body witnessed. But it’s one of the things that made me who I am today, those experiences.
We are Christians in my family. So, I started music in the church, and I learnt how to play the keyboard, bass guitar, and trumpet. So, my parents were the ones that started this whole journey because they started sponsoring the entire music thing when I was in school. My background is not smooth or rough because I was able to navigate through social vices and all.
Has your upbringing and life in Bonny influenced your music?
Yeah. When I was 12, my dad was shot in a protest. He came out with his friends because of what was happening in our community. The oil company was not doing what they were supposed to do. So he came out with his friends to protest and was shot in the waist.
My life and where I’m from influenced me because I saw many things I say in my music, real-life stories that have happened, and I’ve witnessed some things I was supposed to be part of, but music saved my life.
And me saying all those things in my music, I want people to know where I come from and things I’ve experienced. It’s just like me opening up to the world, this is me, this is how I managed to navigate through all these things. And you know you can make it wherever you’re coming from. You can be whoever you want to be in life positively. You don’t have to go the other way to be whoever you want to be in life.
You mentioned that your dad was shot in a protest. What protest was that?
Yeah, it was on Bonny Island. I don’t want to mention the company because it’s past now. It was an oil company, they had things they were supposed to do for the people, but they weren’t doing it.
Oil spilt in our river, and the fishes were dying. My grandfather used to be a fisherman before he died. So imagine going fishing, and you find out that the fishes are all gone because of the oil spill.
Did you lose your mom also due to these factors? Was there an environmental factor?
No, she was ill when she died.
Has your experience influenced you to want to lift the people in your community?
I would say it’s 50/50 because I’m the kind of guy who always wants to help and be light, especially for my community. Someone people can look up to, someone you want to make an example, a person you can always point to. I’m just trying to make where I come from proud.
Help the people there, show them light, tell them that this part you guys are trying to follow is not the right part; it’s not the best for you. You can always do what you want to do with your life positively; it might not be with bad intentions all the time. You might not want to fight, you know. You might not want to carry ammunition.
During the militancy struggle, I lost many friends and brothers and sisters in that struggle. You can imagine if I wasn’t focusing on my music, I don’t think I would have been alive today. So it’s just me being an example to people where I’m coming from. Okay, people look up to me. I help, I motivate. I try to change the narrative of the youth especially.
When did you start music professionally?
I think I went into the studio in 2010. That was my first demo; I was very young, Frank D’Nero recorded it, but professionally I started music in 2016.
After your debut, how did you transition to music production?
After I did the demo with Frank D’Nero, I just paused because at that time, there were some things that you would want a producer to add in your instrumental that they would not necessarily agree with. So, as I could play instruments, I had in mind to learn how to produce my music.
Then I came to Lagos to learn production and I started producing. I did a song for Double Jay; It was a big song then in Port-Harcourt. I also did the remix for Duncan Mighty and wrote for Waconzy. I was just behind the scenes, writing and producing for people. And I wrote and produced a song for Mr 2kay, ‘God Can Bless Anybody’. I was just behind the scenes doing the whole engineering part.
Who were your musical inspirations when you were younger?
I listen to every kind of music. I tell people I have no genre; I listen to good music. But I know then I listened to 2face, Plantashaun Boyz, and Styl-Plus. Then my dad used to play one of his favourites, Osadebe. So all those music influenced me.
What makes this project different from the previous project you’ve released, and what makes it stand out from every other project that every artist has released this year?
The album is crazy because people don’t even know it’s me when they listen to it. I have played the songs to people I know are critics, that if they don’t like something, they would tell you they don’t, to your face.
I’ve played the 13 tracks, and we don’t even know which songs to concentrate on when the album comes out. There are classic songs and western songs on the album. It’s simply crazy and emotional.
And for me, I’m talking about my story, my experiences, and you’re like, it’s relatable. The first song is ‘Gratitude’, the things I said in that song, believe me, you’re going to cry. I’ve never played the song to anyone before, and the person does not have goosebumps.
What was the process like for you while making this album?
It took me two years to write, you know, some I would write, and it wouldn’t be completed and leave it for about a couple of months, go back to it to complete it.
You know, in some parts of my life, I’ve forgotten many things that have happened in my life. So I took time. When I write, I pause, ponder, think back, and try to put myself in the mood; all this takes time. So it took me more than two years.
If you put a particular word to it, what are the emotions you want your listeners to feel?
Like the album title is ‘Truth, Love and Confession’, I can’t wait for this project to be out. It’s going to stand the test of time.
What would you consider a success when this album is released?
Having a Grammy nomination or recognition, I wouldn’t be surprised because the album is solid, and I want it to get to the people that are going through a lot.
That their story looks like mine, I would be so excited if someone came to my DM to tell me that this particular song changed me. This particular song had me rethink life.
It’s a thing of joy, and I can connect with people that can change from whatever thing they are actually doing. So, if I have a million people coming, writing or just tweeting relating to my music, I’m good.
The post How Loss Of Father And Loved Ones In Bonny Violence Is Influencing Idahams’ Music appeared first on Nigerian Entertainment Today.
Source: TheNet
