When you think of fate and the idea that a single action could alter the trajectory of your life, look no further than the man behind the bold producer tag on some of your favourite songs, including Dave and Burna Boy’s ‘Location’ and 3x platinum-selling record ‘Did you see’ with Jhus.

Were you a musically talented child?
Not really, but I was certainly intrigued by how music was made. My family moved to Ghana for three years, when I was nine, and after a year of boredom, I started playing with DJ software after playing a lot of people’s songs, I realised that I wanted to make my own songs, so, I got a hold of fruit loops and tried to recreate the type of songs that I was playing and that’s where it started, that’s where I got fascinated with production.

Who were your earliest musical influences?
The first CD I ever bought was ‘She’s a bitch’ by Missy Elliot. Spending time in Ghana really shaped me, musically, because I would always hear Lucky Dube, Celine Dion, and even 50 cent, but I’ve just left London, where all I was used to was grime, but now I’m hearing hip hop and many other genres, so, it was very mixed.

Was your family supportive of your musical career?
My parents didn’t really mind, as long as I was in the house and not getting in trouble. My mum even bought me a piano at the time I asked her and before that, she offered to pay for me to take piano lessons. The only time there was a bit of friction was when I told my dad I didn’t want to go to university, but to focus on music – though he was disappointed, he insisted that no matter what I did and I had to get a job.

At what point in your career did you feel like you had taken off?
Honestly, I still don’t feel like that even though I know I’m doing well. For example, I have a song with Jhus, titled, ‘Did you see’ and when that song came on the radio and was charting, I was blown away, but as I went further on my journey, the achievements didn’t feel as big. I have a Grammy and I’m not ungrateful, but there are also people that have diamond records and are 18x platinum, so, I’m not in a hurry to celebrate early.

Do you feel like this is a defence mechanism to keep yourself motivated?
Maybe it is. Negativity motivates me because I like to prove people wrong by working even harder.

What’s your favourite Jae5 record of all time?
It was ‘Must Be’ with Jhus up until last year when I made a song, titled, ‘Devil’s Enemy’ with an up-and-coming artiste called Zakhar.

What’s your creative process like?
My process always changes, it used to be make music, have fun and don’t give a damn, but as I started collaborating with bigger artistes and I have less control, I have to cater to what that artiste is willing to do. I have one in the chamber with a big Afrobeats artiste and I want to get it out as soon as possible but he thinks it’s too slow for summer, so, even though I don’t agree, I have to find a way to make it work. Now, I have to adjust a lot more to the person I’m working with.

As far as collaboration goes, who’s on your radar right now?
I like to get in with people quite early and then create a hit with them. People like Dave, Jhus and Burna Boy are good examples of artistes I was working with while they were on the come up. I like to discover people I think are talented while they’re still on the come up and right now I like Odumodu black and I admire his energy so that’s someone on my radar at the moment.

What are your thoughts on the legacy?
Legacy might be the most important thing to me. Once you make enough money to sustain and live, as important as it might be, it stops mattering. When you hear people speak about Michael Jackson or Dr. Dre, they’re addressed with respect because they’ve proven themselves beyond reasonable doubt and that’s exactly what I want for myself. To prove myself so much so that my talent is not debatable.