Music  

Morello… Another lawyer grabs the mic

By Chuks Nwanne

27 July 2019   |   4:25 am

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No doubt, days are gone when entertainment was regarded as a thing for ne’er-do-wells and people from poor backgrounds; that’s no longer the case.

Morello

No doubt, days are gone when entertainment was regarded as a thing for ne’er-do-wells and people from poor backgrounds; that’s no longer the case. From the era when you had the likes of 2Baba that dropped out of school only to pursue a career in music, the Nigeria music industry particularly has witnessed influx of well-educated individuals, who have resolved to drop their certificates and pursue their passion.

From dentist Sidney Onoriode Esiri, otherwise known as Dr SID, who put aside his medical profession for music, to Naeto C who went as far as completing a master Degrees abroad, as well lawyer Folarin Falana a.k.a Falz, who is currently making it big in the industry as an artiste, the dynamics have indeed changed. Even children of the rich and famous such as Davido and billionaire Femi Otedola’s daughter DJ Cuppy are not left out.

With a Law degree in the bag, Temitope Oluwasukanmi Ojudu, otherwise known as Morello, has joined the league of young professionals that have set aside their credentials to pursue music. Son of politician Babafemi Ojudu, the young talent, who recently premiered visuals for his hit single System, is determined to carve a niche for himself and build a successful music carrier.

The self-produced Afro-swing music, which boasts of suitable lyrics and rhythm, was shot In Lagos and was premiered to fans and family at a well attended event in Lekki, Lagos, with big names in both music, movies and broadcast industries in attendance. Friends and political associates of his father, as well as his friends with whom he started music in 2005, were also present to witness the occasion. Not event the rains could stop the groove that lasted into the night.

Morello, who is a graduate of Law, performed a series of his songs, including Abuja to Lagos, which got everyone dancing, while a couple of guest artistes got slots to entertain the audience. Highpoint of the evening was the official screening of the music video, which earned the artiste commendations.

In chat with Morello, the singer declared his passion for music and his determination to make it a full time carrier.“Music is the only thing that makes me serious; I only decided to put it aside just to complete my education. Now that I’m done with studies, its music all the way for me,” the talented saxophonist said.

On his genre of music, he explained, “I trap into all genre of music, but preferable, I do Afro-Swing, a mixture of Afrobeat, a bit of Jamaican music and R&B.”
Morello’s journey into music started on a keyboard his father bought for him as a child. From there, he delved into singing.

“My Dad bought me a keyboard at the age of seven, which I consider my introduction to the world of music. After that, I began to learn other musical instruments, especially the saxophone.”

On the reaction of his parents, especially his politician father, over his decision to become a musician, Morello said, “it’s been good; my dad is not the shouting senator, he’s the calm one. As for my choice of music, I’m a lawyer and I think I’m mature enough to know what I want to do. In case you don’t know, I’ve been doing music before law; I started producing beats in secondary school. In those days, I was making Afrobeat songs and Hip-hop as well. Now I’m 24, I know exactly what I want,” he said.

Describing his family as lovers of music, he said, “My younger brother doesn’t do music professionally, but he taught me how to play sax. My dad on the other hand is a big fan of music; he used to listen to Phil Collins, Daddy Showkey and others. You know he’s also a journalist; he’s a friend to a lot of artistes. My dad loves entertainment, but in the beginning, he wanted to be sure I know what I wanted.”

To Morello, being an upcoming artiste comes with lots of challenges.“In those days, I would go to a show and they won’t let me perform because they didn’t know me. As an upcoming artiste, all those things have to happen to you; you learn from them. I’m just going to do my own thing in my own way; create my own fame myself.”

Understanding the production side of music making, according to the singer, has been of great advantage to him.“When I do my songs, I know what I want; its like I have it in my head and putting it down straight to the computer. That doesn’t mean I won’t work with other people, but at least, sometimes, it’s better to get your own thing done yourself than waiting for someone to do it. So, I just thought I should learn production,” he said.

Asked how he intends to break into the mainstream, the multi-instrumentalist said, “I’m going to be playing live instruments into my music. Actually, I have a special instrument called Ukulele, which many people don’t even know here. So, I’m going to be doing something entirely different from the usual.”

On the possibility of going back to legal practice, he said, “Yes, maybe by the time I have a big potbelly,” he joked, adding, “I’m a workaholic, music is the only thing that makes me serious, and it makes me focus. I never liked book in secondary school; I was just doing music. I can get an instrument and freestyle for 10 minutes; that’s how much I love music.”