Interview Conducted By: Mbuba Chiagozie Tochukwu (@agozieee_)
Photo Credits: Miidiana
Q:
So can we get to know you
A:
My name is Odeyemi Olamide Boluwatife popularly known as Miidiana
Q:
What inspired you to pursue a career in music, and when did you first realize your passion for it?
A:
My love for music had developed since when I was in secondary school. I noticed that music was something I loved doing since when I was in SS3 when I would leave classes and move around from one studio to another to listen to various artistes and watch artistes during their recording session which I found amazing and exciting.
Also, my father had a profound love for music. He usually listens to music everyday of his life so that’s how I developed my profound interest and passion in music.
“I just choose happiness over success as music is my passion.”
My father is my biggest inspiration as he inspired me more and more to do music. Even with the passion I had for it, Passion is always not enough so my father as the inspirational figure that he is “gingered” me more to do music as he always supports me in both bad and good times so most times, I just choose happiness over success as music is my passion.
Q.
How would you describe your musical style, and what artists or genres have influenced your sound?
A.
I would describe my kind of music as a mixture of two genres into one : Afrobeats And Bounce which I call the Afro-Bounce. Most of the artistes that influenced my genre include Bruce Springsteen, Justin Bieber, Phora, Bob Dylan and many more.
Q.
Can you walk us through your creative process when writing and producing new music?
A.
I am a kind of artiste that usually gives myself assignments like composing a song in 30 minutes and also the process depends on my mood and the sound that is passed across to me. Like for example, if I am given a sound for a love song, I could compose a song in 30 minutes and also if it is talking about Real life, it can also take me only about 30 minutes to record the song. I usually love being left alone in the studio because I don’t really like people around me when I am recording so that they don’t disrupt my sound like saying that “this sound is okay”, “this sound is good”, “this is good”. I just love to being alone when recording i.e recording with my producer so when I am done, I just send the song to my manager so he can send his reviews and feedbacks.
Q.
What has been your favorite performance or tour experience so far, and why?
A.
My favorite performance should be when I perform in schools, universities, Polytechnics, like Yabatech, University of Ilorin, University of Ibadan and Unilag as it gives me more energy and more wisdom to keep doing my thing and most especially, I hope to make good use of the tour I am with Ckay so it will make me very happy to be able to share the same stage with him.
Q.
What can your fans and people who haven’t heard your music before you expect from your performance?
A.
They should expect a nice performance and energy as I am a big lover of energy. A lot of people always vibe to my songs but they don’t know the face behind the sound. So when I tell them that I am the “miidiana”, they are always in shock like so this is the guy behind that vibing sound. Even though they might not know about all the lyrics, they shall still vibe and sing along because i mix my sound and performance with massive energy. That’s why I am always grateful to my fans both those that know me and even those that don’t know me but still feel the vibe and the energy.
Q.
How do you stay motivated and inspired to continue creating music, especially during times of writer’s block or creative challenges?
A.
Instead of setting up for another day of “work,” I change the pace a little bit and I just set aside some studio time to “play” without objectives or goals. I explore some of my tools, try out crazy techniques, and check out processing chains that I’ve never normally consider in my music.
So If madness is “doing the same thing and expecting a different result,” it’s time to take a closer look at workflow when creating a piece of music.
Q.
How do you balance your artistic vision with commercial success and the expectations of your fans and industry?
A.
First of all, I always shoot a lot of content which is always posted on either my TikTok or Instagram handles. Now you can see TikTok has popularized approachable, low production content, and has become a great tool for getting new music discovered out there.
I always Engage with my friends, fans, industry peers, and people that inspire me. I Don’t just post about my music, I let people know what’s going on behind the scenes. If I have a show, I will let people know in at least one post before the show. So that I am able to get video and pictures of the show to post afterwards.
And again I also let people and my loyal fans know that I’m releasing music or a new project at least a month before it comes out. Count downs, pictures of the recording process, or track previews are great examples of ways that I use to get people excited for my new music.
Q.
What advice would you give to aspiring musicians trying to break into the music industry?
A.
First of all, you must know that is not easy to break into the industry so you should be ready to make connections. Prepare for the process, create an online presence, Perform often, Find a yourself mentor, Gain internship experience.
Don’t also forget to embrace your passion.
Just keep doing what you’re doing, when it’s your time you will know.
Q.
What do you think sets your music apart from other artists in the same genre?
A.
Like I mentioned earlier, if you listen to my sound, you would be assured that my sound is unique as it is far different from your common genre. My vocal is always unique and the same goes to my sound which is bounce as it aligns with my type of genre which is Afro-Bounce.
Every Artiste can come out with their various genres like Afro-Juju, Afro-alive and so on but my genre sets me out from the crowd. Whenever I come up on stage and people find out that it is “miidiana” performing either from my intro or presentation, they definitely know that this is my sound and they just vibe and we have fun on stage
Q.
How has your music evolved over the years, and what changes can fans expect in your future work?
A.
I have been working on my self for over a year now, creating and working on different sounds with different artistes and I am so happy with what I have been able to accomplish during the past year. Right now, my next project is ready and I can’t wait for my fans to listen to this one as this project is gonna be really special.
Q.
What can we expect to see from you in the near future, and are there any upcoming projects or collaborations that you’re excited about?
A.
Expect good things from me this year, I have new projects coming in hot but the date of release isn’t yet ready. Just expect the best as usual.
Q.
Thank you for your time, we really appreciate your presence in our digital publication.
A.
Thank you so much, I really appreciate.