•Tells City People His Success Story
On Friday 17th February, 2023, City People Entertainment celebrated Kunle Adegbite, the CEO of Sidewalk Restaruant, Bar & Lounge at his Ikeja branch, for his phenomenal success in showbiz and many dignitaries and friends graced the party. At the event City People interviewed Boye Best, who had been invited to perform at the event. Though his real name is Adeyinka Adeboye he is popularly known as Boye Best. Below are the excerpts of the interview.
Let me start by congratulating you on the phenomenal growth of your music career. How does it make you feel?
I started some years ago, with the prayers and support I have received from the fans and City People as well some years back. If you could remember sir. God is taking me some where, I have not even reached there yet, but I feel so grateful and whenever I start performing the whole stuff will come back to my mind that Boye this is the Lord’s doing and I feel so great, wonderful and happy.
How many years now?
If I am to calculate, officially, it should be more than 25 years now, but I want to keep it at 25 years of being on stage as a live band and in the music industry which will be celebrated this year.
Are you planning to celebrate it this year?
Yes, the celebration is coming up this year, but because of the situation of things right now, the elections and the people that know me know that so many of my supporters are also politicians and I want them around during the celebration. So, its going to be after the whole election.
How have you been able to take your music from stage to stage, because everybody can see that you have been moving from glory to glory. How did you do that?
I always make reference when talking about some stuff. Back then, like 7 years ago the music in Nigeria has changed from what it used to be back then. You have to change to what people are listening to, so that you will still be relevant. So, I usually go out, I socialise with people to know what is going on in the society. If people want hip hop I want to go there. If they want Juju I want to go there, and if they want Fuji I want to go there as well. I always advise my fellow musicians and my junior ones in the industry that you should be versatile, being a versatile musician is key, even if it is gospel and it is what people want. I do sing in church and they listen to me. They don’t know may be I am a gospel artist, they can’t really tell if I am a secular musician or gospel artist. But, that is just the talent I believe it is not my knowledge anyway. It is God.
What is the secret of your success in music?
The secret of my success is God entirely. Because I so much believe in God. As I said, I am a sociable guy and I mingle with my friends. It is God; he has been my refuge, he has always been there for me. But in all, he is my rock. And my fans too.
In your generation, I realise you seem to have attracted most of the socialites and even young guys with you, how did you achieve that?
As a musician, you cannot stay at home you will have to socialise with people, and friends. How many times do you dine with your fans and friends after you sing on stage? What time do you give to your people to share ideas and knowledge together? Some days, my friends might not be buoyant and I will help sometimes and likewise they also receprocate too. I guess I have that quality with so many of my friends and my fans, that has always been helping me out,
Let us talk about the current situation, how have you been coping with the CBN currency, fuel scarcity among others?
It has been the biggest challenge sir. Let me say I have never seen such a thing before compared to when we had the issue of Covid-19.
God forbid we have Covid situation again but at least we did live performances then and people will send us money, and gifts. Looking at the situation now, people find it difficult to organise a party, and do things with money or move around. Without music, party cannot hold. This thing is affecting all genres of music. I will say this is a tough time for us.
Do you still perform, back to back?
Yes, because our own kind of stubborness is different. I take myself to be a stubborn musician, a musician should be strong in the time of adversities. People should say when things are not going well, this is the guy we can see and he will perform. Like Lounge, they too have been supporting us as well and this time we should know that they need us, in other to perform for their customers. So, whichever way we want to do it we should not be selfish because people are not really spraying and not coming up with money, we now stay back at home without supporting them.
This is the time we pay back as musicians by supporting the Lounge that has supported us. I am sure, and very sure that this will come to an end. Even if the cashless policy continues but at least, things will be different. But by then Lounge will be proud to say that Boye Best was one of the musicians who stood by us. There is one Yoruba adage “Eyele kin bo nile je, kin bo nile mu, ko dojo iku ko yeri”. So, as for me, I will continue till everything gets better.
ABIODUN OLUSOLA
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