In a recent episode of the Tea With Tay podcast, award-winning Nigerian singer Yemi Alade shared insights into her musical journey, emphasizing that music, for her, is driven by passion rather than a deliberate career choice.
Alade expressed that if she had been asked to choose a career several years ago, music would not have been her first choice. The ‘Johnny’ crooner revealed, “It [music] was always a passion, and I was hoping to see where it would take me. Do I feel like I needed to drop everything I was doing in life and focus solely on music? No.”
Continuing the conversation, Alade explained, “I loved the idea of it [music], but I did not want it to be a career. I did not see it as a career. It was a big hobby I was very invested in, but not a career. If you had asked me 11/12 years ago if I wanted to be a musician, I would not have picked that as a career choice. I still wouldn’t do it.”
Alade maintained that, despite her deep involvement in music-related activities, she initially believed it to be a hobby with potential rather than a viable career. She stated, “As much as I was into a lot of music-related stuff, I just believed that this hobby, I would do something with it, but I’m going to continue with my academics like my parents want me to. I’m certain I’m going to get a job if music didn’t work out.”
However, her perspective shifted after winning the Peak Talent Show in 2009, leading to her signing with Effyzzie Music Group and achieving success with her hit single ‘Johnny’ in 2014