TINU
Interview with a unique voice in rock, pop, funk, and soul-induced vibes. She is also an accomplished chef.
Olamide: Is Tinu your real name or a name for your music?
Tinu: Yes it is my first name. It's short for "Tinuola" which means “from happiness”.
Olamide: Please tell us about yourself?
Tinu: I am an easy going lady, born of Nigerian parents residing in New York City, and when I am not busy I am a bum wandering about the world. You can tell I am not big on self-praise (laughs). I think my lifestyle website www.tinuola.com gives a view into my life and what I am all about.
Olamide: When did you decide to become an artist?
Tinu:: In high school in Nigeria, being part of the drama/cultural club. It was our duty to entertain the school doing such things as "atilogu" dancing and plays. You can say that I got my "stage 101" doing those gigs at a pre-teen age.
Olamide: What is your music background?
Tinu: I think I should give my mom the credit here. Every day when I was still little she would play the likes of Bonnie M, ABBA, Grace Jones, Fela Kuti, Kenny Rogers, and a few others. We would sing along and dance to the music. Did I mention Indian songs too? My ears were trained to pick up rich tunes very early.
Olamide: What are your songs about?
Tinu: Things in my life: my current mental state, my moods, and so on. For example I wrote the Shoeholic song while I was cleaning and arranging my shoe collection. My life I penned while I was angry at someone judging me, Not the devil I wrote when someone in my family was butting in my business. Every song in my collection and album has a storyline. This is what gives me joy. It's almost like therapy.
Olamide: Do you write your own songs?
Tinu: Absolutely, all of them. Writers make their money from royalties, the performer gets peanuts. A lot of songs you hear aren't always written by the singer. The singer gets paid one time in most cases but the writer keeps getting paid each time it plays in a commercial venue like movie soundtrack or radio. Word to the wise: if you are an artist try to learn how to write songs, no matter how bad you may think you are. At some point it "pays to use the pen".
Olamide: Who are your musical influences?
Tinu: Grace Jones, Nina Simone, Cesaria Evora, Fela Kuti; plus ethnic songs I hear during my travels to places such as India, Thailand and Africa. I open myself up to many possibilities.
Olamide: Where did idea of the shoeholic song come from?
Tinu: Like I said earlier it all came together while I was cleaning and arranging my shoe closet. I came across some pair of shoes I had mistakenly purchased twice! Then I realized just to what extent I would go to get some shoes. The incident surrounding the acquisition of some shoes slowly started to come back to me and before I knew it I was singing to my shoes! I immediately started writing the words down and recording it on a tape recorder. And now thanks to many shoeholics like me out there the video on www.youtube.com/tinuonline and many TV stations worldwide is getting a lot of attention. I think I said a lot of things for a lot of people – such as an addict who went about signing up for the 12-step program. (laughs)
Olamide: What is the biggest mistake you have ever made?
Tinu: WOW! hmm...well this happened to me today. It came to mind since it is the most recent. I bought about $400 worth of beef short ribs to make dinner for some friends during the weekend since cooking is one of my specialties; I stopped by the post office and forgot the bag there! This
I discovered 45 minutes after I was already home. Trust me, in this city of New York, it would be pointless to run back to get it. It definitely won't be there anymore. So you can say I, at least, fed someone dinner tonight. Bon appetite!
Olamide: I understand you are from Nigeria and how is that impacting to your music career?
Tinu: It helps to have heard Fela Kuti growing up. Nigerian culture basically is rich with humour some of which you can see in the Shoeholic video. We are blessed with letting lose to enjoy ourselves. Fela definitely had that in his style of music. There were no rules with him, he simply let it all out in any style possible. I think I have some of that in my style as well - not holding back and fearing criticisms, I simply do it my way. It gives me a peace of mind. Mind you I am not sure it will please everyone but then again you can't please everybody. One should not plan their life thinking like that.
Olamide: Are you aware of how people love your music on Facebook and Youtube?
Tinu: I say a big thank you to them all. I really had no idea it would be well-received by so many people considering I had done a style of music that is not out there in a commercial sense. I am so glad to hear and see people are open to my style of music. Whew! Talk about the big gamble, right? (laughs)
Olamide: How do you describe your music to people?
Tinu: Open, fearless, non-judgmental, free, no rules, edgy, different and certainly not commercial. To like my music is to like something unique and unusual.
Olamide: What image do you think your music conveys?
Tinu: The ability to convey what is on your mind freely. Don't hold back. You will feel a lot better when you say all that is on your mind even if you have to do it screaming from the top of a building. You only live once, let it out!
Olamide: What are your long-term career goals?
Tinu: I wish I had a fortune-telling crystal ball to know. Let's wait and see. Life is beautiful, just live it.
Olamide: How would you define the word “success”?
Tinu: Having a peace of mind and knowing when and where your next source of meal is coming from. Getting bills paid without sweating it. You don't have to have a boat-load of money or castle to define success. It's all mental.
Olamide: What live performance experience have you had?
Tinu: I had small ones in Europe, several in New York backed by radio station WBLS a few years ago. I don't plan on doing any until my next album after the current one Addicted. This way I will have more to sing about and kill a million birds with one stone. Think of it as a mini concert. But this might be bigger than the small ones I did before. Time will tell.
Olamide: What inspired you?
Tinu: For my album I would say once again my daily life, things and people around me. And of course the type of music I listen to. Right now my iTunes is packed with ethnic music from the Middle East and Asia.
Olamide: What helped to shape you?
Tinu: Being hyper does the trick for me. I don't do the gym thing. I don't eat junk food like hamburgers, pizza and fries.
They have never really appealed to me. I thank God for good African genes.
Olamide: What inspired you?
Tinu: For my album I would say once again my daily life, things and people around me. And of course the type of music I listen to. Right now my iTunes is packed with ethnic music from the Middle East and Asia.
Olamide: What helped to shape you?
Tinu: Being hyper does the trick for me. I don't do the gym thing. I don't eat junk food like hamburgers, pizza and fries. They have never really appealed to me. I thank God for good African genes.
Olamide: Are you planning to visit Africa anytime soon?
Tinu: I am so missing Africa right now it’s sickening. You might have me in tears here just thinking about some of the good food and fruits I haven’t had in a long time. I could use some REAL suya right this second! I am hoping the long hiatus will be over next year.
Olamide: Do you have any message for your fans?
Tinu: To always be positive and mentally reject the word "Can't" and "Never". Don't let anyone hold you back because you are in control of your life. You are responsible for your own happiness.
Olamide: Finally, what advice would you give to people just starting and wondering where to start?
Tinu: Pretty much all of what I said in the previous question. Stay positive and focused. Fight your battles because no one else will. |
