Why I can’t drop an album yet – Kiss Daniel

• G-Worldwide Entertainment’s musical talent, Oluwatobiloba Daniel Anidugbe aka Kiss Daniel is set to release the remix of his song, Woju, featuring Davido and Tiwa Savage before heading on his UK tour. The crooner in this chat with FAMUYIWA DAMILARE says that though his album is ready, but will be released if in high demand.

Why do you add Kiss to your real name?

I got the name Kiss Daniel back in school as an undergraduate of Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta (FUNAAB) where I studied Water Engineering. Back then there is a thing we do, if you have dimple they call you kisses, so I got one right on my left chick, so they call me Kiss. In school then we have so many Daniel, and to differentiate me from others I just decided to add that to my name Daniel, which makes me Kiss Daniel.

Why do you choose a female as your manager?

I choose to make her my manager because she is good in this particular field. Louiza Williams has managed quite a number of other artistes as well like Waconzy, and I was impressed a lot at her performance and reactions towards the progress of the group.

Is WOJU the first song you sang?

No! ‘SHOYE’ was actually my first song which I dropped in 1^st of May 2014, and then I dropped WOJU 1^st of September 2014.

It seems you’ve performed SHOYE at concerts like the NIJ students week. How does that make you feel?

Yes I did perform the song early June last year, alongside other amazing talents at the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ), Lagos, and it was cool.

From what you’ve seen since you’ve started music, will you say you’ve not done any good music in the past like WOJU because that is what brought you to the limelight?

I’m not gonna put it like that but I will say the perfect time came, and I just took that opportunity. You know everybody get their time to blow, shay u get? It’s in the Bible the race is not to the swift, not for the fast but time and chance happens to them all, so even if I had dropped a better song than WOJU it might not blow as everyone is dancing to the rhythm of WOJU right now. Honestly, I will say this is the time God has set apart for me, and this is the time I’m actually having the name.

Your fans are expecting a remix of WOJU and rumours have it that you featured Davido. How true is that?

That is very true, the remix will be featuring Tiwa Savage and Davido, and we hope to release that hopefully on the 31^st of January or 1^st week in February, but I am gonna drop it definitely before I go for my UK tour which is 1^st week of February by the way. And as regard that I am not sure, because some people want me to vote before I travel and the election is fast approaching.

So who do you think is credible enough that you intend to cast your vote for as the President of Nigeria?

I don’t know, I just want to go and vote.

Like we’ve seen most entertainers in the industry making awareness of free and fair election with their concept; why haven’t we heard anything like that from you?

I was supposed to record a song for a particular party, but as someone just making his break into the industry, for now I just need to balance everything. I am not involved in any of these things.

What are the challenges you’ve encountered in your musical career so far?

I have only one challenge encountered, which is patience. While coming-up I had no financial assistance somewhere, but it came one day due to my hard work, things I have done in the past. For me as an artiste, it is just patience for my time to come, like you know as well, a lot of top artistes we have today in Nigeria like Olamide started from nowhere, but you can see what he is today. Sometimes it is not even about money or connection, when your time come you go definitely blow; so the only challenge is just patience, for every man will definitely succeed just like our Father in Heaven, so that one is sure.

What do you have as your New Year resolution?

I want to reduce the rate at which I sleep oh! I want to try and adjust in that aspect because most of my interviews appointments are fixed in the early hours of the day; like I just finished an interview live with Tosyn Bucknor at Top Radio, in short this year I want to be closer to God than I had done in previous.

Very soon you are going for your UK tour, if at all you are going with any of the top Nigerian artistes, who would you have preferred?

I don’t think I am in a position to go along with someone. But I think a lot of artistes are going along, and I don’t want to disclose that because I am not sure how they are going to feel. But I am sure of myself and my manager.

Should we be expecting any album from you soon?

Yeah when the demand is high, when you guys want me to drop my album I will definitely drop it. I have my songs already, my people out there when they are ready for me I will definitely do. You know as an artiste when the pressure is on you like we need you to drop an album, when you see it on your social media platform like your Instagram, Facebook, people keep being on that same thing including the media; that is when you think is the right time for you to drop the album, I can’t just drop an album when I’m not that deep in the industry, people will just be like ‘what is he doing? Because you blow with one song you want to start making noise’. So I’m trying to do more impressive work for my people not to regret buying my album.

You performed recently in FUNAAB alongside top artistes in the school like Maheek. How does that make you feel?

It is good, and more like you coming back home. Great crowd, great people, and the acceptance was much more impressive; but FUNAAB is still the same thing though! Actually I gave a lot of advice to them, I spoke to them and was more like a family meeting, I didn’t see it like a show.

Can you please brief us on your educational background?

I studied Water Engineering in FUNAAB, and I graduated in 2013. I am still serving right now in Kogi State, but I’m happy to complete my service before the election.

Who do you look up to or your role model in the industry?

My role model in the industry is anyone doing good music for the world in the industry.

Looking at the music industry, how are top musicians reacting to you in terms of collaboration and reactions in general?

For now I think I am the baby of the industry. Everybody is pampering me for now, I am getting so much love from everybody; and big shout-out to Olamide Bado, big shout-out to 2Face Idibia, big shout-out to Sean Tizzle, Cynthia Morgan, and Runtown, big shout-out to Davido, Tiwa Savage. Everybody is just showing me love, and it is really weird though because I actually came-out from nowhere, but in short I love everybody and I really do hope to work with everyone.

Do you have any particular genre of music that you intend to project for people to know you with?

Basically, I want to be known for Afro-centric music, anything Africa, Afrohip-hop, Afro R&B, I just want to put a little bit of Afro in my music.

For how long have you been singing?

I have been doing that and writing songs since I was 11years old. Though I started writing songs about food, and it is not that I really do like food but I love junk foods, I don’t eat that much, but ice cream is my thing. It started with food at first, and gradually developing my skills, and all thanks goes to my dad because he has helped me a lot, I met JABLESS in 2009, and he actually helped me manage my talent, so I started writing commercial songs.

Did your parent(s) buy this idea of singing at first?

Everybody in my family appreciate my music career to be sincere, they want me to do something that I like, and that is really being supportive and encouraging; when I was in school I stayed focus, and they were well relaxed like they trust you that you can’t fuck-up. Even if he’s doing any other thing, that school oh! e no dey mess with am; when I was in school I had a very good result, which I finished with 2.1, not just that but a strong one.

What will be your advice for upcoming acts trying to make their break into the music industry?

I will definitely tell them to be patient for their time while doing the rightful thing. You will blow, na everybody go blow if only you dey focus.

What are your views about the music industry in Nigeria?

Trust me we are doing well, everybody out there do love Nigeria music. I won’t be surprise if Nigeria music industry is topping it all globally.