Known for his music success, comic performances and acting, multi-talented FOLARIN FALANA, aka Falz the Bahd guy, is planning a coup in the entertainment space, a one-of-a-kind concert, offering amazing experience to all. In this interview with MABEL DIMMA during the Falz Day which held at BHM studios, Falz shares on his inspirations and expectations for the entertainment space come 2018.
Why are you called the Bahd guy?
It is a title, something I picked up in school because I am smooth on the microphone. It is more of a positive connotation, not bahd as in bad. That is why I have a special spelling for it.
Venturing into the entertainment world, did you have any apprehension?
Not necessarily. When you are passionate about something, you just go in fully, head first. You don’t really think about what problems or challenges you can face ahead of you. So, that is what happened.
Is there something in society you try to address with your songs?
Always-my music is very conscious. I believe very strongly in lyrics- lyrical content- and I think that artistes are in position of influence and for this reason we need to preach positive messages, which I try to do with my music. For instance, on my latest album, which I tagged ‘27’, the hit song ‘child of the world’, tackled a couple of social issues such as sexual assault, violence and several other things that I talked about.
What is you inspiration?
Life around me, people I come across, and things that happen to me inspire me to make music.
Let’s talk about the Falz Experience coming up December 20th
Falz experience is something very big that we are planning. We are not trying to do things the ordinary way. If you look at my brand, the Falz brand, you will see that this guy has obviously carved a niche for himself, he is not the regular kind of artiste and I am trying to further cement that. I’m trying to make a statement with the concert. It is a one-of-a-kind musical theatre show that will showcase the three unique sides to Folarin Falana. I can’t even call it a concert because it is a lot more than that, it is an experience. It will also feature friends of Falz including Simi, YCee, Reekado Banks, Ajebutter 22, among others.
What are your expectations for this concert?
I want to make a huge statement with it, so I am expecting that on that day, everyone will leave with an impression that they have seen what they have never seen before. I don’t like living life with expectations because when you have expectations, you are always disappointed. So, I am hoping that on that day, I am able to make that statement.
What is your view of the Nigeria entertainment space as a player?
Very interesting and saturated; so many people are playing in the space. But also there is a huge amount of talents. I think entertainment is one of our biggest exports as a country. Outside Nigeria, everybody loves Nigerian entertainment. I am definitely proud to be a part of it.
What is that one thing you want to see artistes do differently in 2018?
I would like to see more artistes preach positive messages via music. I want to see more togetherness between artistes and superstars, at the end of the day we are all playing in the sky; there is enough space for all the birds to fly without colliding. We should not antagonise each other, because the fact we are all superstars does not mean we should be fighting each other, everyone is flying in the air, and there is enough space for us. I like to see more solidarity.
In 2018, will there be more Falz collaborations?
Definitely! I am a big fan of collaborations; I think that collaboration brings more spice, and the cohesion that is needed. When you bring yourselves together- each person has their own style-the fusion of those two is very different from what people expect. Definitely I will be doing more collaboration.
