Interview: Bella Alubo talks Afropop, Lagos blues and lockdown woes
The first track on Bella Alubo’s SoundCloud was posted 6 years ago. She released 2 EPs, a handful of singles and covers, before moving to Lagos in 2017, and briefly signed with Tinny Entertainment. For the better part of the last two years, she’s been living in the UK racking up new degrees, while managing to keep her fans in the loop. Her latest project, ‘Summer’s Over’ is exactly what the title suggests; a string of summery bops, sung with a lilthe confidence that will probably take you by surprise, or at least a sense of nostalgia, given recent global events. In this interview, Bella talks afropop, Lagos blues and lockdown woes.
Describe your favourite seasons/times of the year with classic Afropop hits before 2010?
This is tough. Before 2010, I guess the first one would be Mocheddah’s “See me”. That just reminds me of the first time I heard afropop I personally connected with. Well, not the first time but it was very I just really liked her brand and everything about her. Second one would be Plantashun Boiz’s “Knock me off”. Third one would be Daddy Showkey’s “Somebody Call My Name”. The Plantashun boiz reminds me of when I was younger and I was told that Tuface was Idoma and I was Idoma too and I just thought it was cool that someone who was from where I was from and where I used to go for Christmas holidays could make music that was that amazing. I just found it mad. The Daddy Showkey one is because probably I just remember it from when I was really young and I remember people trying to dance to it and I was wondering what crazy song is this cos people used to dance crazy to it and I just thought it was weird and exciting.
Have you ever had a creative burnout?
Obviously yes. I don’t know if all creatives are that way, but I constantly have burnouts and I constantly replenish myself. It's just constant. I don’t allow it to go on for too long I guess. I just keep trying till I’m back making dope stuff but yeah, I have.
Do you fear another impending burnout from the restlessness of having to be indoors more due to recent global events?
I do because I wanted to shoot music videos and I just feel like it's slowing everything down. So, I don’t know if that counts as burnout, but I feel restless about that and a lot of things as a result of the lockdown.
If you had to compare the first half of your 2019 vs the first half of your 2020. What three songs fit the mood of both periods? And why?
The first half of 2019; first song obviously has to be “Aiya”. That’s my song because I put out the video in the first half of 2019 and I like how far the song travelled and I just really liked that time. Second one would be (I can’t just name only my songs; this is a very tactical question) hmmm uhmm I have to think about it.
2020 first half song number 1; “Don’t Trust Geminis” for 2020. Song number 2 “Loyal” by PARTYNEXTDOOR cos the way it just starts (hums beginning) I don’t know; the instrumental, his voice, the mixing. The song is just like I don’t know. Makes me just feel away. Third song for first half of 2020 would be Jhene Aiko’s “P*$$y Fairy” because I mad relate. It’s like “that dick make me so damn proud”. It’s just mad.
So two more songs for first half of 2019. Second song for second half of 2019 would be…Wow! What was I listening to then? Did Rema drop Dumebi then? I don’t know if he dropped Dumebi but that song was a jam. Then I think Joeboy’s “Baby” was also around that time cos Pop uno. This is all so messed up right now
First song “Aiya”, I like it cos it was doing so great then and I really lied how far it travelled. Second song Rema’s “Dumebi” if that counts. That song just like makes you turnt and makes you so lit. Third song, Joeboy’s “Baby” is a wonderful pop song. Its just well made. One of those standard pop songs that are bound to be successful and I really like the song.
Then 2020; First song, “Don’t Trust Geminis” cos it just frames where my mind state was at and what was happening in my life. Second song is Loyal by PARTYNEXTDOOR cos I live the sound. Third song, Jhene Aiko’s “P*$$ Fairy”, I mad relate and its just so boss, so sensual and so feminine.
What do you reckon is the biggest irony of a world on shutdown?
The biggest irony would be that I feel more lonely cos it’s not like I was relating with people when the world wasn’t on lockdown. The other big irony outside of myself would probably be people checking on one another more. I feel like it makes more sense to be checking on people when you can actually see them than to just like yeah… and I guess seeing people more; people being more out there. Everybody is on Instagram live. Everybody is making content. Like we’re seeing people have fun. It's’ ironic that the world had to slow down for people to be that open.
How would you describe Lagos to someone who has never been to Lagos?
I would say it’s like the stereotypical big city of the world. That’s what it is. It's busy, there’s traffic, it's hot, there’s so many kinds of people, it's industrious/industrial. Such a huge city. Very crowded and stuff and great also.
What experience did moving to London give you as an artist that Lagos never did?
I guess London made me see things from a bigger picture. Lagos made me see things from a bigger picture than when I lived in Jos but then London was like another zoom out. When I moved to Lagos, it was like “Who is Bella in relation to Nigerian not just Jos and London is like who is Bella in the world? Who is Bella telling the world that she is? In Lagos I can say “oh I’m from Jos” and in London it's like” Oh I’m from Nigeria” and it’s just like what is Bella trying to achieve? How big is Bella trying to get? How can Bella represent her brand on a global scale? So yeah, London gave me a global perspective to everything.
What does creative success mean to you as an artist, at a time when everybody is a “creator” of some sort?
Creative success to me would be executing projects as accurately as I imagined to a point where I feel satisfied. Like when I make a song, most times when I’m writing a song, I have a video in my head and then when I end up releasing songs, it just kinda bums me out that I don’t get to shoot videos as fast as I would like or I never get to shoot them at all. So creative success to me would just be like presenting the idea both sonically and visually in a way that I imagined it to be in my head.
What’s the most memorable feedback you have gotten for you work?
When I first moved to London, I went to this studio that was very nice and just like chilled and somebody introduced me to them and they were like “Bella Alubo, we know who you are, we’re gassed to meet you” Like, they were all acting chill but then when we started talking, the producer was now like “do you know how many times we’ve used Tropicana Fruit Juice as a reference to our work”? and he’s like that song is so perfect, your vocals are so this. Like they were actually gassed out and I didn’t know these people. So it was just like mad because this wasn’t even in Nigeria and this was like a group of like friends who were fucking with my music. It was pretty cool.
What’s that one popular philosophy, your personal experiences have proven to be bullshit?
I think probably ‘do good and good will come to you’. Like good will come to you if it’s going to. Okay no no no let’s not use that one. No, do good. Good might come to you if it’s going to come. And when people say like, give them your other cheek. I feel like in the entertainment world, you would give them your other cheek tire if you’re trying to be good or not watch out for yourself.
Bella Alubo is a singer from Jos, Nigeria who is currently living in London. You can stream her music through Apple Music and Spotify