Gimba is a fastrising singer, songwriter, and recording artist. He has collaborated with afrobeat legends including Wizkid, Sarz, and Wande Coal. His just released debut E.P ‘Amince Da Tsari‘ features Olamide Baddo.
In this interview, Gimba reflects on his Hausa, Deltan, and Yoruba heritage and how it influences his music. He shares his unique music journey, opens up about his struggles with starting from the top, his mental health, and how he copes with pressure. Gimba invites us into his world, sharing what success means to him and what matters to him the most in the world.
Hi Gimba! It’s a pleasure to have you here. Thank you so much for your time.
The pleasure is all mine.
As you can imagine, I’m curious about your introduction to the world of music. What was the light bulb moment for you when it clicked that wanted to be part of that world?
While I have always loved music, I haven’t always been interested in being an artist. And when I say I’ve aways loved music, I mean I grew up singing in church and school and that’s was about it.
However, one night in 2020, I posted videos of me singing: one was a cover of an Adekunle Gold song, and the other was a cover of Wurld’s song. That same night, the two artists commented on the covers and, as you can imagine, I was stunned. In the following weeks, I covered Fireboy, CKay, Oxlade, and they all engaged with the videos. This was my “light bulb moment”. I figured that if I could get the attention of these people through covers, I could make a song as well.
It was at this point that I started going to the studio, making music, and becoming an artist.
Oh that’s beautiful. I find it interesting that you started gaining recognition from your first video without planning it. Big ups to you, you know.
So, your just-released EP, what does the title… I’ve found it hard to pronounce it properly. Could you help me with that?
It’s pronounced Amenton Da Sari.
Ah-men-ton Da Sari?
Yes.
Thanks. What does it mean?
‘Trust the process.’
What was the inspiration behind this title?
Well, I think my journey has been very different from anyone else’s in the music industry. Some would call it luck but I call it grace. That said, a journey like mine also comes with a lot of pressure. When you are highly favoured at the beginning of your career, everybody sees you different and has high expectations because you already started ‘big’.
For example, my first single had Wizkid. That was crazy. And so, naturally, the expectation was through the roof. Nobody really cares that you just started. They just wants to see you bigger and bigger and bigger.
I’m constantly pacing myself mentally and reminding myself that, omo, at the end of the day, like it’s my process and I just have to trust it. This is the way God wants my journey to go and I just need to trust my own process. So, that’s the inspiration behind the name: Trust the process.
Now that’s beautiful. I’m very interested in the process of creating the EP- from the beat to the title. How was it like for you?
Twitch Pappy (my producer) and I had been making music for a while but things went to a different dimension with Sarz Academy. Sarz announced the 2022 session of the academy and then we both applied. I applied as an artist and he applied as a producer. Fortunately for both of us, we got in. To me, that was crazy luck or I would say fate. My EP was produced by two producers; Twitch Pappy and Oddwave, someone I met in Sarz Academy. ‘Only You,’ which is track four on my EP, was made in Sarz Academy.
I’d say Sarz Academy did something for me. There, we were free enough to do what we wanted to do. We were not subjected to the norm of how music is being made. After the Academy, I was bold enough to do my own thing. I’m generally a hard nut to crack but having Sarz as a part of the project meant I needed to tear myself open and intentionally do something different.
Track five, ‘Happy‘, is just me talking about the pressures that I’ve been facing. This is, at the end of the day, like it’s me. It’s my journey and I just have to take it how God gives it to me. I talk about my love life and everything. I also share stories about where I come from. I’m from Nasarawa state. My mom is from Delta and I grew up in Surulere, Lagos. I joke that I’m Yoruba by association. In a way, I’m tapped into three major tribes and I just needed a way outside at the end of the day. That’s why I named the project in Hausa. So basically, it’s just me telling my story the best way I can. That’s the idea behind the project.
One major thing I love is how you were bold in making the music you want. And then I love how you indicated about you being Hausa, Delta, and Yoruba. Would you say that the fact that you have multiple roots has influenced your style in music?
Most definitely. It has influenced me a lot. I call myself a Wazobia guy.
That’s not a lie though.
Yeah. I feel like the reason why Wizkid even liked what I did on the song ‘Blessings‘ is because of the strong Fuji influence. And I could do this because I grew up in Surulere and I was an ‘outside kid’. I was always outside, going into the streets, and meeting people. So, I was tapped into that culture. My mom tried to tame me, but I was just too stubborn.
My middle name is Chukwubuike and my mom used to speak Igbo to us a lot. I was a Hausa kid who used to go to the East- Nnewi, Anambra state- when I was young, particularly for church things. I was really into the Igbo church services and I can even sing like an Igbo person. So, I feel like I was tapped into the Igbo side as well.
I’m mostly associated with Yorubas and the Igbos, but I also feel the need to show the world that I’m northern as well. That’s why if you look at the aesthetic of the project, the fonts, my styling, it inspired by that part of me. It’s my way of telling the world that ‘this is where I’m from.’
I respect that, especially the fact how you’re deliberately being authentic. Along your journey in the music industry, who would you say were the major artists that you looked up to? Was there anyone whose style has influenced what you do?
Easy. I would say Wizkid, Wande Coal, Burna Boy, Runtown. I have a whole list.
Classic. Can you give us some insight into one or two tracks that you think best represents the spirit of, you know, the title?
Two tracks that best represents the title are ‘Nightmares‘ and ‘Happy.’ In ‘Nightmares‘, I’m talking about the pressure I face. In the first two lines I’m saying ‘I don’t know where to start from, but I’ll start from the bottom to the top.’ The beginning of the song, you hear many people just saying, ‘oh, Gimba when are you doing this?’, ‘Gimba when are you doing that?’, ‘Gimba are you working on this?’, ‘Gimba are you working on that?’. In my personal life as well, everyone has advice for me. Everybody had things to say about me and what they think I should do next. So, at the end of the day, I just needed to trust my own process.
‘Happy‘ is my way of saying no matter, like the trials and tribulations that I face, I know that I was born to perform. At the end of the day, I just want to feel happy. That’s what the chorus is. I just want to feel happy. So, I feel like those two songs connect with the theme of the project – Trust The Process.
That’s beautiful. You mentioned wanting to do things your own way and your own style. I know that comes with its highs and lows. During the making of this EP, what would you say was the highest moment when you thought everything was good? And was there a time you felt challenged and how were you able to move past that?
I’ll start by explaining that when the songs are finished, I always go ‘wow, this is it! Beautiful. I’m so excited to put this out.’
It’s really tricky to put together a team of people that see my vision. Shout out to my management. She has done an amazing job so far alongside Moxie, Bolatito and everybody in the mix. I just feel like that was the hardest part.
Also, the process of putting the songs out was very long, to be honest. It’s my debut project and I didn’t know what it felt like to put out like an EP before. Making the songs in the studio is the most interesting part. You don’t have any expectations for the songs, you’re just happy to make good music. What just carries the music is your mind and your aura. But selecting the songs to release? Really stressful.
I’m glad you were able to overcome this. As an artist, how do you define success? Has your idea of success changed since you started your career?
I think that success is different for everybody. For me, I would say it’s the answer to ‘what do I want out of this?’ Are you in this for the money? Are you in this for the fame? Are you in this to inspire people? Do you just want to do your thing? I feel like it’s different for everybody. I want to inspire people. I want to be able to inspire young people to be bold enough to do what they want to do. I want them to listen to my stuff, see my videos, watch my space and be like, ‘damn, I can actually do this thing.’
I want to be comfortable in life. I want my children to be comfortable. I don’t want my children to suffer or go through what we had to go through. At the same time I feel like I could actually do these things and my idea of success will change. In a way, I feel like there is no destination in this. It’ll always be a journey and I’l probably be hungry for more.
It’s just ‘what is the definition of success now?’ Now, I just want to be able to inspire people. I want to be able to build my community of people, and I want to be comfortable. I don’t want to suffer. I don’t want my family to suffer. I don’t want people around me to suffer. That’s it basically.
It’s inspiring to have the mindset of wanting to motivate others, inspire others, and then having your own people in mind as well. You know, not just thinking about yourself. So, as an artist, how do you keep evolving without losing your musical identity?
l think I’ll always be true to my musical identity because it’s my voice. When I hear a beat, it has to connect to my soul. Lyricism aside, if I don’t connect to a beat emotionally, I don’t want to hop on it. It does not matter how hard everybody thinks the beat sounds, I’d rather wait for the one that connects with me. So I feel like for me, I don’t think I’m going to lose that. That said, I’m open to evolving.
Lately, I’ve been pushing. I just actually finished a club tour for my EP and I realized tha my energy is actually so crazy. Sometimes it even feels like the energy that I have now as Gimba doesn’t totally match what the EP sounds like. I feel like I have evolved and I’m already recording my next project. And it’s going to match the energy that I’m feeling right now.
I’m constantly evolving. Before, I wasn’t a fan of clubs. I didn’t like the fact that I couldn’t control the music that was being played and I was forced to listen what the DJ had to play. But now, I understand the idea of clubbing and I’m more tapped into that world and it has obviously affected me as a person and as a creative. What you do will affect you: you’ll just evolve without even trying.
Nothing but facts there. How do you see the future of Afro music playing out in the next five to ten years?
I think we just need more people to be bold enough to do what they want to do. And I feel we just need more stories to the music, we just need to be deeper because the whole world is listening. With Afrobeat as a genre, I feel like everybody should just be able to do what they want to do.
As for five to ten years from now, it’s the only time that will tell. Right now, we are doing well. I just need more people to be intentional about what they do.
That’s good. So if you have a crowd of people in front of you, what would be the message you want to tell everyone and why?
I’ll just tell them to trust their process and try not to feel too much pressure because the internet is full of pressure. Everybody is curating things online and everybody is staring at their phones. If you’re not strong mentally everyday, you will just feel pressure and depressed. Everybody needs to trust their own process and not be focused on Internet. Don’t be obsessed with what people are doing.
Pressure is good sometimes but you can be pressured by the wrong thing. So, the thing that should pressure you are the people at home.
You’re spot on! This generation needs to understand that you don’t really need to look at other people to match their pace. So what matters to you most and why?
I will say people around me: my family, my friends, people that I work with. What matters to me is the mental state of everybody around me and my own mental state. As long as everybody is okay upstairs, I’m good. Your mind is your biggest threat. How you see the world that you act. Everybody just needs to think clearly because mental health is so important.
To trust your process, you need to be strong mentally because every day you’re pressured by people around you- even your family. And they need to trust their own process if they are waiting for you. This is why I’m constantly checking up on people around me and ensuring they are not overworking themselves.
What matters the most to me is preserving my mental health and that of people around me.
One hundred. Is there any other last thing you would like to say?
Just listen to my music and expect madness from me because I’m not here to play. And stay blessed and loved. Show love to people around you.
Sure we will. Sure we will. Thank you so much and do have a splendid and amazing day.
God bless you. Thank you so much.
