April 09, (THEWILL) – Nigerian singer, Alexander Adegbola Akande, aka 9ice, has opened up about some of the challenges he faced when he began his music career.
According to the singer, his popularity and fame didn’t fetch him money when he started out, as he was always broke.
Speaking about his ordeal in the latest episode of the Chart with Sims podcast, he advised other artistes to pursue money instead of fame.
According to him, things were pretty difficult then because social media was not available to promote songs and they had to depend on Alaba International Marketers.
“Don’t become popular o, make money. When I started, I was popular, but I didn’t have money.
“The money didn’t just come in, I had to do the right things. As of then, we were depending so much on Alaba International Market. Then, we didn’t have Facebook, Instagram and the rest. If you want your song to be popular in Kaduna, you had to go to Kaduna to do a radio interview. You had to be there forpeople to see you.
“So, when the money started coming was when we put in the hustle and we marketed the brand by doing print interviews like newspapers, magazines, putting your face out there. I mean, there are times when people have good songs, but their fans don’t even know what they look like.
“I think it is not just about getting popular. But putting your brand out there. Market it, promote it. Let your face be known and the money aspect will come later”, he stated.
