Intimate chat … with J.Martin

J. Martin has come a long way since his first single ‘Good or Bad.’ He performed on ‘Legend Night’ in Niteshift Coliseum, Ikeja, recently and afterwards we met him for a chat.
Excerpts:
You played Timaya’s and D’Banj’s song on stage tonight, didn’t you?
No. All the songs you hear me play are my songs or I collaborated in them. The music sounds like theirs. No. If you know my history, you will know that ‘Good or Bad’ is my first single. It is not Timaya’s song. I featured Timaya and P.Square in ‘E no Easy’ which I also produced. I don’t sing people’s song.

What can you say in defence of your generation of musicians that play western music instead of African music?
My generation has not passed away. We are still coming. What I can only say is that I am an African. I speak for myself. I love African music and I make African music.
Tell us about your music.
My music is more or less trying to side with the masses because I feel their pain. I don’t believe there is any classification in terms of human beings. All I know is that God made all of us equal. I have been there before. I empathise with the truck pusher. That does not mean I pushed truck before but you know what life is when you can identify with one in Orthopaedic Hospital. You know different spheres of life and in different stages of life, you see people suffering things at different times. If I am not on that, then you will find me on the side of love. I am on the side of love, encouragement and inspiration. In songs like ‘Oyoyo,’ I say “the same God that did it for me will do it for you.”
What is your humble beginning?
(Ponders), it all started from my mum. She was a Choir Mistress as much as I can remember as a baby. She used to take me to church for choir practice. I don’t joke with her; she is the beginning. Apart from the fact that God put the talent in me, she was the foundation that brought the development, the proximity in the music industry. My godfather, a Pastor would say something like this, “every success that does not have a story behind it is not a success. It can look successful but once you cannot trace it or there is no history behind it, it is not a success.”
How do you cope with your fans especially ladies? I noticed them all over you.
Two things are important in life. Good example, you are interviewing me now. When you go home, you won’t be doing interview in your house, that’s your private life.  I have my career life and I have my private life. When it gets to career, my fans include everyone – elderly people, father, mother, young people, the middle aged and children; you have to give them love. The fact that they love you does not mean you have to abuse them. You should be able to reciprocate the love or care that they have shown you but once you are off the career, you are back home, you are a different person. You do not transit. Your fans already had their time with you.
Do you take intoxicant on stage?
I never drank or smoked before.
Culled from The Sun