Ikuforiji Olaitan Abdulrahman, a 26-year-old singer widely recognized as Oxlade, has shared his journey as an aspiring artist, detailing his trials and tribulations.
Oxlade opened up about the challenges he faced, including opposition from his father, who was a lecturer and disapproved of his pursuit of a music career. This compelled him to leave home and engage in various odd jobs, such as selling BRT tickets.
While speaking on the Afrobeats podcast, which is hosted by Adesope Olajide, Oxlade openly shared that he went through the experience of sleeping under a bridge in the Abulegba region of Lagos State as he persistently pursued his aspiration of becoming a musician.
He said: “Back then, I used to sleep at Ojuelegba Barracks Bridge sometimes. I did several menial jobs to survive. I was selling BRT tickets.
“If you don’t take your time to create some songs or anything, it’s going to sound rushed. If you rushed in, you rushed out.
“I am not looking for hits, I am looking for classics. I mean, ‘Away’ is four or three years old, but it’s still banging. ‘Ku Lo Sa’ is a year old; it still bangs. ‘O2 came from nowhere; it just blew up last year. These songs are old, but they still have value right now.
“I don’t want to mention names, but I know of a lot of artists that dropped songs last year that blew up but they are gone now. I’m not trying to impress, I’m trying to leave a long-lasting image in your head.”
