Jeremiah Gyang is a Jos-based singer, songwriter and producer. He started playing piano and guitar before the age of 10 and in 2004; he released his hit song, ‘Na Ba Ka.’ In this interview by KANGMWA GOFWEN, he talks about how he balances his family and career.
Tell us what has been happening to you, what have you been up to?
I’ve been growing; I’m becoming more and more a man, less a celebrity and more a man. You know, it’s a beautiful thing because sometimes when celebrity comes, you forget what life used to be but then, eventually through life’s journey you learn that it was what life used to be that led you to that point of celebrity.
So, you need to go back to the roots and don’t despise the days of small beginnings. Once you get there, your eyes will be open and you will see an entire community sprouting around you of people that are like you as well. And then it makes it easier for you to reach out and build together with such people.
Are you working with or under any brand, label or something?
Technically, I’m working for myself. I have my own team; it’s called “Yangata Network”. Yangata is a bunch of young people that are privileged with gifts, musical gifts and talents and other sorts of gifts that are related directly and indirectly to music.
It’s a network of young people who also want to be entrepreneurs, people who are desiring to understand how to materialise their talents. Because of how saturated the world is with all sorts of ideas, we have to create a very simple system of remembering what the ancient path was. So it’s just going back to the root and to the basics of how you are supposed to basically grow from the beginning. Same thing with how we are supposed to take care of our businesses. There’s a standard way of doing things, most people do not know some basic principles because the primary education we got was from the educational institutions whereas, primary education is supposed to come from home. How to cook, how to clean, how to manage the resources you have in the house because that’s reality. So, these are the basic principles that drive Yangata Network and that is the platform that I am under myself.
How would you rate the maiden edition artises of the ‘Incredible Music Festival’ in Jos, being one of the performing at the festival?
I think it’s probably one of the most important and successful concerts that has ever happened in Plateau State. There have been events with wilder and larger audiences but this one; the particular audience it targeted are the young people, those in the front and centre of everything that is happening in society and then being able to galvanise all of those strengths, bringing everyone together to be able to put this festival to life. I think in my impression, it’s one of the most successful events ever done in Jos by musicians.
Are you working on any collaboration with any artiste, just like you did years ago with the likes of Asa, are you working on something with anyone?
Yes, so many different people. I’m collaborating right now with my wife, I just released a new song, called, ‘Koya mani’, in which I featured my wife. My wife was the one that backed me up when we sang the initial version. And then I’m working with Prince Maya, Daniel Janique, these are young artistes, singers, rappers and then there’s a whole lot of different people that I’m working with. I’m working with Jesse Jagz, I’m working with M.I, and I’m working with Mr. Peculiar. People like Mr. Jewels, we just did a collaboration. So, I’m working with all sorts of musicians and I enjoy the experience. It’s something that gives me a lot of joy. I’m also working on something secret but what I try to do is to keep people updated with what I do as much as possible on my social media handles.
Why did you choose to remain in Jos?
I think it’s primarily because I love Jos. I love this place, and the weather because it inspires me, my music and all. I’ve travelled and I have come to find out that there is something in this place that my spirit is connected to. There is a rejuvenation bound that I have encountered in this land that I don’t want to lose it.
Why do you think most artistes start in Jos and then leave for bigger cities?
That’s primarily one of the reasons why I’m here, and that’s another answer to why I’m here. It’s because our people are not aware of ways to survive and the basic ways to monetise their skills, because we do not value or honour the home structure. wWe always look outside it, meanwhile all the time the solution are within it.
So, that is the reason why a lot of people want to leave because it would seem like things are very hard on at the governmental level, but the government is really the community, it starts from the community.
If you don’t know what you want for yourself, for your family and community, what would someone else wants for you? I also think that we’ve dealt with much trauma from childhood that sometimes just leaving the space helps you to go and heal and return. I think there is that as well, so it’s good we have other places we can go to.
What can artistes do to make their talent sell regardless of their location?
Don’t despise the small things, you have, if you have ten people listening to your music play for them, start at the community level. We always want to start from the top; we want to start from the radio stations, we think that is where to start from, but no. you start from the community galvanisation, you have to learn how to market your gifts so that eventually, you are a better manager of your gifts rather than hiring someone to do what you should be doing for yourself.
How can artiste like you use their talent to advocate for change in our society?
Music is a tool to sell whatever message you want to. As musicians, we do not know how not to because music in itself is built to sell an idea. Every lyric is a message.
What advice do you have for young artistes that are struggling and are about give up on their talents?
You don’t build skyscrapers from the top, neither do you build them from the ground; you build them from under the ground. So, it means you have to go really low if you want to rise really high. There is nothing beautiful under the ground; it signifies death and burial of certain things you use to represent. So, start from dying to self and living to your purpose. People try to live for convenience but most Christians don’t remember that the bible say the kingdom is for the remnant, so many ends up in destruction.
It’s difficult to succeed; it’s not business algorithm but moral algorithm. It’s about morality, discipline; it’s about covenant, being able to build people and not things. If you can write your vision and the people around you believe it, then it cannot die. An institution is powered by those who believe in it. Under the ground is the community and that’s what sustains whatever business that sprouts on the surface.
How do you balance your family and personal life with being a celebrity?
Fame is good, it’s beautiful, it opens so many doors; when you go to many places you don’t have to follow the queue, it simplifies a lot of difficult processes for you and it works even for anyone that is attached to that particular name that is famous.
Celebrity has everything do with people’s expectations but popularity has everything to do with what you did that made people realise you in the first place and celebrate you. I had to make a dichotomy in my mind to understand that I like being popular but I don’t really care much about being a celebrity. I know it sounds like spiting hairs if you don’t look deeper into what I am saying. In the beginning of this conversation, I told you I had to roll back from being a celebrity and go back into being a man again, it was certain discipline and principles that led me to the place that I am but as soon as you get it, a lot of times you think ‘ok, I’m here so I can cut off all that discipline.’
As soon as you do that, you enjoy the little battery that is left because you have disconnected the charger. The charger is that life that you were living that brought you to the life you are currently living. It means that you need both the old and the new. You need the principles and then you also need the liberty those principles brought.
So, the way I balance it is, morality is from the Bible and the Bible tells me how to treat my wife and children and it tells me how to treat my business partners and if I just stay there and refuse to subscribe to the mind-set of ‘celebrity’ and all that comes with it and I stick with what the Bible told me, that got me here, then there’s something even higher than that that I’m going to acquire.
