Muhammad Jamil popularly known as Jadda Garko is a veteran Hausa singer. He is particularly popular for his ‘old-school’ style of music in which he has carved a niche for himself. In this interview with Daily Trust, he speaks on how he started, the journey so far and many more. Excerpt:
How did you start your music career?
I can not specifically state how I started my music career, or what prompted me to start the music. But I know I grew up attending the popular Islamic gatherings ‘Maulud’. And during the gatherings, Islamiyya pupils are asked to sing. I think that was how it all started – from Islamiyya School.
I later started singing advocacy music on how to change our youth to do the right things. It was those advocacy songs that made me popular. Most of my songs are aimed at addressing social problems. Later on, I started doing political songs, which made me more popular, and even earned me a special assistant status in Kano.
What particular genre of music are you into?
Like I said, I started with Islamiyya School songs in maulud. But I can say I am more into songs aimed at addressing societal problems. That is the category that made me popular, so I can’t abandon it.
I am more comfortable and play with my lyrics with ease when I sing to advocate for a change in the society. You see, music is very powerful. You can change the world with it. So, I decided to focus more on addressing societal problems because I think this can be my contribution towards a better Nigeria.
On another hand, we are in the season of politics, and musicians help in campaigning for candidates. So, I’ve also joined the train. But the difference between myself and others perhaps is that some politicians are afraid of me and my group. We will not help to campaign for you if you are not the right candidate, no matter how much money you will pay. I am not after the money; I am after the good of the country. So instead of only campaigning, I use music to showcase the characteristics of a good leader so that people can use them as a yardstick against other candidates and make the right choice.
Can you say your music helped in bringing APC into power?
Of course, yes. In fact, the way we campaigned against the PDP, if they had won the election, most of us would have left this country. You know it was during the time of Boko Haram and bomb blast was every where, so we campaigned against them to bring change.
But Nigerians are accusing you people of being deeply enmeshed in politics?
That is not right. As far as the north is concerned, you cannot remove music from politics. That has been the norm since the era of NEPU and NPC.
In fact, there were times in the past when during campaign, no body will say anything except musicians who will come and tell the people about the manifestos of the party and the candidates.
And it has also been the norm in the north that whenever there is something new, it is musicians that the government call upon to sing and tell the people about it and its importance. So, politics and music have been together for long and you cannot separate them.
It seems you’re now campaigning for Tinubu, why?
Yes. In fact, I am the chairman of Bola Tinubu musicians in the north. I decided to campaign for him after carefully studying his past, and concluded that he will be the right person to take over in 2023.
Many of my songs for Tinubu have since been trending in social media.
There is growing enmity and crises in the northern music industry, how are you faring with your colleagues?
We are like brothers in progress. I don’t see any reason why I should hate anybody because of his success. We all agree we are doing business, and that we should take it seriously.
You have been in the industry for long, why do your contemporaries in the South make more money and are more popular?
I think our religion and culture are some of the factors. Here, we have some restrictions and there are things you can’t even think of doing even if you know it will fetch you a lot of money.
Another thing is that here we don’t have good managers who go out and bargain on our behalf. In the South, they bargain, and you must pay them huge amount before they even take you seriously. Even there, politicians pay them more.
But going forward, I personally want to change my way of doing things. I have many other sources of income, and I am doing relatively well, so I will be careful and very selective. I will not help any politician to power to go there and forget about me. And I won’t just sing for anybody.
And another important thing is that I will not sing for APC alone this time around. I will select and sing for any good candidate irrespective of his party. We are just looking for the best.
So, as far as I am concerned, I am all out trying to change the narrative. I am not a beggar, so you must respect me as a musician.
Any message to your colleagues and fans?
It’s time we upgrade our standard. We should be our brothers’ keepers not enemies. We have to do everything possible to bring sanity to this profession.
And to our fans, we love you all and we will keep entertaining you with our best. And they should please help us by reaching out to us whenever they see something about us that needs to be done.
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