I’ll live forever through my music — Pheelz

Singer and producer, Pheelz tells KEHINDE AJOSE about his music journey, fame and other issues

You recently released your album, A Rii Set. What does this project represent for you at this point in your career, and what inspired the title?

Freedom inspired the title. That is what it represents. What inspired the title was the need for a reset; the need to go back to the music, go back to what truly matters, fall in love with the craft again and create freely. It’s a reset.

You worked with some major names on the album, including Tiwa Savage, Young Jonn and Flavour. What was the experience of collaborating with each of them like?

It was a beautiful experience. They are amazing talents. Shout-out to everybody who was on the project. It’s incredible to be able to create art with great names and great minds. I just hope to create more with greater names and greater minds.

It’s always a thing of beauty; no ego, no stress, just making the music the most important thing in the room, and creating amazing art.

You have evolved from being a producer to becoming an artiste. How would you describe the biggest difference between who you were and who you are now?

I think it’s always who I have been. It’s more about reinventing myself over and again. The content is the same; the container might be different.

It’s evolving, growing, maturing and taking up space. It’s beautiful. Thank God for growth.

You experiment a lot with your sound. Of all the creative risks you have taken so far, which has paid off the most?

I don’t experiment for a payoff. I experiment to express myself. So, it’s not really a metric for me to use in weighing which one has paid off the most.

I just love experimentation and I love what I create. The rest is up to the fans and God.

What was your childhood like, and how did it prepare you for your career path?

My upbringing was very music-oriented. I grew up in the church and played music there. I was a choir master at some point, so it was music every day, all day.

Even in school, I was close to the music teacher. I would learn and play in the band as well. So, growing up, it has always been music. That prepared me for the path ahead.

You recently performed at Blast Fest. What was that experience like for you, especially performing your songs without a live band?

I am always reinventing and stretching myself; finding new ways to create more.

I created a way to become a one-man band; just me on stage, working all the music and recreating it from scratch.

Blast Fest was the first show I played like that, to test the idea, and it worked amazingly well. There was great energy and great vibes. It was amazing.

How important is live instrumentation to the way you want people to experience your music on stage?

For me, it’s important to see the live stage as an empty canvas where I can recreate the songs people know and love.

That’s how I see a live show. It’s an opportunity to recreate the music everybody already loves and knows, reinvent it and perform it. It’s about making it fresh for the people, giving them a different view of the music and allowing them to go deeper into the feeling of it.

Live music is really important, and it’s essential for the growth of the genre.

Do you make music primarily for the hits, or is there a deeper sense of personal fulfilment that drives you?

I don’t make music for the hits. I am building an incredible catalogue musically because, at the end of the day, I believe I will live forever through my music, and that’s the most important thing for me right now.

While I am building the catalogue, hits will happen by the grace of God. But that’s not really the focus. The focus is building an incredible catalogue that will live forever.

How have you adjusted to fame and the attention that comes with it?

It’s all love. It’s a blessing to be known and for the light to shine. It’s a blessing to be recognised. I don’t take it for granted.

I appreciate everybody. Sometimes, it gets to be a lot, and that’s understandable. One can just take some space and relax, or go somewhere to chill.

It’s not a problem for me to be famous. I love being famous. I love my fans. It’s a blessing.

You came into the industry at a time when your work with Olamide and the YBNL family played a major role in your growth. What did that period teach you about music, creativity and the business of the industry?

It taught me a lot. Most importantly, it taught me that change is constant.

I came from a different era and a different perspective on music and marketing. Having to experience the business shift the way it has, seeing afrobeats become global and continue to grow globally, and also having to play my part in it one way or another, has been incredible.

I feel like I am growing every day. I am learning every day. I am expanding every day, and I am just excited about what the future holds.

I have also learnt to be strong. I have been in the deep end since I was 16 years old. I made my first hit at 16. Having been in the business from such an early age, I have learnt to swim with the sharks.

I have learnt to hold my own space and understand the business as well. It helps with the music too, because of the experience of working with multiple artistes as a producer.

I am grateful for life and everything that has happened so far.

Looking back at your journey, was there a particular moment when you realised that you could successfully transition from being a producer to becoming an artiste?

I really don’t see it as a transition from a producer to an artiste because I have always been an artiste.

Even as a producer, I have always been behind the microphone, singing, writing and being an artiste. I feel like when the time is right, the time is right. And when God says go, it’s time.

But I don’t see it as a transition. I see it as unlocking.

When you look at the person you are becoming today, what is one thing you are still trying to prove to yourself?

That I am a genius, and God is with me. That everything is possible if I believe.