I Never Saw Myself Doing Highlife – Yemi Alade

Singer/songwriter, Yemi Alade, features on the latest episode of Ndani TV’s, The Juice. The artiste talks about her new album, “Woman of Steel”, and all it took to get to this highpoint in her career. Yemi talks about working with Beyoncé, her relationship with the legendary Angélique Kidjo and possible forthcoming international collaborations.

On her introduction to the Nigerian music industry, Yemi shared; “From 2009 when I won Peak Talent Show I had been dropping singles but I hadn’t gained much prominence till ‘Johnny’ happened in 2014. ‘Johnny’ was the first song I ever recorded in that genre. My parents are fans of that type of music but up until then I was more into my Afrobeats and soul. I never saw myself doing highlife.”

“My dad was a police commissioner and people assumed he was very strict but he was never against my going into music. Some say it was old age that made him allow me but I say it was destiny. I never really had to sit my parents down to convince them because I already had an agreement with them to come out with the best grades, so whatever I did on the side didn’t matter,” she said, commenting on her background.

Commenting on her connection to Africa as a whole, the artiste said; “As I began to travel more on the wings of ‘Johnny’, I began to realise that no matter I went we were all the same. Apart from culture and languages, we are all basically the same, the same interests and ideologies.”

See full interview below;

By: The Arubayi Keme