What I love about collaborations is that they always seem to take our careers further, especially in the creative industry. When we choose to work with others, we inevitably allow ourselves to grow – and we also get great bookings because we’ve worked well with others. Collaborations are variant and implore us to play different roles at different times. For instance, most of my career has focused on developing my individual sound which is predominantly alternative rnb/soul and afro house, but over the years I have also co-written music outside of my genre, I have sang backing vocals for more prominent artists, and also perform with a band – this means that a chunk of my work is collaborative. I’ll tell you this, when you collaborate well with people, respecting their work as well as your contributions – you’re guaranteed to reach further than you would working as an island. So on this note, let’s look at Why, How, and When you should consider collaborating.
Why:
Working with others means you are part of a network of creative artists, and that’s a win right there – chances are you’ll probably have access to a studio, a producer, an engineer, etc. in which case you have the freedom to test your ideas. Now we’re not always lucky to know people who own glamorous studios with “A grade” engineering skills, but I’ll bet you a song that a couple of your friends can run fruity loops on their computers, and record your vocal – coz when you’re starting out that’s really all you need. The work will not sound they way you want it to because you’re used to “radio standard” engineering, but it’ll be enough to show what you can do given better resources. So essentially you’ll be creating a mood board of sorts, exploring which music suits you – here, you’re growing.
How:
It’s always wise to find yourself a suitable group to work and think with when you’re still finding your feet. I remember when I first started writing songs I didn’t know where the hell I would sing them, or if I would even have the confidence to sing them – much less record them. But things came together slowly. One afternoon after we had had a long day and a friend of mine and I decided to take a breather, sitting under some tree on campus – he decided to recite one of his poems to me and I instinctively started harmonizing. He was so shook and I said to him, “Sisonkepapu in my next life I will sing”, he laughed and said, “why not this life?”. The short version of the story is that in that moment I allowed myself to be convinced I can sing now because I had already owned the fact that I could sing. From then on all I knew was that whoever was going to give me direction was who I wanted to be friends with. Sisonkepapu passed my name on to one of his producer friends, and in 2016 I recorded my first ever song with Rez who also featured it in his debut tape “Bhayinari Codes”. I have never looked back since – so, fight the fear right from the start and put yourself out.
When:
Now we all know that artists usually have overwhelming egos and we hardly ever admit when we need help, it’s actually lame and backwards but anyway – this has taught me that my presence does not always have to come on too strong too soon. So I like to get to know people first, and to be in their space as they work without really “disrupting” their process with my ideas – I like people to feel that their own ideas are enough and that they own their space. This softens people, it makes it easier for them to invite our opinions into their projects – coz we’re all a little sensitive about our work. So this is to say however “dope” we find ourselves to be, it’s always better to leave that at the door – and kind of let yourself be invited. Because when people invite us into their spaces, they’re usually also keen to hear what we have to say. So build relationships with the people you want to work with.
Ps: Collaboration is the new startup capital.
