The Interview recently had a chat with the Afro-dancehall artiste Timaya on his new album ‘Chulo Vibes’ and what really determines an artiste success. Excerpt:
What have you been up to lately?
I recently dropped my first project in five years and it’s called ‘Chulo Vibes’. It’s an extended play album with nine songs. I’ve been promoting that and also working on King Perryy’s project as well
How was the creation process?
It all started late 2018. I felt it was time to put out an album, so I discussed with my team and we decided on releasing an EP.
I probably recorded over 30 songs within a period of a month. We wanted a seven-track Extended Play (EP), but there were so many songs to choose from, we ended up releasing nine tracks on the EP.
Why was it important for you to release this album now?
I just felt it was time to put out a body of work and it was definitely the right time because, the love and reviews I keep getting from fans and critics have been amazing.
As an artiste, as a creative, public opinion could affect your state of mind, but it takes a lot of self-belief and majorly, trust in God, not to hold that as a yardstick for validation. Nobody believes in me, more than myself
You’ve always talked about your struggles in your music. ‘Balance’ saw you talking about having a dream and determined to make it work. In another track you talked about not caring what people say about you. First, what is that main dream you are yet to achieve? Secondly, as an artiste, how often are you affected by public opinion and does it validate your work?
I’d like to perform in every country in the world; gradually getting there. As an artiste, as a creative, public opinion could affect your state of mind, but it takes a lot of self-belief and majorly, trust in God, not to hold that as a yardstick for validation. Nobody believes in me, more than myself.
Nowadays, most artistes tie their success to sold out concert venues, do you think that should be the perfect yardstick?
Sold out venues are just one measure, and it’s definitely every performing artist’s dream to sell out venues but it’s definitely not enough to be the only standard to measure success.
