Cobhams Asuquo: Di Nigerian singer wey bin hate im own voice

Cobhams Asuquo na one of Nigeria leading music figures both for im production and singing, but im bin start im career behind di scenes sake of say im bin no like di sound of im own voice.

Asuquo tone dey serious and measured wen im bin dey explain how im bin dislike im own voice, as if say im dey describe someone else. Dat discomfort wit di voice wey im kon showcase to im fans around di world na di major reason why im spend di first 13 years of im music career as a producer to some of Africa biggest stars, im tell BBC.

Asuquo, 41, don work wit Afro music stars, including Asa, on her hit 2007 album wit di same name. As for im own music, wey be mix of soul, gospel, RnB and Afropop, im hit tracks include singles like We Plenti, One Hit and Ordinary People.

Im dey eloquent and lucid wen im bin dey tok about im love for music, but wen im bin dey tok about di dislike for im voice, e lose some of im fluency and im no fit fully explain am.

E even use di word "hated", and den im drift off.

"Sometin dey about am wey no just sit well wit me," im tok.

Im friend also confirm wetin Asuquo tell BBC.

"Im dey always tok am," Muyiwa Oyinlola tok, but im add say Asuquo don always get di ability to imitate oda pipo voices.

For dia school days for King's College in Lagos, Asuquo wey dey blind get radio recorder to help am for class, Oyinlola tok. Im dey record di teachers wit am, but no be only for educational purposes.

"Im go just dey imitate all di teachers and all di housemasters," Oyinlola add. Im describe Asuquo as di "life of di party".

'I get stage fright all di time'

Na dat sociable part of im personality Asuquo wan show im fans as im ready to release new album late dis year and and mark 20 years for di industry.

Most of im tracks to-date na soulful songs and no be club bangers.

Di new record, wey go feature Afrobeats stars like Ladipoe and Bella Shmurda, go dey accompanied by more performances, wey im describe as "a lot more high-energy" and full of dancing.

He tok say im eventually go into singing wen im realise say things dey wey im fit do wit im voice wey oda pipo no fit do.

But to go on dat stage no be sometin wey Asuquo find easy.

"I get stage fright all di time. I never go on stage before without being nervous. Never," im tok wit a note of humour for im tone.

E even jokingly tok say e dey always prepare imself mentally to face di crowds. Im dey sometimes swear to imself say im no go go through di torture of anoda performance again.

Im sound animated wen im dey explain wetin im dey do to calm himself down. E tok say some of di things include saying a prayer and jumping on one spot.

As im mention prayer and faith, Asuquo real passion come out. E tok say wen im start im performance: "E dey hard to get me off di stage sometimes," Im tok. "I dey my zone."

Asuquo, wey describe imself as a deeply spiritual person, tok say conversations wit God play vital role in his decision to dedicate im life's work to music, afta im try law.

No dwell on discrimination

Despite im current fame, Asuquo no always get warm reception for Nigerian music industry.

Blind from birth, im bin face discrimination wen im career start. E remember an incident wen one artist no want make im produce im music.

"Na A-list artist wey still dey very relevant today for Nigerian music space, and we bin get a session wey we book and im suppose to come in wit di rest of im band."

Di artist no show up.

"I bin dey studio and I wait for eight hours."

Asuquo later realise say di musician no dey comfortable to work wit a blind producer on im band's next single.

But Asuquo no dey like dwell on dis kind incidents.

"I bin feel say na im lose.

"I just move on and na wetin I dey do be dat."

Before im enter di world of music full time, Asuquo also face closed doors as im attempt to study for one American university. Im bin get scholarship and everytin bin don set, im friend rememember.

"Last minute, I think dem withdraw am."

Di university bin worry say "a blind person from a developing country" no go fit cope. Although na tough period for Asuquo, but based on di kind of pesin wey im be, he brush am off and move on, Mr Oyinlola tok.

Asuquo credit im positive attitude to di wey dem take bring am up.

"I be who I be sake of di kind of love my family show me."

Even though at times dem know sabi how to navigate di "unfamiliar terrains of raising pikin wey blind, I feel like dem do everytin wey dem know at dat time," im tok.

As im dey faced wit di challenge say im no attend school until di age of 10, Asuquo tok say im family bin make intentional effort to treat am like any oda child, and dem create a sense of "normalcy".

Im parent teach say to be blind na just anoda descriptive adjective - like to dey "fair-complexioned or dark", or tall or "not so tall".

Asuquo bin learn to play di piano by ear on a little toy instrument at a young age. A friend give am im sister's toy piano, but warn Asuquo say make he no play am outside sake of say im sister no want dash di instrument out, even though she no dey play am.

Di musician na Nigeria's first national Unicef ambassador in 15 years.

Any issues wey relate to children's rights or disabled children na sake of di leadership problem, Asuquo tok. E tok say "honest, responsible" leaders scarce for di country.

He tink say im background go fit help im plan to help Nigeria's children. E tok say music fit be "very important tool for social change, for social justice, [and] for social re-engineering".