•Talks About His Over 40 Years Music Career
Talk of a popular gospel singer who rocked the industry in the 90s and the name, Apostle Timi Osukoya popularly known as Telemi comes to mind. The talented musician was indeed the rave of the moment as he was the toast of many gospel music concerts in those days. He remains formidable and is never a push aside gospel artist. He is the immediate past president of the Gospel Musicians Association of Nigeria (GOMAN). Telemi has produced more than 25 albums to his credit. His debut album; “Telemi” brought him limelight and full prominence. This, he has sustained over the years.
Osukoya stands out among his contemporaries. His performance on stage remains top-notch. The 64 years old music sensation still holds his audience spell bound with his highly energetic and captivating display on stage. One would marvel at where he got those strength and dance steps from.
In a chat with City People Reporter, JAMIU ABUBAKAR, Telemi talked about his over 40 years of career as a gospel singer. Read and enjoy the below excerpts from the quite interesting chat:
For how long have you been a gospel Musician?
Close to 40 years.
How did you start your music career?
In actual fact, I started as a choir member of my church. I was a choirmaster in a Methodist church, Shogunle for eight years. That was where I started acquiring the talent.
Your first album “Telemi” was a big hit,can you tell us about other albums you have released?
Telemi was well known because it was my debut album. When I was the choirmaster at the Methodist Church, Shogunle, Lagos, I did some work, including Shilekun Ayo Mi, which did very well. It was produced by the late Sunny Okosun. I have had other works that actually did better than Telemi. I have so many evergreen works.
How have you been able to sustain your music for this long?
It is because I have a calling. Mine is a calling. Somebody called me, so it’s an assignment and I have been following the person according to instructions. So once you follow him, he will guide you. The Bible says the steps of the righteous are ordered by the Lord. I was able to understand who had called me from the beginning and I was following him. So if you follow as called, you can make mistakes; you will be persistent, you will be consistent.
Who is your mentor in the line of gospel music?
My mentor has always been the Lord Jesus Christ as I started but growing up, I got closer to some artists like King Sunny Ade and Evangelist Ebenezer Obey when I didn’t even know I was going to meet them. I was following their music and how they perform.
What can you make of gospel music today?
Music is growing every day. It now depends on the individual, and how much of the growth do you understand. Some growths are to the negative part while some growths are to the positive part. Every aspect of life is growing. There are some infusions into gospel music. Some of them are having negative effects and some are having positive effects. That’s always the case. Some people are into it because of commercial purposes. Some people are into it because they are called. Some people just play music because it’s a mere hobby. But the fact remains that those that are actually called to the assignment have not derailed. They are still following the path. That’s why you can see some of their songs remain evergreen. It’s unfortunate that some gospel music ministers of these days are out to make money. They don’t have mentors. You must have someone that could role model you. It’s unfortunate that we have so much noise over the place.
What is your advice to the younger generation of gospel musicians?
My advice for them is to be close to God. They don’t just sing. If you are close to God, you receive songs. When songs are received, they are in-depth and they have tomorrow’s agenda. They have a future. So receive a song, be close to God, and let your song be message loaded, not just noise. A lot of things are going wrong. The church is not really helping. If you get to a gospel music concert now, it takes me back to when I was a DJ. Some of these altars are nothing better than the disco houses on the street. So, it’s not all about the glamour but the message in it. How many souls can songs win? Always aim at worshipping God with your songs and not worshipping man.
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