For popular Nigerian musician and music producer Adebayo Adekunle, K Melody, also known as Mr Secular, music is not only about entertainment. For him, it can also be a powerful way of appreciating individuals who have made meaningful contributions to society.
This perhaps explains why, in recent times, he has found himself writing and producing political campaign songs for prominent personalities, including Hon. James Abiodun Faleke, Mayor Dele Oshinowo and Hon. Fidel Onwodi.
Speaking about what inspired the songs, K Melody revealed that his decision was largely influenced by the impact he had heard and seen these individuals make in the lives of people around them.
According to him, he had heard several positive accounts about Hon. James Abiodun Faleke, particularly concerning his support for the masses and his willingness to assist people irrespective of their ethnic background.
“I have been hearing a lot about his good deeds and support for the masses, regardless of the tribe a person belongs to,” K Melody explained.
He said the name of Hon. Faleke and stories about his interventions for people kept coming up in conversations within Ikeja and its environs.
For K Melody, these accounts were enough motivation to pick up his pen and go into the studio to produce a campaign song in his honour.
He noted that he believes public figures who positively affect people’s lives deserve encouragement and recognition, especially when their actions have the potential to impact even more people.
His motivation, he stressed, was not limited to any particular ethnic group.
“He deserves more to affect more lives positively — Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa,” he said.
His experience with Mayor Dele Oshinowo was, however, somewhat different.
K Melody disclosed that he was already familiar with Oshinowo’s contributions to human and environmental development during his tenure as Chairman of Agboyi-Ketu LCDA.
Interestingly, he said he had no prior plan to write a campaign song for Oshinowo and was not even aware that he would eventually contest the election.
According to him, he had gone to the studio to work on another project when the inspiration suddenly came.
He decided, on the spot, to produce a campaign song for Oshinowo despite having no previously written lyrics or arrangement prepared for the project.
The timing was particularly significant as the primary election was only about two days away.
K Melody recalled that even the owner of the studio questioned his decision to spend money producing the song, expressing doubts about Oshinowo’s chances of emerging as the party’s candidate.
But K Melody said he followed his instinct.
“I told him my spirit just insisted I should do something for him,” he recalled.
That conviction, he said, led to the completion of the campaign song without the usual preparation and arrangements that would normally precede such a project.
His decision to produce a campaign song for Hon. Fidel Onwodi was also driven by a similar philosophy.
K Melody explained that he has known Onwodi for years and considers him an impactful and supportive personality who has contributed positively to the growth and development of people around him.
According to him, Onwodi’s support for individuals, as well as his contributions to human and environmental development, were among the factors that inspired him to create a campaign song for the politician.
For K Melody, these songs go beyond politics. They represent his personal way of acknowledging people whose activities he believes deserve recognition.
The musician appears to see his music as a platform through which he can amplify the positive stories of individuals and encourage them to do more.
And as he aptly puts it: “One good turn deserves another.”
For K Melody, writing and producing campaign songs for people he believes have positively impacted society is, therefore, his own way of giving back and appreciating those who have made a difference.
