Losing Project Fame prize made me stronger –Praiz Adejo

Ohhh Hello Praiz! today is Praiz' birthday by the way so Happy Happy Birthday..

In a recent interview with Punch, he opens up on his career,life after project fame,his collaboration with Awilo and that noble deed of raising 10 Million naira for baby Zumayah who had a hole in heart.

Excerpts below..

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Your song, Rich and Famous, was a success. Would you say you are finally rich and famous?

I would say I am comfortable enough to fend for myself, my family and the people around me. You can never be rich enough. For example, we all know that Aliko Dangote is the richest person in Africa but he would still not be comfortable with where he is. He just keeps working hard to be richer and better. I am rich and famous but I want to be richer and more famous.

If you had not lost to Iyanya during the Project Fame competition, do you think you would have been this big?

Only God knows. I might not have been this big. I believe not winning served as a lesson to me and people around me. The fact that I lost does not mean that I would not succeed in future. It just means that I should be persistent, work hard and be patient. Trust me, things would fall in place.

Were you depressed when you did not win then?

I did not feel depressed immediately. I was happy because I got a car and a million naira. But after realising I had things to sort out, I discovered that a million naira was not much. When you know you have a family and personal issues to straighten out, a million naira is nothing. After Project Fame, I was down for a certain time because I needed to relocate to Lagos from Kaduna where I was based. I lacked the resources to do so and it became a major challenge to me. When I got to Lagos, I had to stay with a friend, Oscar, who sheltered me for about two years.

How would you describe the year 2013 in your life?

I am a very optimistic person and I always hope for the best. The year 2012 was a very trying time for me. Then, I was a struggling musician trying to break into the industry; to be rich and famous. I kept working hard and I had five nominations at the Headies. To me, it was a good sign as I did not have an album yet. I went into 2013 hopeful; I did the song Rich and Famous and some other ones. I kept working hard and thank God for my record label, Xtreme Music, it kept supporting me and urging me to do better. It turned out to be a great year for me. I won my first major music industry award and an endorsement deal. It was a great year. 2014 started out great because I got three nominations for the Global World Music Award. It makes me know that the future is bright.

Why did you choose R n B genre of music as opposed to the more preferred fast tempo?

I chose R ‘n’ B because of my upbringing. The kind of music I grew up listening to majorly influenced the kind of songs I sing. I love R ‘n’ B as an individual. If you sing, you would know that R ‘n’ B is the soul of any singer. I just wanted to do something I was passionate about and very good at. I know that Nigerians love to dance to high tempo songs. So when I was starting out, it became a challenge but I understood that in life, you have to be focused to get to where you want to be regardless of what people think. I just stuck to my own genre of music and I have succeeded in creating a niche for myself. When they talk about R ‘n’ B in Nigeria, there is no way my name would not be mentioned. I thank God it is working for me.

You said there were challenges you faced while building your brand, what were they?

There was a period in my career when people would tell me to change my style to dancehall or high tempo. Inasmuch as I had that strong will, I was almost tempted to change my sound. I stood for what I believed in. Every upcoming artiste has his story. For me, going to the studio was not a joke. Paying for studio sessions was not easy. Not just because I am an R ‘n’ B singer; it is like that for every starter. People feel that a dancehall person has a greater chance to succeed than an R ‘n’ B singer. That is the mentality of an average Nigerian.

How do you feel knowing that an average Nigerian thinks a fast tempo singer has a better chance at succeeding than those that sing soul music?

Personally, I don’t believe in that school of thought. I am a happy person; I love to dance and I also sing R ‘n’ B. My last album was a dancehall song where I featured Awilo Logonmba. I think as an artiste, we need to balance what we do and let people know us from our sound and versatility.

How were you able to get Awilo Logonmba for collaboration on your song?

I was on twitter one day chatting with my fans when I saw Awilo sending some shout-outs to some people. I just followed him on twitter and the next thing I got was a notification that he was following me. I was amazed. I gave him a shout-out and a friend of mine who is in the entertainment industry retweeted it. I called my friend and asked if that was the real Awilo and he laughed. He confirmed that it was the real Awilo and that he was with him. I spoke to him on the phone and told him it was an honour speaking with him. I told him I grew up dancing to his songs which ruled Nigeria for a period of time. I told him that it would be an honour to feature him in one of my songs and that it would mean a lot to me if he obliged. He had listened to some of my songs, unknown to me. He told me he would accept to collaborate with me with pleasure. He said he had listened to some of my songs and thought I was a great musician. He said if I had the music, we should go to the studio and get the work done. That was how we recorded the song.

It was this song that helped you raise N10m for the baby girl with a hole in the heart. Why the philanthropic gesture?

When I look at my life three years back and I compare it to now, there is a big difference. I owe it to God, my record label and my fans. I believe in goodwill, giving back and making a positive impact in the lives of people. I try to use my music to pass messages to people but I needed to do something that would touch me. Something I would do and feel good within myself that I have touched a life. I remember when I released the song with Awilo, Oshe, I was promoting the song and the caller tune. When I was done with an interview on radio, the On Air Personality, Moyo, told me about the baby and said that she wanted me to do an awareness song. I said there was no problem with that as I would go to the studio, pay the producers and get the song done. I told her that when I was done, I would give her the song. When I got home, I realised that if I did the song, people might  just like it but it would not make any immediate impact in the life of the baby. I felt that since I was promoting my caller tunes, all I would do was that for a period of time, all the revenue I got on the caller tunes would be donated to the baby girl. I said that regardless of the amount I realised during that period, all the proceeds would be given to the family of the child. I spoke to radio stations, made a jingle telling people to use the song as caller tunes and by God’s grace, I was able to raise N10m and it was presented to the baby on February 14, 2014.

Why were you not at the wedding of your friend, Bez, who wedded the daughter of the former governor of Oyo State, Rasheed Ladoja?

I could not make the wedding because I was in Kaduna and the day I was supposed to attend the wedding, I lost a friend. I lost a very close friend to asthma. I called him and he understood. Bez knows that anything he is doing, I am always there. He knew I was not at the wedding because of a reason.

When do you intend to invite people to your own wedding?

Now it is just about the music. Only God knows when the time would come. To be honest with you, I am not even dating right now.

You sing romantic songs, yet you are single, how is that?

I am looking forward to a relationship. I would not lie but love would find me. I am sure. I am not desperate. Right now, I am just focused on music.

You sound like you were the one that got hurt in your last relationship. What happened?

How did you know? You may be in a relationship and you discover that some things you expect to happen turn out to be a pipe dream. There is no need for details;that was about three years ago.

That happened before you became famous. If she comes back to you, would you take her back?

I actually wanted it to work but it did not. I know she would not come back because she is in a serious relationship and I am not ready to destroy anybody’s relationship.

What are you working on?

I am working on my album. It has taken this long because I want to  release a very good album. I don’t want a mediocre work.