“I have a story to tell the world, not just to entertain but to build and restore hope where it is broken.”
THJ: What other songs do you have out there? Are you working on a album or what? When can we expect a full blown album out?
Tirajai: I have four other songs out there #Jumbam, #LahYer, #FirstLady and #Fomonyuy. Yeah, I am currently working on a mini-album called #TheLifeOfSilo that hopefully will be out by the end of the year.
THJ: There is an influx of upcoming Artists in Cameroon and a growing number of Cameroonian artists in the US so the music industry is seemingly a saturated arena. What do YOU have that stands out and why should people pay attention to you and not the next artist down the street?
Tirajai: I have a story to tell the world, not just to entertain but to build and restore hope where it is broken.
THJ: I believe that the Cameroonian industry has a long, long way to go before they can gain national and international recognition as valid artists? Do you agree or disagree and why?
Tirajai: In some cases, I agree and disagree in some. Right now, we have a lot of Cameroonian artists who have gained national grounds and are gradually gaining international grounds.
THJ: Many Cameroonian artists think that they can come out with a song and a video and then expect the world to just know them overnight or they expect bloggers to find them and promote them automatically. Why are Cameroonian artists so unprepared to do the work they need to do to get their names out there and what are your thoughts about Cameroonian bloggers in relation to the music/entertainment industry? Do you think Cameroonian bloggers have a negative and/or positive impact on the industry?
Tirajai: There is a stage in every artist’s life they just can’t avoid which I believe is one of the reasons for being lazy to see how much work you need to do. I went through all that too when I recorded a real song that was played over the Radio in Banso coupled with the fact that I could dance very well, I felt like I was on top of the world. That was in 2009 but then when I traveled to Nigeria and saw the competition, I realized it was more than just being able to have your family and friends praise you cos you have a song playing over the radio.
I guess most upcoming artist are living that stage. Most part of this laziness is promoted by some bloggers and that’s one of the negative impacts the blogging business has on the industry. They give upcoming artist “pet names” like “celebs” making them fail to understand you must put in work to earn that status. On the other hand, we have those who really influence the growth of the industry positively.
