One issue that is giving many people, especially parents nowadays in Nigeria is the alarming rate of moral decadence among youths.
Many have blamed the influence of foreign movies and music for this.
For gospel artiste, Lanre Teriba, fondly called Atorise, he believes broadcast media in the country are to be blamed for this problem.
According to what he said in a recent interview, radio and television stations in Nigeria prefer to promote works that are not edifying to the soul and throw inspirational jobs into the bin.
He called on key stakeholders in the country to come to the aid of the Nigerian youths.
What is new about Lanre Teriba?
What is new about Lanre Teriba is that he’s more than a gospel music artist, I am an inspirational music artist
We’ve not been seeing you like before in the spotlight, what have you been doing?
Well we’ve been working, but there’s no avenue to showcase what we’ve been working on, we’ve been doing different things but the situation is that the economy and the music industry generally in Nigeria is not really favouring us, we that are singing Christian songs in Nigeria.
What did you mean by “there’s no avenue to showcase what we’ve been doing”?
Because a lot of the TV and radio stations in Nigeria believe more in the secular music more than the inspirational music and this is not encouraging it is also not educating our children, it is not giving our children future and the fact that nobody is saying anything about it, people are not paying attention to us, I just want to use this medium to pass message out to our people out there, so that they can see from my own point of view that they are not doing it right.
But there is a government agency that controls the content of what goes on air, what do you think this agency can do in the direction of what you’ve just said?
That is the reason I must speak out on behalf of those who are not having the opportunity to express their mind as I am, I don’t know what the regulatory bodies are doing about it but I just want to plead that they should at least give God some chance to rule. We are all from God and we are still going back to him as every good things in this life belong to God, so I want the people to do it right so that we can get it right.
You mentioned earlier that people especially children can be morally influenced by what they are hearing in terms of music, so how can your own brand of music influence the change in moral decadence that is gradually taking over the country?
I said earlier that I’m an inspirational artiste, my songs are message laden, but the issue is when we are not getting the chance like the secular songs to reach out to the people, it is therefore difficult for those listening to get the inspirational messages in our songs. Like I mentioned earlier, most of the station don’t want to have much to do with gospel or inspirational songs.
Most songs the youths follows these days are digital mix, while most of your songs are analogue, has it ever crossed your mind to also digitalised your songs maybe it will be appealing to the youths?
Of course, one or two of my albums are digital mixed, I record the albums in digital studios, with digital beats just to follow the trend, but I still have to make it meaningful and inspirational but fact is still that it was still treated like the rest since I won’t damn morals in it.
Don’t you think the government have a role to play in re-orienting the people about the whole situation?
Yes, I think the government should work on the regulatory body, urging the broadcasting organisation to give more time also for the inspirational songs especially the local Nigerian music, because what I see is that we are promoting foreign music more that the local music and this is creating a serious cultural erosion crisis for the youths, whereas stations in these foreign countries are not airing our songs in their countries. Take for example South Africa, they play more of their indigenous music on their stations than they do foreign music and this is helping their music industry to grow, while here in Nigeria we give credence to foreign music ahead of our own.
You said Nigerian stations are playing more foreign songs than local, don’t you think this may have to do with the fact that they are playing safe due to activities of COSON in the country of late and to which extent have you gone to introduce your song to them?
I have been to so many station, because each time I release an album, I do a tour to all these stations where, usually drop my music for them which signifies that I am giving them the go ahead to play it, but I realised that most of these stations prefers songs from hip-hop artiste even when it does not make any sense to the inspirational music genre which they tagged local, and in fact they were right because hip-hop is a foreign brand of music while our brand of music is full percussionist kind of music.
Though there is need to move with the trend but that does not mean they should do that to the detriment of our indigenous genre of music.
Do you think this is also the reason such music as yours are scarcely mentioned in musical awards in Nigeria?
That is what I’m talking about, there’s nothing stopping the organisers of musical awards in showcasing inspirational artistes, they can also have a particular section for gospel and inspirational music, you see everything that has to do with God is inspiration, He’s the giver of life, hope and joy and nobody has deemed it fit to create a section that will appreciate those that are singing to pass God’s message of hope to the people.
It is a common occurrence whereby supposed gospel artistes decided to go circular in the course of doing gospel maybe due to the things obtainable in the industry
It is not that they’ve deviated, it is just that we are trying to follow the trend due to what we’ve been talking about that we are facing, you know I have been informed before by an owner of one of these medium that they want to be playing my songs but that I should try to feature one or two hip-hop artistes, so you understand what we are going through, knowing that I’m a brand myself, so imagine that is being said to an artiste that is just coming up what do you thing he will do? So that is the crisis that we are facing.
And I have also featured Oritse Femi, mind you that does not make me a circular musician, in fact I did that because I want to reach out to the youths, you know Jesus will move with the wretched just to win their soul, I can also do that to make sure my messages reach where it is expected to reach.
One thing is common among the youths and that is the fact that many of them care less about the message in any song provided they can dance to it, what can you say to this?
That is exactly what I have been trying to correct, I want to give them beat they can dance to while they will be listening to the inspirational message, I want a situation where they will be getting both the beat and the message.
What are your expectation from the government and corporate organisations?
We want the government to create an enabling environment for us to operate, if we are getting avenues to showcase our self and we are not restricted on the broadcast mediums we will shoot goo videos that will compete favourably with those in the international market.
I also want to employ the corporate organisations also not to overlook inspirational artistes with endorsements, if they are supporting us the same way they are supporting the circular music we will surely do more. You can imagine some organisation supporting an artiste whose song you don’t want your children to listen to because you want their fame to rub off on your product, their message you know will dim the morals of your children yet you are supporting them? So I’ll want them to also support whose music will help create an enabling society for us all.
Any new project?
I’m currently working on my new album, it has been about two years now that I last released an album and I also just get an endorsement from Techno Mobile, but presently I’m working on a new album, I want to be releasing album every two years now unlike every year that I was doing.
Is the Techno Mobile your first endorsement?
Yes it is my first major endorsement, before now I have got a couple of minor endorsements from clothing lines and many more like that but the Techno Mobile is my first major endorsement.
What will be the impact of the endorsement?
It will encourage me to work harder, it will also help my music spread all over the world as people will be able to download my music using their Techno devises.
What should come to people’s mind about Atorise?
God should come to people’s mind, because God is Atorise, my name is Lanre Teriba, and only God is the source of inspiration.
Rumour has it sometimes back that you’ve been expelled from the Gospel Musician Association of Nigeria (GOMAN), what really happened and from where did the story emanate?
The truth is, that did not happen and it will never happen, like I said earlier I am an inspirational artiste, I am a full time member of GOMAN and I’m also eyeing the position of the Vice President in the association forthcoming elections.
But why the rumour? You know there is a saying that there is no smoke without fire
I believe people will only peddle rumour about you because you are relevant and it is a due you must pay to be a star, so I don’t have problems with that. In the order hands it may be because of my relationship with some circular artistes who features me in their concerts, and what they don’t know is that I will not allow any opportunity to reach out through my message to the people pass me by, so I have featured in concert with Juju, Fuji and Hip-Hop artistes so that may be the reason they thought I’m no longer in GOMAN.
