GALAKTiQ: We've loved music all our life – The Nation Newspaper

US-born Nigerian entrepreneurs, Kalif Bakare and Abdul Quam Tadese, make up the music group Galaktiq. The duo, each Muslims, who met whereas finding out enterprise on the College in Texas, US, have carried out with the likes of Olamide, LAX, Idowest and DJ Consequence. The childhood pals’ type of music – Fuji pop – fuses genres like EDM, R&B, Afrobeat and Arabic into their songs. On this interview with JOE AGBRO JR., they speak about how they met, their challenges and prospects. Excerpts

HOW did you come concerning the title Galaktiq?

(GALAKTiQ): GALAKTiQ means one thing out of this world in our personal distinctive approach, an enigma stemming from the phrase ‘galactic’. However the Ok for Kalif and the Q for Quam rather than the cs. The decrease case ‘I’ is for intelligence.

How did music begin for you two?

(Quam): For me, I beloved music all my life. Rising up, I listened to all the things actually (laughs). Influenced by so many alternative musicians from a variety of genres, so I all the time performed round with music and making sounds of my very own derived from what I heard. So, it was a clean transition once we determined to grow to be a duo again in 2013. Our first music ever out the gate referred to as “Stunt Stunningly” was a success regionally as it’s nonetheless being performed and talked about until this present day.

(Kalif): I’ve all the time beloved music since a younger age. I grew up listening to all sorts of music, and don’t fall asleep till I’ve listened to some sort of music. I by no means knew I might make music although. And for me, it’s about the entire bundle of being an artiste that excites me; the music movies, the style, the method of constructing the music.  In faculty, GALAKTiQ received collectively to play with sounds/melodies as a way to convey folks into our world. That is how we see and really feel music.

How did you meet one another and what led to the formation of the music group?

(GALAKTiQ): Properly we’ve been bros since a really younger age. Our motion, GF Common, which is now additionally our label, began and targeted on trend, way of life and being a detailed knit brotherhood. We hosted huge neighborhood occasions, our annual GF or GoodFellas picnic that fed over a thousand folks. Quick ahead to varsity the place we each attended the College of Texas at San Antonio and that’s the place the music started since 2013 earlier than graduating.

What style of music do you do?

(GALAKTiQ): If I needed to say a style, it’ll be undoubtedly world music as a result of we are able to transition into any route. Sounds that are based mostly from conventional Fuji sound which relies from our roots in Nigeria. Arabic melodies which is actually the bottom of our sound and realizing easy methods to recite the Holy Qur’an and upbeat clear really feel of American pop melodies/City hip pop engrained within the US which we fused all collectively into one seasoned tune.

What challenges have you ever confronted to this point, individually and as a workforce?

(Kalif): My transition from basketball participant to artiste initially was robust. Though I used to be assured in my determination to maneuver on, the folks round me weren’t but satisfied. It took persistence in my artistry to realize assist in that space. Getting your music heard is a problem each artiste can relate, making the music is the straightforward half. The push/advertising and marketing to get our music to the lots has been a journey. Staying constant by this part is hard, as a result of life nonetheless occurs.

(Quam): The challenges I’ve confronted personally is being affected person since you need the world to know your music get it to the lots and be blown in a single day however everyone knows it’s all a gradual grind. It is advisable have strategic endurance is what I inform people realizing all of the work you’re doing goes to in the future quickly be observed everywhere in the world in sha Allah.

Each of you might be serial entrepreneurs. How do you juxtapose your music profession and your different companies?

(Quam): Me personally, it’s all a part of my imaginative and prescient. As a lot as I really like music, I simply don’t need be recognised as only a musician or marginalised right into a field. We study on a regular basis that’s a part of development. Music can be a enterprise as properly and that’s how I have a look at it. Our craft is our product we’re promoting it to a number of markets.

(Kalif): Alhamdulilah, we have been blessed with many aspects to our being. Music is certainly a enterprise. It’s the funding in ourselves that can have the ability to put a light-weight on our different endeavours. We plant seeds in different issues as a result of that’s the norm now. It’s the way you select to impression the world.

As Nigerians born in the USA, how has your music fared within the American music market and what’s your technique to compete properly within the Nigerian music business?

(Quam): That’s a part of our strategic strategy. We’ve music for each markets – Nigeria and the US. The way in which music goes, all the things now’s being tied collectively and the Nigerian business is being revolutionised and being placed on the forefront on a world scale. We really feel our sound caters to each markets and hopefully as soon as the patron or the critic actually dissects our music, they’ll hear it.

(Kalif): So there’s a mission that we got down to accomplish once we began doing music, and

that was to attach the dots from America to Africa to Europe and so forth. For Nigeria, we grew up listening to so many legends of in the present day; King Sunny Ade, Ayinde Wasiu, Shina Peters. All of these sounds are embedded in us. Nigeria is receptive to all sorts of sounds now, so it’s simple to flex our versatility and return to our roots of Africa as properly.

What number of singles have you ever finished and which one stands out for you?                                 

(Kalif): We’ve finished so many singles. I’m most enthusiastic about our upcoming EP. I consider we have now discovered our sound and voice.

(Quam): We’ve a number of singles on all streaming providers and to be sincere I really like all of them. All of them have a unique really feel and sound impact on me however the one which stands out for me essentially the most might be a report that’s unreleased.

Music teams are all the time recognized to separate up after some years collectively. Will that be the case with Galaktiq?

(GALAKTiQ): Allah is aware of finest. We don’t know what’s forward of us and what Allah has deliberate. However what’s most vital is constructing now and laying that strong basis that’ll maintain longevity and open doorways and have us within the ranks of the greats down the road.

What has been the very best level of your music profession?                                                            

(Quam): We’ve had some excessive factors, from working with notable artistes, travelling the world to shoot a few of our traditional movies, opening for Burna in Houston, having our report “LUV” go #1 on iTunes, simply to call a number of.

As a workforce, what are your profession objectives?

(Kalif): For GALAKTiQ to be one of many best duos to ever do it insha Allah, thoughts physique and spirit. And positively encourage as many individuals as doable on this journey of life.

(Quam): Establishing GF Common as that world subtle label and motion that anybody around the globe can work with and cater to establishing a strong fan base worldwide, successful a Grammy and a number of awards in sha Allah

Which Nigerian artiste(s) have you ever labored with and which do you sit up for making music with?

(Quam): We’ve been blessed to work with the likes of Olamide, LAX, Idowest, Dremo, DJ Consequence, Future Boy, and many others

(Kalif): Sure! Would like to work with Burna Boy, Wizkid, Davido, Teni.

What ought to we expect from Galaktiq in 2020?                                                      

(GALAKTiQ): We’ve quite a bit in retailer for 2020 with visuals and naturally extra music. Most significantly we have now a 7 observe world album EP curated primarily for Africa with a few of our sounds from the opposite facet tied in.