Rave of the moment, Kiss Daniel, is indeed one of the most sought after artistes in the Nigerian music industry today, performing in top shows/gigs both home and abroad. His hit song, Woju was a street anthem which earned him recognition and affiliation with one of Nigeria’s telecommunications giants. The Water Engineering graduate of FUNAAB, real names, Tobiloba Daniel Anidupe talks music and other issues with ORUKPE NELSON. Excerpts…

Your first official collaboration was with two of Nigeria’s successful acts, Davido and Tiwa Savage. Do you think it has helped your career and how?

Well, it’s made a lot of progress in the Pan African and the Diaspora markets. As we all know, Woju was already a big tune in Nigeria and several other neighbouring countries. So it was a strategic move from my label, G-WORLDWIDE ENT, and we got optimum value for it. It opened up the brand into other countries and societies.

If you are to pick any of these three; Dija, Chidinma, and Yemi Alade for a date, who will it be?

Funny enough, they are all beautiful ladies and have great qualities. I will take all three of them on a date at the same time. Picking one is alienating the others. So let’s appreciate our African damsels.

Most of your colleagues are baby fathers, will you follow the trend?

Well, first; being a baby father is not a trend. There are several other acts that are not baby fathers. For me, my music is prime and paramount. I have a clear understanding of what I want and being a baby father is not part of my blueprint. It’s business from sun up to sun down.

How do you feel being a rave of the moment?

Well, I don’t like to be referred to as a rave of the moment because we are not going to be here for a moment. We are going to be here loads of years. We do music with valid content. We shoot videos that preach nature and sanity. We set trends and encourage self-realisation. So, we are the pillars and movers of the new reign.

What was the concept behind your hit single, Woju?

It’s simple, it’s what a regular Nigerian guy will do. It’s just to express our inner emotion and character. Like I said, we sing about what’s real, and what we do regularly. Much thanks to Emperor GEEZY, CEO of G-Worldwide Entertainment, for the music direction and DjCoublon for his energy and time.

How best do you address or better still, tackle challenges?

I leave anything to the Most High God. I don’t brother myself over anything. I commit everything to Him and allow Him to guide my steps… moreover, I have a wonderful team.

There were reports that the remix of your hit song, Woju which has Davido and Tiwa Savage, wasn’t up to expectations. What’s your take on it?

Bro, the video is already coasting home with views hitting a million. We have had bookings from Kenya to Uganda, Tanzania and when we got there, the remix was heavy on rotation. People were singing Tiwa’s part word for word. The song was number 2 on MTV Base chart for weeks; same as Trace and several other charts. I mean, what do we call success or how do we quantify success?

When will you unveil your lady? I mean your girlfriend?

When we get to that bridge, we will definitely cross it.

Can you marry an older lover?

It depends on the chemistry and the level of understanding by both parties. Age is not a barrier when it comes to loving and sharing emotions. So, I will say yes, I can marry an older lover.

Let us into your new song LAYE and your proposed UK tour.

Laye has a Makosa feel unlike Woju, which is highlife. It’s a good song with content that the everyday person can relate to. To add to this, Laye is produced by DjCoublon with technical direction from Emperor GEEZY. Laye basically, talks about or shows how much a guy likes or loves his girl and how far he can go for the girl. There’s a video for the song directed by Aje films shot at multiple locations in East Africa.

The UK tour is scheduled to commence on May 23, hitting different cities and towns. We are going to market our brand in the Diaspora. We also have other countries and continent lined up because we are actually doing a world tour.

What inspires you?

Good music and the heavens inspire me. I love to listen to good music, it makes me wanna be a better music maker. The heavens, meaning the Almighty in his mightiness and greatness. Everybody doing great inspires me. If you’re doing well and you are making songs that have valid content, then you inspire me.

If you hadn’t succeeded in music, what else would you have dabbled into?

I would be a Water Engineer. That’s what I studied at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta.

When are you giving your fans an album? What’s the proposed title? Who should your fans expect to see?

Smiles… The album will come when there’s absolute demand for the album. I mean inside and outside Africa. My songs have made numerous sales on iTunes and other online platforms. So if we are releasing an album, it has to be for everybody.

How did you meet G Worldwide Entertainment?

I met Emperor GEEZY who is the CEO of G-Worldwide Entertainment through a mutual friend. He pitched me to him. He gave me an opportunity to be heard and the rest is history. Here we are today; a formidable team, making more than a statement but re-engineering the business of music.