Improve Your Songwriting Training Organised By Jeplune Music

Jeplune Music just concluded an 8-week comprehensive Songwriting training for Christian musicians within Jos, Nigeria. Specifically, we ran the training between October 6 th and November 24 th, 2023 and we tried to cover a lot about songwriting within that period. This was an effort to further improve the songwriting abilities of these musicians and hence improve Nigerian Christian music content generally. You are aware that our vision at Jeplune Music is to combat the negative effects of media on young people by providing and promoting quality positive content. Part of the ways we do this is by training and educating musicians who produce content for young people. We already run the Christian Musicians’ Corner blog and Podcast which basically aims at helping Christian musicians become better. And this songwriting training is another step towards actualizing our vision.
Some of the Topics we covered during the training
  • What is Music?
  • Basic Music Theory
  • Introduction to Songwriting
  • Songwriting from a Christian Perspective
  • Writing The Lyrics
  • Writing The Music
  • Choosing A Song Title
  • Copyrighting and Licensing
  • Practicals
Why Songwriting?
We decided to focus on songwriting in this training for two main reasons. The first reason is that we are (obviously) passionate about the having quality positive content. The second reason is that we have noticed that songwriting is one aspect a lot of Nigerian Christian songs are lacking. We have a lot of skillfully produced songs with good choice of chord progressions and awesome vocal delivery, yet extremely poor songwriting. These were our main motivations for the training.
Now That The Training is Over, What Next?
First of all, we are still in touch with the participants of the training. Each of them has access to the trainer/ coach for continued guidance and mentoring with regards to songwriting. Secondly, we intend to continue running this training at least once every year. So, you can expect another one next year, 2024. However, details about the specific time would be comuunicated to the public on our social media outlets.
But until then, here are a few pictures from this first edition of the training
 
Watch the feedback from some of the participants our songwriting training

Interview with ThirdLead

ThirdLead
Listen to the audio on Spotify
Listen on YouTube
ThirdLead

Today on Christian Musicians Corner podcast, I’ll be interviewing Robert Gar, the founder of ThirdLead. ThirdLead is the pioneer Christian rock band in Benue State, Nigeria. The band was formed in 2005, originally as a five -man band. Before they went on a long recess, ThirdLead was a household name among rock fans in Nigeria. They released three singles, played on stages like Rocktoberfest and All -For -Him concerts. Right now, the band is a solo act of its founder, Robert. I am excited about interviewing Robert today. So, let’s dive into the interview.

Spirit 3:6: Alright, let’s start with the name ThirdLead. What does it mean?

ThirdLead: Do you want the long or a short version?

Spirit 3:6: (smiles) Short one, please.

ThirdLead: Anyway, in the Christian circles we say we’re in the era of the Holy Spirit, who is the third member of the Trinity. So, ThirdLead just means Holy Spirit Lead.

Spirit 3:6: Wow! That’s interesting. Alright, so can you share a little bit about your childhood days?  

ThirdLead: Erm… Growing up was pretty intense; fun but intense. Well, you can imagine a house full of boys; five boys, no girl.

Spirit 3:6: Oh, okay, so who or what inspired you into music?

ThirdLead: Well, growing up there was always music around the house. My parents had a thing for good music. My mum’s brother was a musician back then. He’s late now, but he was the one who brought up the likes of Panam Percy Paul. So I guess I got my music genes (the strong music genes) from my mum’s side. She really liked us doing Acappella, so she made us do quite a bit of Acappella at home and in the church while growing up.

Spirit 3:6: Oh wow! That’s great. Before we go further, I’d like to know, do you play any instrument?

ThirdLead: Yeah, I play the guitar and the keyboard also.

Spirit 3:6: That’s great. So I’ve listened to some of your previous works and I must confess I was completely impressed. But I’m curious. Is there something or someone that keeps you on check to ensure you maintain such excellence in your songwriting and delivery?

ThirdLead: Well, in responding to a question like that, a lot of people will say this person here or that person along their path has been like their anchor, or has kept them down as a mentor. But for me, I would say it has to do with something great, something in my nature. There’s this saying that “whatever you find to do, do it well”. I have always been of the notion that whatever is worth doing is worth overdoing. So I keep pushing myself to do better because I know there is better to be had.

Spirit 3:6: Yeah, that’s true. Alright, so I’m sure there are some challenges you’ve encountered doing rock music in Nigeria especially considering that you are a Christian. So what are some of those challenges that you’ve faced over the years?

ThirdLead: Well, it’s a bit tougher for me because in the secular world there are lesser restrictions than there are in the Christian faith. And Nigeria is believed to be a very religious and superstitious country, if you permit me to say. And Rock music has always been believed by many to be the devil’s music. So that stereotype in Nigerians makes rock music a bit testing and trying. But I guess that’s what it is for now at least, so we’re hoping it gets better.

Spirit 3:6 Yeah, you’re right. Even though, things seem to be a little better now than it was like some 10 years ago. Okay, I’d like to ask, would you say doing rock has affected your faith in any way?

ThirdLead: Well, I’ve always believed that the concept or the idea of faith is a personal thing. It’s between you and your God. So if God is okay with me, and my heart is at peace. I think that’s the path I should pursue. So no, it hasn’t affected my faith.

Spirit 3:6: Okay, so I know you have a new project coming up soon, and that’s after a long period of not releasing any new music, right? So what motivated this comeback right now?

ThirdLead: Well, the EP has been in the works for quite a while now; about five or six years now. But what motivated me to come up now is … asides believing that the right time is actually now, I lost my dad recently… And his passing just made me realize the brevity of life. So the longer you leave things unattended to or unsettled, time doesn’t wait for you. So here I am now.

Spirit 3:6: Oh, dear. Sorry for your loss. Now, would you like to say something about this new project you have coming up soon?

ThirdLead: Okay, well, the title of the EP is ‘Come What May’. And it’s just an open declaration; my open declaration to God that no matter what life dishes out to me, I’m still on the path with him. There’s nothing that would distract me or derail me. The EP is made up of five tracks. And the hope is that whoever is listening to this EP gets that inspiration too; that for whatever it is in life you’re pursuing, no matter what happens, you can still keep going.

Spirit 3:6: That’s great. So when will the ERP be out and where can we get it?

ThirdLead: Yeah, well, we would be releasing the first two songs from the EP on the 15th of October, 2023, as we earlier announced on our social media. They would come out as singles, and then we would roll out the rest of the project subsequently within the space of a couple of weeks. Of course, it would be available on all music streaming platforms for downloads and streaming.

Spirit 3:6: Awesome. So, what should we expect? I mean, your fans now, what are we to expect from the EP in terms of quality and all of that?

ThirdLead: You will definitely get some quality sound, quality music, beautiful productions, thanks to my production team. But what I hope you’ll also be able to get out of the songs are the messages of hope, of love, of faith, unwavering faith as they’ve been communicated to me. I hope I will be able to communicate that to you through my music.

Spirit 3:6: Great. And I can trust what you just said, because I know I’ve listened to some of your previous works before, so I can attest to that. All right. So besides music, you are a businessman and a farmer, right? I know you used to play basketball professionally before. So how do you manage the huge demands of music in addition to all of this?

ThirdLead: Well, whatever you’re passionate about, I believe you’d always find the time, the resources, whatever it takes to get you achieving what you’re passionate about. I believe if it’s something you strongly believe in or you’re passionate about, you would find time for it.

Spirit 3:6: Yeah, you’re absolutely right there. I’ve heard of musicians who had to use all of their earnings, all of their salaries to buy gear for their music. Some have had to trek long distances just to perform or play a show and all of that. So yes, you’re completely right about that. Finally, do you have any words for young people out there who hope to do what you are doing now someday?

ThirdLead: Well, as a musician and also as an entrepreneur, I would not say just to the budding rock musician, but to anybody out there. My hope and inspiration in life with everything I do is that, for example, I’ve been able to keep at rock music in Nigeria, created a niche for myself and do rock music in Nigeria where I believe it’s not accepted. And I’m still at it this long and still getting better every day. I want that through my music or whatever I do, that child on the street, that child in the village gets to be inspired to pursue his dream as long as his heart is in it.

Spirit 3:6: All right. So thank you very much, Robert, for your time and for sharing with us truthfully. I believe everyone who listened has gained one or two things from what you have shared. So thank you very much, once again.

ThirdLead: Thank you so much.

Spirit 3:6:

All right, people, that’s the much we can take on Christian Musicians Corner for today. I believe you have gained a lot from this interview today. So please don’t forget to like, to comment, and to share this. And also don’t forget to follow ThirdLead on all their social media platforms so you could get updated on the release of their new project coming up soon. Until next time, this is Bye from me.

Choosing The Right Song Title

Choosing the right song title

Today, we’ll be looking at an interesting topic; choosing the right song title. Ever found yourself in a situation where your friend just released a 14- track album and you know you don’t have the patience to stream all 14 songs on Spotify or Boomplay? Usually, what we do in such situations is select which ones to stream based on how interesting the song titles are, isn’t it?

This simple illustration shows us the importance of choosing the right title for your song. And I know a lot of musicians struggle with this, especially upcoming musicians. I know this because, I’ve heard good songs with very poor titles over the years. In fact, this article was inspired by one that I heard recently.

What’s the use of a title?

So, before we get into how to choose a song title, I think it’s important for us to know what role the title plays. Simply put, a song title is to the song what a person’s name is to the person. Now, I’m not sure if that was simple or rather confusing (smiles). What I meant was that the song title is the name of any song. It’s what we use to identify the song. It’s the first thing we hear about your song (before we even listen to it). Your song title can make someone to either want to hear your song or it could make him not want to hear it at all. It’s important that you give your song a title that suits it, especially in this age where music streaming is the order of the day. Music streaming sites have millions of songs; what usually informs someone’s choice of which music to listen to is the title.

So, how do I title my song?

I’m writing this with the assumption that you have already finished writing the song. Now, choosing a title for your song could be likened to choosing a heading/ caption for a news publication. Think about news headlines, I’m sure you’ve noticed how they are captioned, right? Usually, the headings gives you an idea of what the news is about, yet they are captioned in such a way that you definitely want to read that news. That’s exactly how you should title your song.

  1. Summarize the song

So, the first thing you should do is to try to summarize the entire message of the song using a single phrase/ sentence. The shorter, the better. Make sure that phrase captures the main theme/ message of the song. Now, the phrase does not necessarily have to be a line from the chorus. In fact, it doesn’t even have to be a line from the song.

  1. Make your title unique

The next thing you should do is try to make your title unique. As much as possible, don’t use clichés or song titles that are too common. For instance, titles like “You are great” are common in the Christian music industry; avoid titles like that. If the summary of your song’s message rhymes with a very common song title, try and use synonyms to get something different. For instance, instead of using “God’s Mercy” as title for your song, you can substitute it with “The Father’s pardon” or something similar. That way, the message is the still the same but the title is a little more unique.

 

  1. Make title attractive

As I mentioned earlier, News headlines are captioned in such a way that you would definitely want to read the news. Apply this technique to your song title. Think of how to phrase your title in such a way that it arouses the curiosity of anyone who sees and makes them want to hear your song. I will give one example. The first song I published talks about the truth that God cares for his children in a way that no parent can. But guess what I titled the song, “Father like a mother”. Now, there’s no way you’ll see that title and not be curious to know what the song is about. That’s what I mean by making the title attractive.

This is where I’ll stop on today’ article on choosing the right song title. I hope you have learnt a lot from it.

Want an honest review of your song?

I do song reviews for both published songs and songs that are yet to be published. The reviews could be private (for your consumption only) or it could be published on our site. If you’re interested to get your songs reviewed, send an email to jeplunemusic@gmail.com . Attach an mp3 of the song to be reviewed. Also state if you would like a private review or if you would want it published. And make sure you check your mails for replies.

Faithful in little

Faithful in little

Today’s devotion on Christian Musicians’ Corner is titled Faithful in little. You would recall that we announced some weeks ago that we would also begin to publish insights from Scriptures written by various Christians here on this blog. We call it Devotions. This is the first of it.

Where did I get this thought from?

Lately, I’ve found myself repeating the phrase, “If you are faithful in little, more would be given..” a lot to my wife. Actually, the phrase is found in Luke 16:10. Jesus told a parable about a certain manager who was wasting the master’s possessions. At the end of the parable, he said, “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities”. Jesus taught this same principle in several other places in the Bible. For instance, we see it play out in the parable of the talents in Matthew 25 and in Luke 19. Even in the Old Testament, we see this principle a lot. For instance, Joshua was faithful under Moses and he became his successor in leading Israel. Elisha was faithful in serving Elijah and he got a double portion of his anointing. David was faithful in keeping his father’s flock, and he became the next king of Israel. I could go on and on.

What about modern times?

This is a universally accepted truth and it is timeless. There is no argument about it; if you are faithful in little, more would be given to you. This applies both to resources (like money) and to responsibilities given to us. We’ve heard people say it over and over that the reward for hard work is more work. I’m pretty sure you might have experienced it play out in your life, at one point or the other, where you were faithful with an assignment and then more was given to you.

How does this apply to us as musicians?

Many times, we find ourselves complaining about what we don’t have. We feel we can’t accomplish much because we don’t have those resources that we think we need. We only see what we don’t have and rarely look inwards to recount the little that we have. But the truth about life is that if we are not faithful in little (that we have), we would never get the bigger resources/ opportunities that we need.

Let me give practical examples. You could keep lamenting that the reason you are not writing songs is that you don’t have money for studio sessions to record them. But if you really look at it, you have a phone with which you can record videos of yourself singing. You have friends that both have and can play guitar for you while you sing. You even have friends that could do back-up for you if you need them.  Be faithful in using the little resources you have. It is only when we are faithful in using those little resources that we can get more.

A real life testimony

Today, we all sing and celebrate Grace Lokwa’s ‘Kumama Papa’ song. But you know, before he got the studio versions that we hear today, he just did an acapella video of the song with his friends and posted on social media. That video went viral unexpectedly. Today, Grace Lokwa has been signed to a record label, he has a complete studio album, and he is celebrated in churches. Imagine if he was not faithful in using the little resources he had, do you think he would have gotten the greater opportunity he has today? I don’t think so.

So, to conclude, I just want to remind you again, to use what you have now faithfully. It is only when you are faithful in little that you can get more. I would love to hear your testimonies/ encounters with regards to being faithful in little. Please share your experiences in the comments below, let others learn from yours too.

 

 

 

Do you have insights in scripture that you would want to share to others, to either encourage them or correct them? Especially insights that would benefit Christian musicians. Please feel free to contact us and we will publish them on our blog for our readers to be blessed. You can send an email to jeplunemusic@gmail.com with the title, “DEVOTIONS”. Alternatively, you reach us on WhatsApp. God bless you.

 

Ant Man Strategy

Ant Man Strategy

Today, on Christian Musicians Corner, I would like to share what I call, ‘The Ant Man Strategy’. The first time I wrote this article, it was for publication in the maiden edition of Jogama Magazine, 4 years ago. But I think the message is still relevant for us today.

I am a lover of science fiction and super hero movies. One of my favourites is ‘The Avengers series’. The Avengers are a group of people; some with supernatural powers, some with scientifically modified bodies, some others with highly sophisticated battle suits while others just have unique skills used in battle. They all have one thing in common; they fight to defend the people from external or internal threats to human existence. Now, one of the Avengers that particularly interest me is called Ant Man. He has a special suit that allows him to shrink to the size of an ant. This makes him almost invisible to his opponent, while still retaining the strength of a full grown man. This unique ability allows him to enter a well guarded enemy territory and carry out operations that would have been impossible for others to carry out.

The war we are in

Now, as Christians we are at war (both spiritually and physically) with the devil and the world system. The devil and the world system have been consistently fighting to win the hearts of believers over to their side. And now, they have the same ability as the Ant Man; that means we don’t see them coming at us. The strategy they are using now in this war is the media. Just like Ant Man, the media penetrates our homes and does great havoc to our spiritual lives without us noticing. Our kids are being influenced away from the godly principles and values that we are trying to teach them. Yes, we still have morning devotions with them at home, and yes, we still being teach them in church, but right now, the majority of what an average teenager/ young adult believes strongly are things he/ she learnt from movies and music. Our territories have been invaded by the enemy like Ant Man.

Let me give practical examples

Over the years, just like Ant Man who enters without being noticed, the media have continuously projected an idea to the mind of young people that without money, life is worth nothing. Music artists portray this message in their music videos and the movies pass the same message too. The resultant effect is that greed has become the order of the day. The average young person now has this idea that whatever a person does is justified as long as it yields material gain at the end of the day. And so, they are willing to do anything, I mean ANYTHING at all, even if it is morally unthinkable, as long as they would get money. It is therefore not surprising, the rise in the cases of ritual killings and fraud by young people. Another example is the consistent degrading of the female gender and their portrayal as mere sex objects. This has made our young girls lose their sense of human dignity and so can condescend to any level. Check the kind of videos we see on social media today about our girls and you’ll understand what I’m talking about. But I think, we already got the point.

Now, how do we fight this war?

The solution is obviously not to ban the use of Television or the internet in our various homes. That would be like attempting to stop a moving car with your bare hands (except you are superman). In warfare, one of the best ways to defend yourself against the enemy is to attack the enemy. We need to use the same Ant Man Strategy to attack.

  • Yes, we ought to keep praying for our youth and teaching them at home and in church ( which by the way is VERY IMPORTANT). But in addition to that, we also need to start invading the media and bombarding it with QUALITY godly content.  If we are truly going to engage young people, we need to throw away that ‘mediocre’ mindset. We need to start providing media content that could compete with every other one out there, in terms of quality. Let’s include expertise in our productions; whether we have to spend years getting it or we spend money to hire it. We need to get into the mainstream entertainment industry, like Ant Man, but with our Christian message. By all means, let the content we put out be of great quality and be able to meet up to industry standards. And we don’t have to compromise our message to achieve this.
  • We also need to break down those mighty walls of ‘the secular vs the sacred’ in music genres and entertainment generally. By this, I do not mean that we should start compromising our Christian values in our productions, but let’s reduce the categorization. We should just have rock songs (not secular rock and Christian rock) or rap songs (not Christian rap and secular rap) or movies (not Christian movies and secular movies). Let the audience do the categorization themselves.
  • Another thing is that we don’t have to sound ‘preachy’ all the time in our songs and movies (although sometimes, we need to sound ‘preachy’ and be firm in our message). But what we need to do more is ‘gently’ (without compromise though) re-introduce godly principles, standards and values to the younger generation. In 2Timothy 2:25, the Bible says, “Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth…” Did you notice the word ‘gently’? I could almost replace that word with the phrase, ‘like Ant Man…’ That’s how God expects us to fight this war. A quick example of what I’m talking about is the movie ‘The Chronicles Of Narnia’ by C.S. Lewis. Another example is the movie, ‘The Lost Medallion’ written by Bill Muir. At face value, you would not tag any of these movies as ‘Christian movies’. But when you watch them, you’ll find that they pass strong Christian messages without compromise.

This has been a long article, but it is worth it. If I had broken it into two, the message wouldn’t have been complete. I hope you gained a lot from it though. Let me hear your thoughts in the comments below.

 

 

Do you want to hear the truth about your songs without sentiments?

Get your songs reviewed by professionals without bias for just a token. You’ll get honest appraisals as well as constructive criticism of your songs. This would help you get better in your music. Plus, other people who might never have heard about you before would get to listen to your songs when they read the published reviews (who knows, they might even turn to fans). If interested, send an email to jeplunemusic@gmail.com with an mp3 (please don’t send wav files) of your song and a few details like release date, artists featured, your artist bio and a link for people to listen to the song.  Check out some music reviews we’ve done in the past. Terms and conditions apply.

A true-life story of Ric’s brother and lessons from it

Ric's brother

There’s  this very good friend of mine, Ric.  I met him in 2012 during his one-year compulsory service to Nigeria (NYSC). At that time, I had just finished mine. Over time, we began to grow close and bond. Today, because of how close we are, I can say we’ve grown beyond friends to brothers.

Anyways, last month Ric’s elder brother visited him from the south-eastern part of Nigeria. And within the period of his stay with my friend turned brother, they scheduled that I meet with him. Actually, Ric’s elder brother is an ordained minister of the Gospel. But he is also a talented singer. He had recorded two full albums ten years ago, but they were not distributed and definitely not promoted. So, only members of their family and just a few friends heard the songs in the albums.

What we did

Basically, the major aim of the meeting was to consult with me on how they can revive and publicize those albums. I think I need to pause a little here to give a little explanation of the albums we are talking about. Ric’s brother recorded both albums like medleys, so each song flows into the next and it continues like that till the end. So, you could have 30 minutes of continuous play time without stop. Also, he sang all the songs in Igbo. After talking with them for a while, we agreed that we need to separate the individual songs in the albums, to stand as single songs and then make lyrics videos for each of them. The job was contracted to Jeplune Music Studios, one of the music companies in Nigeria that make beautiful lyrics videos. Within a few weeks we had separated the songs in the albums and started work on the lyrics videos. We also created a YouTube channel for Ric’s brother.

Now here’s where the story get’s interesting. We uploaded the first lyrics video on his YouTube channel (you can see for yourself here) and the result was massive. Within a few days, Ric’s brother got over a hundred views on the video and some subcribers too.

So, what happened?

First, this was the first time the public was hearing this album that Ric’s brother recorded 10 years ago. To them, it’s a new music release. Secondly, due to the fact that we released the songs as lyrics videos, we could project the English translation of the words of the song that was originally sang in Igbo. This made it possible for everyone to both enjoy the sweet melody of the songs and still understand the words sung. Finally, we were able to direct all the traffic to his YouTube channel since we didn’t upload the songs on any other platform.

Ric’s brother is feeling a lot more fulfilled right now because his songs are finally being heard and the message which were in Igbo can now be understood by people who aren’t Igbo. All this because he got awesome lyrics videos for the songs from Jeplune Music.

You too can get beautiful lyrics videos for your songs and increase the views on your YouTube channel, like Ric’s brother. It doesn’t matter if they are old songs or new ones. You can check out a few of the lyrics videos we have done for various artists in the past here.

Songwriting tips from top musicians in Jos

songwriting tips from musicians in Jos

I would like to begin by explaining that I chose the title, Songwriting tips from top musicians in Jos, simply for S.E.O reasons. Yeah, in all sincerity, so this publication should have been titled, Songwriting tips from top (selected) musicians in Jos with great songwriting skills. But that title is quite long,  I shortened it the way I did. I know there are many other great musicians in Jos, and some of them might even have better vocal quality than some of the ones I selected. But I selected these musicians because of their strong songwriting skills as displayed in the songs they have released so far. I believe that as far as songwriting is concerned, these are the people worth learning from.

Why songwriting tips?

Now, some of you might be wondering, what is it with you and songwriting tips? Those of you who have been following my blog for the past 13 months will have noticed that I have written more articles on songwriting than on any other subject. Let’s just say I’m passionate about good music and great songwriting contributes to having good music. I listen to a lot of music, both Nigerian and foreign. And to be honest, we have a lot a people talented with beautiful voices. We also have a lot of skilled producers that create magic. But then we have very few skilled songwriters. Many times, I’ve listened to songs with great production, beautiful vocals, but then the songwriting spoils the song. That’s why I hammer a lot on songwriting tips.

Why Musicians in Jos?

Let me just put it this way, Jos as a city in Nigeria is like Nashville in the United States. You can call Jos the music capital of Nigeria; not in terms of the market, but in terms of raw music talents. I dare say that there is no other city in Nigeria with the abundance of music talents that Jos has. In one of the blog posts I made this year on Top 3 DAWs used by music producers in Jos, I explained this in detail.

So, let’s get to the songwriting tips:

  1. A songwriter’s job, just like a poet’s, involves saying old things in fresh ways. Cliché`s are therefore not a songwriter’s friend.

Doug Kaze (JOGAMA Award winning Afrofolk/Afrosoul singer, songwriter and performing artist).

 

  1. One of the ways to write better songs is to write your own experience. It will help you put in the emotions in the words and even vocal delivery that would make the song a great one.

Kespan Yaron  Zaki (Mulitiple Award winning Singer, songwriter, and music producer).

 

  1. I strive to find the fewest words to send a profound message when I write songs. This involves studying the message and finding synonyms in order to say a lot using few words. This helps me not to have songs overstuffed with lyrics.

Neken Chuwang (Multiple Award winning singer, songwriter and performing artist)

 

  1. I usually take time to write my songs. I generally do not rush my songwriting process. I make sure every word I write connects to my spirit. There are some of my songs that took me 5 years to complete. And I keep going back to a song and keep making adjustments till every word sounds right in my ear.

Philip Dobson (Singer, songwriter, and performing artist)

 

  1. Most of my songs are introspective. So, I write songs from my own life and experiences. It’s easy for me when I say things because it’s really what is happening in my life or an experience that I passed through or a lesson that God has taught me over time.

Vblaiz (CHH artist and music producer)

 

  1. Be deliberate in your songwriting. Write with the consciousness that the lyrics of your song has power. And this power is active first in the ear, which is the passage way to the hearts of your listeners. Whatever the message of your song depicts, whether joy, pain, encouragement, sadness, etc, let the effect of your words be powerful enough to affect the mind of your listeners.

Skiffy Kanees (Inspirational singer, songwriter and performing artist, Co-founder Jeplune Music)

 

  1. Stick to one theme (message) when writing a song. Some songwriters often write about multiple things in one song. This makes it difficult to understand exactly what the song is centered on. After you choose the subject to write about, try not to deviate from it in in your songwriting.

SON Chuwang (JOGAMA Award winning Singer, songwriter, and music producer, Founder SON-city Records)

 

  1. There’s a lot of recycling going on in the business of songwriting due to the lack of capacity for pure creative instincts, laziness, skillfulness and craftsmanship in the business of songwriting. To avoid this, I constantly develop what I call my ‘word bank’. There are a couple of sources from which I do this; reading scriptures, listening to intelligent discussions, radio/TV, nature, other people’s music, etc.

WordSmith (Worship leader, Singer, songwriter and music producer. Founder, Word and Sound Music group)

 

So there you have it; 8 songwriting tips from 8 different musicians who are very good songwriters. You can also check out the series on Songwriting that I wrote last year for more tips tat will help you improve on your songwriting.

 

Music distribution in Nigeria

Music distribution in Nigeria

A lot of people, even music artists, confuse music distribution with music promotion. I see a lot of upcoming artists distribute their music and then they cross their feet (and relax), thinking they have promoted their music. So, I decided to write this article to explain the difference between music distribution and music promotion and what they entail. I will also offer advice for upcoming artists with low budget. So, let’s dive into it

So, what is music distribution?

Music distribution is simply getting your music releases (whether albums, Eps or singles) to places (or platforms) where your listeners can easily access them. Music distribution is a very important aspect of the career of any music artist. No matter how beautiful the melody of your songs are, or the depth of the messages they carry, if they don’t get to where your audience are, then your efforts in creating the music has been wasted. It’s a like a business person selling a particular goods (let’s say clothes). Imagine he has very beautiful clothes for sale, but he leaves them in his warehouse. As long as those clothes remain in his warehouse, people will never be able to buy them. But the moment he brings the clothes to his shop or boutique, people who need those clothes would see them and buy. That’s how important music distribution is for music artists.

Music distribution in Nigeria in the early 2000s

Before now, music distribution in Nigeria entailed getting your music album to one of the major CD distributors in Alaba (Lagos). Those guys had a wide connection with music stores all over Nigeria. So, if they were to distribute your music, your music CDs would be sold in music stores all over Nigeria. And when that is combined with very effective music promotion, you would become famous. However, music distribution in Nigeria has taken a complete U-turn in recent years. Nowadays, nobody buys music CDs any more (at least not like they used to). Music releases are now done on the internet. So, getting your music to those major music distributors is no longer necessary.

So, what does music distribution in Nigeria entail now?

Music distribution in recent times entails getting your music on platforms and stores where people can easily find them and stream or buy. Some of the major platforms where you can get your new music releases on includes Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Boomplay, YouTube Music, Soundcloud, etc. There are several other streaming platforms, but these are some of the major ones in the world. Audiomack is one of such and it’s gaining grounds in Nigeria. There are also stores where you can upload your music for people to buy and download, such as itunes and Amazon. In Nigeria, artists also use selar.co to sell their music albums.

However, to get your music on these streaming platforms and stores, you need to employ the services of a distribution company. Yes, as an independent artist, you cannot get your music on these platforms/ stores by yourself. Think of these distribution companies like those music distributors in Alaba back in the days. They help you get your music to major stores/platform that you cannot do yourself. But you’ll be required to pay a fee (usually yearly). There are many distribution companies available now. Some of them even offer some free services. Just google music distribution companies and you will find many of them.

What’s my advice?

After reading several reviews of the various music distribution companies, I would recommend either Distrokid or Tunecore to independent artists. It’s not free, but a yearly fee of less than $20 for unlimited uploads of all your music is not a bad deal. When you really break it down, it’s less than N1,300 per month. And I think it’s a worthy investment to get your music to major platforms/ stores. Let me say this here (even though I will still dedicate an article to write on this), getting your songs on major streaming platforms does not take the place of promoting your music. Music distribution is not the same as music promotion.

Another thing new artists do is upload their music for free download on several blogs. You may argue that it gets more people to know about your music. But in the long run, it’s better to have your music on recognized platforms. A better alternative would be for you to pay bloggers to direct all the traffic to those streaming platforms where your songs are. I will talk more on this when I write about Music promotion in Nigeria.

I believe you have learnt a lot about music distribution in Nigeria today. And I believe you will no longer confuse it with music promotion.

For further reading, you can check out this article by our friends at Cresthub on the benefits of music streaming for artists in Africa.

Updates for Christian Musicians’ Corner blog

Christian Musicians' corner

Last Friday I didn’t publish any article on Christian Musicians’ Corner. However, I figured I needed to update you guys about the blog. So, here’s a few updates you need to know:

Change of name

I recently changed the name of this blog from “Musicians’ Corner” to “Christian Musicians’ Corner”. This change was done for two major reasons. The first is for a better SEO (search engine optimization). The second is that I recently began to ponder about what I do. I am a Christian and a musician. Underneath every single article I write is an underlying tone of my faith. Sometimes, it’s subtle, but other times it’s bold. Obviously, my publications here make more sense to Christian musicians. So, I figured it’s best if the name clearly indicates my main target audience – Christian Musicians. That’s why the blog is now Christian Musicians’ Corner.

New addition to the blog

That said, we are introducing something new in Christian musicians’ corner blog. From now on, we will occasionally publish reflections from scripture by various Christians, especially those who are musicians. We’ll call it devotionals. The devotionals will revolve around Christian living generally, but especially written in a such a way that Christian musicians will relate easily. So, we’ll look at topics like overcoming temptations, purpose, Christian service/ ministry, Christian love, personal devotion, etc.

Let me use this opportunity to invite submissions of reflections from Christian musicians. Age or location does not matter. You only have to be a Christian to qualify to submit reflections for publication. Like I said earlier, any topic revolving around Christian living is welcomed. Send your submissions to jeplunemusic@gmail.com and title it “DEVOTIONALS FOR CMC”.

One last thing,

We were recently listed by FeedSpot among the top 80 Nigerian music blogs/ websites. Actually, we were ranked 39th on the list. This might seem inconsequential to some of you, but it’s a great encouragement to me. At least it shows that what we do here at jeplune.com is relevant and needed. I’m encouraged to do more.

Alright, that’s all the updates I have to share with you guys concerning Christian Musicians’ corner. While you are here, please do well to check some of the services we offer here at jeplune.com. You’ll get a lot of these services, like music reviews, lyrics videos, etc for just a little token.

 

From chasing stardom to purpose; an interview with A4C

interview with A4C

Today, on Christian musicians’ corner, I will be featuring an interview with A4C. In this interview, he shares how his motive for doing music has shifted from chasing stardom to pursuing purpose. A4C is a Christian Hip pop artist, street evangelist and children coach. He is the founder and leader of the Rep Jesus crew, a creative- based discipleship movement in Jos city. I met A4C in 2016 at an event for children where he performed and I have since followed his music. So, let’s dive into the interview.

Spirit: Let’s start with the stage name. Now I know A4c means “All For Christ”, how did you come about the name?

A4C: Before I adopted A4C my stage name used to be ‘Psychofan’ which came from my high school days. Psychofan was gotten from Psycho’s fan. Back then, I had this strong argument about maltreating mentally ill patients, so I stood for them in a way.  An old adage says, “Your name precedes your character”. That was exactly what began to happen to me. Eventually, I started behaving like a mentally ill person, though not pronounced.

In 2008, my sister got married and her husband, Evan Joseph Musa (of blessed memory) grew fond of me. So, we spent a lot of time together. This led to my conversion from secular to Gospel rap in 2010 and also my decision to drop dance and take up music fully. Now, back to the question, my sister’s husband was cool with almost everything I did and stood for, except my name ‘Psychofan’.  We had severally disagreements about the name. On one faithful night, we debated on the name psychofan for over two hours and he made it clear that he didn’t like the name. That night, the Lord called me out in a dream “A4C”. I didn’t understand, and I didn’t know the meaning. Early the next morning I told Mr. Joseph that I had found a new name. When he asked what the name was, I told him A4C. Moments before then, I couldn’t recall the name but the moment I opened my mouth to answer Mr. Joseph, it came out of my mouth. Mr. Joseph asked me the meaning of A4C and in complete ignorance also, I told him “All for Christ”. The whole thing was just supernatural. Since then A4C has been undergoing transformation and living a life that totally belongs to Christ.

Spirit: Wow! That’s a great testimony. Please can you share with us a little about your childhood days before music?

A4C: I was born into a Christian home with very good moral values but I grew up in a morally decayed environment. A place where every child wanted to be like Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, Xhibit, Bone Thugs,  Wutang clan, 2pac and the rest. So it didn’t take long before i join the train. During my junior secondary school days, I realised I could dance without stress. It was more of a gift.  My friends had interest in dance too so we formed a crew at home.  The crew had students from different schools so it gave us an edge cos we could fuse the famous step dance from Kuru with the breakdance from FGC Jos. Other dance genres like Salsa, Calipso, were part of our routines. Soon, we started living our dreams, partially. We were invited for social events from various schools. By the time we finished Secondry school, we were already getting opportunities in radio stations. We toured the clubs in Jos with Ray Power’s famous Djs, Mr brown, late G Connection. But as time went, and with the exposure, we began to realise how limited dance is and our childhood dreams fueled our passion to delve into music. So we recorded our first track as a crew (de Exclusives)  in 2006. All we wanted was ‘blow’ and become famous so we jumped at every opportunity we got. In 2008, the group had a fall out after the maiden edition of Malta Guiness street dance competition which we dropped out at the semi-finals.  After the split I had a slight change of friends which gave me time to think, change my priorities and refocus, then I took the decision to do Gospel in 2009.

Spirit:  Wow! You really had an eventful childhood. Are there people you would say motivated you to start rapping?

A4C: Like I said we grew up seeing the likes of Snoop, Dre, Bone Thugs etc. When I got to Science school Kuru (Jss 1), I saw someone rapping in real life, for the first time in my life, outside TV or radio. It was a senior (Radio DNA) and he was very smallish. Back then, he was known as Kas K. Eventually, I realised there were more guys around me that could rap. The likes of Daniel Dean Abuku (who was two classes ahead of me), Ngwal Mariyom (who was my closest friend in Jss2) etc. All these gave me the confidence to try rap too. From Jss 3, I started writing and rapping but I couldn’t do it in school cos I wasn’t confident enough to rap alongside those guys. So, I only tried rap at home during holidays. After secondary school, a friend of mine introduced me to a foriegn Rap group called Cross Movement. I learned a lot from them and the likes of Da truth, Flame, Ambassodor, etc

Spirit:  What were some encounters you had in your early days of your music career?

A4C:  Really, it wasn’t easy then and it’s still not easy now. Some of the challenges I had were lack of finance, access to good producers, lack of platforms, especially when I switched to gospel. One of the biggest challenge I had was that my family didn’t really believe in what I was doing, so I got little or no encouragement.

Spirit: I can imagine. Now, despite all these encounters you continued. Why? What is your motivation?

A4C: What kept me going at first was the dream to become a super star someday. Then I got caught in God’s web of purpose and now, I can’t stop even if I wanted to. Finally, there is this peace and satisfaction I derive only from doing music.

Spirit: Interesting! Now, let’s talk about Rep Jesus Crew. What’s the inspiration behind it? Maybe a little story about why and how it all started?

A4C: In 2014, when I would say I received the Rep Jesus vision, all I wanted was put up a show to declare publicly that I have switched to Gospel. So, we tagged it Rep Jesus. In 2015 we had another concert at Plateau Poly and it was still tagged Rep Jesus. The idea began to grow from just a declaration to an awareness and getting more people to follow suit. 2 years down the lane, contrary to what some people expected, we were still doing gospel. So we staged another concert tagged ‘The Streetz Rep Jesus’. This was followed by the release of the album Rep Jesus in November, 2016.  After the rep Jesus album, the burden became heavier but this time it was redirecting me to children. I had no idea on children ministry (actually I still don’t) but after I prayed and made consultations, I decided to give it a try. In 2017, I started training 6 children to be part of my stage performance. By December, 2017, we had our first performance  together at the ‘Son of David’ video premier. And that’s how we adopted the name Rep  Jesus Crew. We had so many engagements that year it was a new wave of entertainment. Some people accused me of initiating children into cultism cos of our art and costumes. Haha. Prayerfully and obediently, we persisted and today we’re celebrating 5 years of existence as RJC.

Spirit: Wow! I normally don’t do this, but can you share some of the things you’ve done in the past as a crew?

A4C: Yeah. In 2018, we recorded our first single (Our God is Great). We participated in the first Ecwa talent show and was made Ecwa TV ambassors. We performed at PRTV Christmas tree lightening, NTA Christmas funfair, Jos museums Christmas fun fair, Mista Ali Christmas funfair. We also hosted our first chapter of Carols According To Rap; an event that featured over 40 artists. In 2019, we staged Da revelation concert. By then, our number had grown from 6 to over 20, with more engagements and activities. We grew in number, skills and character throughout 2019 and we did monthly evangelism which we called ‘Street rehearsals’. We did that in upto 10 streets within Jos metropolis. We also hosted our second chapter of Carols According to Rap (which was an outdoor event). In 2020, the outbreak of Covid 19 made us pause our monthly evangelism (street rehearsal). We lost partners and gained new ones though not as we would have wanted. It was a trying moment for us but we held on.  Thanks to people like Priscy and Pamzat that were already on board to help me out.They really made me feel I’m not alone. It was still in 2020 that we started the Rap Worship Experience (RWE) journey. We are still holding on and growing after close to two years now. By God’s grace we have grown to over 60 in number currently. We’ve planted close to 20 House of prayers (Hops) among children outside the RJC circle. These HOPs are in schools, workshops and within the communities. We have grown beyond  just performers to disciples taking up the Great Comission among children and teenagers.

Spirit: Wow! Are there some of the challenges you face with regards to leading a Christian rap crew and being a Christian rapper yourself?

A4C: First of all, RJC is not just a rap group but a creative- based discipleship movement. Having said that, few of our challenges are:

  • One of our biggest challenge is funding. The movement needs a lot of finance considering the fact that it is creative- based and targeting the non- income earners. The burden of  financing projects mostly bounce back to me since we are not currently  under any sponsor or financial partnership.
  • Another huge challenge is the slow transformation. Sometimes I become frustrated when I see my boys behaving in certain ways. I’ll be like “una suppose don grow pass like this now haba!” But I remember how I was before God changed me and how many times I’ve fail Him even in my current stage.
  • There is also a huge generational gap between the older generation and the emerging.  A lot of the older folks find it difficult to connect with our art, so they kick against or talk down on what we’re doing.
  • Another challenge is denominational differences. A friend of mine once told me “You don go put yourself for cult say you dey do Christianity.” He further stated that as long as we identify with a particular denomination there are certain platforms we will never get, and he asked “Is that one not cultism?” I became conscious of that fact and realised he is right in a way.
Spirit: I’m sure there are times you feel like quitting. What do you do at those low moments of your life to keep going?

A4C: Almost everyday, I feel like quitting. But any time I look back and see how far God has brought me, I just know I can’t quit even if I feel like.

Spirit: Are there benefits you’ve enjoyed as a musician because of your faith?

A4C: Time and space will not permit me to talk about the benefits. However, here are a few

  •  I’ve met some great men of God that played and are still playing major roles in my transformation journey. I used to be a drug addict, but through this God has dealt with that issue in my life and I am completely free and sober.
  • Music led me to my Purpose. Today I am gladly living it.
  • Music has opened business doors for me. As a Builder, Electrical installer and teacher I have a lot of people, who were thrilled when they discovered that I have other lucrative abilities asides music. These people have either connected me with Jobs or given me Jobs in my field.
  • We launched a merchandise brand For RJC in 2021. Through music we were able to sell over a hundred T shirts, hoodies, neck chains and bangles. We still hope to sell more.
  • Through music I’ve had access to people and places I would have never had in my life. I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to be interviewed by Jeplune music, Ecwa TV Africa, NTA, PRTV, Rhythm FM or Peace FM as a builder,  electrical technologist or a teacher. But through music, I’ve enjoyed this privileges and even more.
  • Music has given me opportunity to connect and disciple children and teenagers within and outside Jos
Spirit: That’s interesting. So, what should we expect from you with regards music in the future?

A4C: What to expect from me is cleaner and refined music that addresses common issues faced globally.  And to add to that, also expect emerging Artists from RJC that will influence  global entertainment positively.

Spirit: I like the sound of that. Any final words of advice for upcoming Christian Musicians?

A4C: My little piece for Christian creatives is, “know that you represent a high authority, therefore you must be represent Him well both on and off the stage. Stay connected to the Father for without Him we can do nothing.”

Spirit: Wow! It’s been a great time talking with you. Thank you so much for your time A4C.

A4C: Special appreciation to Spirit 3:6 and the entire Jeplune music team. God bless you for all you do for the kingdom.

This where we will wrap up this interview with A4C as he has shared his journey so far with purpose. You can follow A4C on Facebook.

Don’t forget that you can get your songs reviewed by professionals without bias for just a token. You’ll get honest appraisals as well as constructive criticism of your songs. This would help you get better in your music. Plus, other people who might never have heard about you before would get to listen to your songs when they read the published reviews (who knows, they might even turn to fans). If interested, send an email to jeplunemusic@gmail.com with an mp3 (please don’t send wav files) of your song and a few details like release date, artists featured, your artist bio and a link for people to listen to the song.  Check out some music reviews we’ve done in the past. Terms and conditions apply.