Harmony of Heritage…A Journey into His Musical Tapestry

Meet the extraordinary Nigerian musician, Jesse King Buga, whose magnetic stage presence and unique sound have left an indelible mark on the music scene. With roots deeply intertwined with Nigerian heritage, Jesse King seamlessly blends cultural influences into his music, creating a sonic tapestry that resonates globally. Beyond the catchy beats, Buga’s lyrics delve into profound themes, tackling societal issues with poetic finesse. In this interview, Feferity unravels the layers of Jesse King Buga’s artistic journey, exploring the inspiration behind his name, his creative process, and the pivotal role he envisions playing in the future of Nigerian music on the world stage.

Feferity – Can you share the inspiration behind your stage name “Buga” and how it reflects your musical identity?

Jesse King: Yeah, well, the inspiration behind Buga, it’s more of my day-to-day is like my life. Buga, to me, is like you putting your confidence out there. What can you do? What makes you feel good? What makes you stand out? Like, you can see, Buga, if you know what you’re doing. And if you believe in yourself, that’s the angle which I’m looking at, which inspired me of Buga, you know, like it’s all in all, like this is you, and nobody can take you from you, and the reality is just, you know, nothing just more than being natural or you’re being yourself, you know. So you can always, Buga, you know, when you know what you’re doing and you’re confident, can stand for what you’re doing, yeah.

Feferity: What role has your Nigerian heritage played in shaping your musical style and the themes in your songs?

Jesse King: Yeah, of course, you know, that should say that’s the beginning, the culture aspect of it what has made me. It has been a major influence in my career, my culture, my style, my life everything, everyday people, and my environment. So, I think it has played a very wonderful role in my career, talk of my language, you know, the way I put my lyrics together, or somewhat to the culture, like what I’ve been going through, my life, my everything, you know. And of course, it’s a very beautiful culture, which I believe money cannot buy you know, like when you have your thing, you have it. And of course, it’s enough for us to be proud of it, and of course, I’m proud of it, and that’s where I’m standing, you know. Well, of course, I cannot do anything that I cannot stand for or to defend. I think I know how to do this best in my culture. It’s a good influence in my life, and I want to say a big thank you to our deities, like our forefathers who have been there before me, it’s been a wonderful time so far and a very good influence in my career.

Feferity:  As a musician, how do you navigate the balance between staying true to your artistic vision and meeting the expectations of your audience?

Jesse King: Yeah, staying true to yourself, it has to do with, you’ve been true to yourself. First of all, you need to see yourself, you need to be truthful to yourself, stay true to yourself, and then so clap yourself, and then that is when people can see like staying true to yourself, like that is when people can feel that or smell their fragrance. of being, you know, staying true to yourself because being original, it has to come from you. So, if you feel you want to stand original, you want to feel and communicate with this audience, it doesn’t have to be like, you have to say things to them, it’s going to just come out to them. They’ll begin to see from your fashion sense, from lyrically and your delivery and all that. So, staying true to the connection with the audience has to do with yourself first, you know. So, once you do that, then it’s begun to just move around and people can connect directly with whatever brand you’re giving them, right? And of course, you know, whatever you’re doing that you use the truth to or probably you. are into it and is, you know, stay connected and people are going. to feel it better and according to the culture, according to those who understand what it means, you know, all right.

Jesse King

Feferity:  Could you highlight a challenging moment in your career and how you overcame it to continue thriving in the music industry?

Jesse King: Well, talk of challenges. Well, a lot of challenges are there. Even as a time about 2006 when Buga was about to go out there, you know, we were recorded as when social media was not in existence. And it took us a while to just gain to the Chishamiseh, I think. But I see that kind of challenge, so challenging to me, that we have to just face it, you know. That’s the reality, because there’s a change, and we need to embrace the change, and that’s what I enter right now. So, over some times I’ve been able to swim, you know, swimming in these kinds of issues and all that. But right now, I think I’m striking a kind of balance in, you know, trying to see how the new world is going to take me. And of course, I’m enjoying the new world, you know. And at the same time, challenges of me coming from another side of school, and now that we have the GenZees, you know, they have a total kind of idea. They are so different, you know. So, I want to have to sit back and try to see how you can play around the kind of what they have to offer, probably what they have to put on a table, and so you guys can dine together. You know what it means, when you’re coming from another world, another school of teaching, right now it’s a different bowl game. So I want to have to just find a way even through my music, and that’s what I’ve been able to do, to put in the kind of torch of now, the kind of kind, and that’s by the recording, the lyrically, you know, make it a little bit flexible, you know, more, you know, probably just now and, you know, dice it a little bit for them to consume, because the, the lifespan of attention of, of the Genzees seems to be, you know, on the other side, you know. So, there’s nothing we can do about that. It’s just for us to come to understand what we are dealing with, and to find a way where we can have a, you know, to coexist, you know, never put it that way, you know. So, it is what it is. All right.

Feferity:  What is your creative process like when writing and producing music? Are there specific influences or rituals that contribute to your unique sound?

Jesse King: Yes, for you to really survive as an artist in this era, you have to really be relevant, and of course, there’s no way to it, you just have to be relevant, you know, you have to be so spontaneous and really ready to do whatever, be a very good friend of social media because it’s in your world, that’s in the world you can, you know, it’s not about CD right now, it’s not about going to Alaba right now, it’s about you, your social media and the radio stations alongside of it, and your lyrics, you have to really dice it and you make sure it’s of today kind of language and of course, but of course not living behind your brand, your values and all that, it is very important, you cannot be real enough that alone you have to carry all your shells together with you, because that makes it going to be forever, if you really want to stand different and stay there, you have to always go with your values and brand too, and that makes you so different and that makes you like, okay, you’re flying, oh, what is needed is just for you to just get connected with the new generation and know what it wants, you know, know how you can, you know, repackage what you have and to give to them, so that’s just the way, you have to be very, most important, you have to be a very good friend of social media, that’s the way out to make your relevance, you have to stay relevant all through.

Feferity:  In a rapidly evolving music industry, how do you stay innovative and relevant while maintaining a connection with your fan base?

Jesse King: Yeah, staying true to yourself, it has to do with, you’ve been true to yourself. First of all, you need to see yourself, you need to be truthful to yourself, stay true to yourself, and then so clap yourself, and then that is when people can see like staying true to yourself, like that is when people can feel that or smell their fragrance of being, you know, staying true to yourself because being original, it has to come from you. So if you feel you want to stand original, you want to feel and communicate with this audience, it doesn’t have to be like, you have to say things to them, it’s going to just come out to them. They’ll begin to see from your fashion sense, from lyrically and your delivery and all that. So, staying true to the connection with the audience has to do with yourself first, you know. So, once you do that, then it’s begun to just move around and people can connect directly with whatever brand you’re giving them, right? And of course, you know, whatever you’re doing that you use the truth to or probably you are into it and is, you know, stay connected and people are actually going to feel it better and according to the culture, according to those who understand what it means, you know, all right.

Feferity:  Can you share some insights into the themes and messages you aim to convey through your music, especially in relation to social or cultural issues?

Jesse King: Yeah, my message to the people is, I’m using my music as a link from yesterday to connect tomorrow and it goes to the art of culture and history, a picture of love and togetherness. Yeah, that has been reflected in my music, in my local area. Now I have an Ijebu song, an Ikorodu song, then an Ibadan song, of course working on an Ilesa song, that is Osun state, and of course Lagos song, you know. So, every metropolis, okay I won’t say metropolis, state’s this time, this time because that’s what it is called, and we all have our differences when it comes to culture, but we need to celebrate our ties, like the rules that connect us, that’s the power, you know, preaching love, preaching togetherness like we have a world, we are cousins all through, so we need to just make that one known to the world, and as we come together, of course, we can achieve more, you know. That is what I’m using my music for, and the world itself, she comes together, Africa should come together, and that is why, that is when we can make it for real, and we can make things happen, you know. So that has been my message, there’s this song coming very soon called, I’m an Africana, you know. So that’s going to call it, of course, I’m going to have my friend from Ghana, Zwain there from South Africa, from Togo, and all that, that’s a lot of them actually in the song. So we’re going to set everything this together, you know, oneness, you know, reaching out to the world, every part of the world, we should come together, that’s my music, that’s my message to the world, all right.

Feferity:  Collaborations can be powerful in the music world. Is there an artist you dream of collaborating with, and why?

Jesse King: Yeah, collaboration is a kind of a formation of peace, bringing your culture to connect with all those people, and it goes a long way to bring a very beautiful atmosphere. And professionally, when in the music world, it makes it so having your baby. Like, when you guys come together, different ideas, you know, different delivery, different feelings, will even walk towards a formation of a good and beautiful society. Collaboration is so powerful, you cannot just be whole alone, you cannot just be a world. This is a world; this is a planet. So, we need to connect either way, through music, through business, and all that. So, collaboration is always a very key thing to live in a very strict society, to live together. Because we all don’t have it, you know, the Western world doesn’t have it all, then we don’t have it all in Africa. So, I think we should collaborate more, you know, for, you know, coexistence, you know, you know, it’s very key, you know, so that we will all come together and sing one song, you know. And of course, with our beautiful way, which, you know, the diversity right there is going to bring it so beautiful, so colorful and all that. So, collaboration is very key. And it’s something we should embrace, which is going to bring peace, you know, to every part of the world.

Feferity:  How do you see the future of Nigerian music on the global stage, and what role do you believe you’d play in contributing to its growth and recognition

Jesse King: Yeah, I would say that we’re already in the future right now, and it’s so obvious that we’re doing greatly, and our artists from Nigeria are actually doing a good job, you know, out there, of the half-or-beads, and whatever kind of music. I think I live music, and of course, we have a lot of tabs for my live music, which is coming out to the outside world you could see that our guys are going for Grammy, and of course, they are doing so great. I think, for me, I have to still come with my way, my culture into it, you know, like I’m somewhat different for what’s going on right now, and I believe I’m going to get there to take it to be your boundaries, you know, the music which is coming right now, and taking it to be your boundaries, but what I just want to do is just make sure that I always go with the values, you know. Of course, I don’t use the music because I want to get money from you, you know. I really want to show you two things, like my culture, at the same time, to impact, you know, whatever I have as an idea, you know, to your idea, you know, and I can learn from you too, you know, and that makes a very strict society, and so I want to believe in the music business right now, Nigeria is doing very well, extremely well, you know, so I hope we can still do better, we can still do more, and sell our values, our culture around the people who I yet to know much about our wealth, our culture, our street it is, you know, so that’s my own message because I’ve been coming out with the costumes, my fabrics, you know, the way we wear, the way we celebrate our own festivals, the way we do stuff like that, you know, so it’s actually been your music, you know, by the same time, music will actually give that role to have to move in so that they can get to know much about us, and if there’s a kind of collaboration like what I talked about, then they can, you know, we can to learn from other people, and other people can learn from us to send new things together, that’s it, yeah.

Feferity:  As a musician, what advice would you give to aspiring artists looking to make their mark in the music industry, particularly those from Nigeria?

Jesse King: Yes, as an aspiring artist, I would advise there should be persistence, and then persistence is just a key, you know, so, but my descent and discover who you are and make sure you always go along with your values and your originality have to be in there and be available, you know, be a very good friend of social media, and know someone that knows someone that knows someone that can help you out if you don’t have financial power, you know, you have to be all the way around and persistence and it’s going to take you higher, and then don’t stop, don’t stop. Of course, you’re going to, I can’t tell a lot of problems, you know, on the way, but don’t stop, keep moving, keep moving, you’ll be there someday.

All right, bye.

Feferity Media Group wishes you all the best with your short visit.

Jesse King is in town and will be having a Meet and Greet on Sunday the 3rd of March At Masq London Restaurant and Bar, 102 Tooley Street, Tower Bridge, London. SE1 2JX

Interview arranged by: Franklyn Frantos Snr

(c) 2024 Feferity Media Group (UK)

Photo and video credits: Google Images