Emeka is the second son of multi-millionaire businessman and owner of All Seasons Hotel in Owerri, Imo State, Evang. Myke Ikoku. Currently studying in the United Kingdom, the 18-year-old gifted crooner and basketballer will soon debut with his singles. At their Omole Phase 1, Ikeja, Lagos home recently, he chatted with YES INTERNATIONAL! Magazine on what got him interested in music and other issues.
Tell us about yourself…
My name is Emeka Ikoku. My music name is Liber-t. I got the name when I was in secondary school. When I was in high school, they called me Liber-t because I used to do music then, but it didn’t just stick. Liber-t stands for freedom – freedom of speech and expression. So, that’s pretty what’s the meaning of the name.
Tell us more about yourself – the schools you attended, your age, etc.
Currently, I’m 18. I studied at Avi Cenna International School for my secondary education; I studied at Bradford College in West Yorkshire in the U.K for my college and now I’m in Leads Metropolitan University in the U.K as well, but it is in West Yorkshire. That’s pretty much about me.
What course are you studying?
I’m studying Business Management.
How long have you been into music?
I’ve been into music for like 4, 5 years. But recently, it just started being serious because I’ve packaged everything well, so my dad was impressed to hear some of the songs and that’s when he felt he should invest in it.
What got you interested in music?
Basically, I started making beats when I was in J.S 1, which is Year 7. The interest in making beats and creating your own sound were the things that got me interested in the whole music thing. People are mostly following trends. So, that’s what got me attracted to it, because I used to make beats in the night and I used to write in the night.
The music you do, how would you describe it? What kind of music do you play?
I do every kind of music. I can’t put it in one particular place because different people have different interests in their type of music. And if you really want to go far, you need to do different kinds of music that would be acceptable to everyone, because you can’t just do what you want to do…
Can you tell us about some of the songs you have completed work on?
There’s one song called Foreign Love. That’s the one that has to do with a girl that you met overseas and you really liked her. The other one is Gangan. It’s the one that is for clubs and all that Nigerian type of feeling. The other one is Lose Control. That one has to do with the urban feeling – the white people type of music. Those are the ones that are ready now.
When are you looking at coming out with the full album?
To be precise, there’s no time for album right now. It’s singles that actually sell. So, it depends. It depends on how things go. I just want to see how it goes first before I will know what to do, because I don’t want to waste money on album when you know that you can get more money from singles.
Who are the Nigerian musicians that you like what they are doing?
I like D’banj and it is only D’banj I like. And that is because D’banj is the only person that is doing the business aspect of it. Most people believe that music is all about your talent. No, it’s not. It’s about the music aspect and the business aspect of it, because if you handle the business packaging well, you can last longer than anyone that is just coming to showcase himself because the music industry is far different from what people expect it to be when they actually enter it.
What distinguishes your music from that of the others?
I’ve listened to the music done by most people; everyone is trying to create the same trend, they are trying to follow the same trend that is going to make them ‘blow’, the same type of music, but I feel that if you can co-ordinate your beats, make them come alive, like the South African type of beats, Ghanaian type of beats, when you drop all those songs or record them, it will also attract people from their side. It’s not only about Nigerians. That’s what people don’t understand.
The first time you told your daddy that you wanted to do music, what was his reaction?
He was laughing o! Ah! He was laughing at me, because he didn’t know I wanted to do music. He knows that I used to organize things that had to do with music when I was in secondary school, but he didn’t really think that I will really take it up professionally. I play basketball, I play professional basketball. So, I just wanted to do music also – whichever one works out, plus school, I can just follow it up. He was laughing then, but eventually he started liking it.
Who gave you the first support – your dad or your mum?
My mum. My mum gave me the whole support first. She was always telling me that she wants me to ‘blow’ and all those kind of things. She was helping me out and telling me to just do everything well and she supported me before my dad actually knew about it.
How do you intend to combine music with your education so that it doesn’t suffer?
It won’t affect my education because first of all, I do university abroad. And the thing is, when I’m abroad, I face school. It is only when I’m back in Nigeria for summer holiday or December, I can face my music. So, it’s not like when I get there I will start doing my music. No, it’s not like that.
What are your hobbies?
I play basketball, I play basketball a lot, I make beats, I play football too – American football and the Nigerian one. Those are the things I do that make me happy.
Why should people listen to your music or even buy it when out?
If you listen to the music and it touches you, you should just accept the fact that it’s actually touching you and just buy it. There’s no point doing ‘strong head’. If you like what you hear, then you just go for it, because I will try and give the music a standard, a level. That’s what I’m trying to do.
What are your dreams as a new comer? Where do you hope to be in the next five years?
In the next five years, I want to be known worldwide. I don’t want to be known only in Nigeria, I want to be known worldwide and I know I will be able to do that.
NB: First published November 2013