An Abuja-based upcoming musical artist, Farouk Timilehin Oketaolegun professionally known as Twelve Xii, has said if given the opportunity to collaborate with one of Nigeria’s greatest musical artists he would prefer to collaborate with Bukola Elemide popularly known as Asa.
Twelve Xii made this known while speaking to journalists during the public presentation of his new single titled ‘Undercover Lover’ which he did with Austin Iornongu Iwar JNR aka Tay Iwar another musical artist.
He said that he started listening to Asa at the age of 6 and 7 years. My mom used to play Asa’s music in the car all the time. Then she was going through a tough time at that period and she was always playing Asa’s music in the house and the car.
“And I will say maybe Asa has been the greatest influence that kickstarted me singing. Because I started to sing after her songs and would mimic her songs. She is simply one of the most amazing musicians that we have ever seen.
“She is genuine, she is unique, and she is truthful. These are things I tried to be with music. I do not like to mince words. I think as human beings, we should be very honest.
“If you are angry you should say it. Asa has angry songs. Asa has loving songs. Asa has thankful songs when she talked about how her mother has been great, her life lessons.
“I think Asa is the one person if I had to choose, I will be fulfilled having made a song with somebody that my mother introduced me to via music. I have never met her before. Tay has a song with her actually, and It was amazing,” he said.
While speaking on his music career, Twelve Xii said he and Tay Iwar have been making a lot of projects which are yet to be released, “But we have a couple of singles out like, ‘Write a Note’, which came out 2018 and the new one we just came out last week Thursday titled ‘Undercover Lover’ which is just released of Tay Iwar’s forthcoming project that is coming out June 9, 2023.
“Undercover Lover just came out last week, Thursday, and it has been great, getting so much love from people like radios in the UK and Nigeria. We have got played on BBC like three or four times, BBC One extra. We have got played by Kiss FM in Lagos, I think for FM as well. It has been amazing and we got 100,000 plays on one on Spotify alone in a week.
“That is the biggest I have ever heard of any success with my music. And it is been simply God’s blessing and the support of people as well. Music is something I take personally, I had to finish university first.
“I studied at Bowen University, and from 2016 to like 2020 I started Communication and Performing Arts so Music has always been something I loved as a child I listened to Michael Jackson growing up my father would play Lagbaja, Bunny M, Sony Ade, and Michael Jackson records.
“So it has always been a mixture of different genres for me. My parents introduced me to a lot of Nigerian music and also a lot of foreign music, r&b, and pop. So you know, when you soak something in as a child, and you grow, it just becomes part of you. So that influenced my sound a lot, the Nigerian music I was raised on and the ones I found myself and foreign music that I was also raised on.”
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