In a revealing interview on the Chart with Sims podcast, 9ice, the popular Nigerian singer, opened up about the challenges he faced at the beginning of his music career. Despite his early fame, he admitted that he struggled financially.
The ‘Gongo Aso’ crooner shared some words of advice for aspiring musicians, saying, “Don’t become popular, make money. When I started, I was popular but I didn’t have money.” He emphasized the importance of putting in work to reap the rewards, adding that money eventually started coming his way.
READ MORE: 7 Things That Are More Important Than Your GPA
This candid confession from 9ice sheds light on the struggles that many artists face in the music industry, and it serves as an inspiration for up-and-coming musicians to work hard and persevere through the challenges.
9ice said:-
“The money didn’t just come in, I had to do the right thing. As at then we were depending so much on Alaba International Market. Then we didn’t have Facebook, Instagram and the rest. If you want your song to be popular in Kaduna, you have to go to Kaduna to do a radio interview. You have to be there for people to see you.”
“So, when the money started coming was when we put in the hustle and we marketed the brand by doing print interviews like newspapers, magazines; putting your face out there. I mean, there are sometimes people have good songs and they [fans] don’t even know what you look like.
“I think it is not just about getting popular. But putting your brand out there. Market it, promote it. Let your face be known and the money aspect will come later,” he added.
