GOSPEL STAR, KENNY SAINT BEST TALKS MUSIC, COPYRIGHT AND POLITICS

 

KSB

Ace Gospel star, KENNY SAINT BEST popularly referred to as 'KSB' was recently interviewed by COSON XPRESS. In this interview, KSB sheds more light on her journey into the world of music, challenges facing the music industry, copyright issues and political stand.

Here are excerpts, enjoy!

Q: WE KNOW YOU AS AN ARTISTE, A SONG WRITER, A POLITICIAN, WHAT ELSE DO WE NOT KNOW ABOUT KSB? WHAT ELSE IS EMBEDDED IN THE KSB BRAND?

A: Well, KSB is a professional cook.  I have an online food store, it’s not been activate lately but I want to activate it. It’s on the internet and it’s called KSB foodies. We do more of sauces and soups and they are named after Nigerian celebrities. For example we have Don Jazzy, Genevieve, among others. I am also starting my e – store where you can buy my soon to be published books, music and watch my videos.

Q: MUSIC, HOW DID IT ALL START FOR YOU?

A: Music started as a reward for obeying God, and the obedience was for me to be part of a prayer team in London. God was happy with the job, and while I was with the team I was always writing down poems, I thought they were poems and didn’t realise they were songs until God told me they were songs. I didn’t start out as a backup singer for anybody, although I was in the choir but it was for a short time.

Q: LOOKING BACK AT YOUR ENTRY INTO THE MUSIC WORLD AND COMPARING IT WITH TODAY, IT HAS TO BE SAID THAT YOU’VE REMAINED VERY RELEVANT, BUT WHY GOSPEL GENRE?

A: If not Gospel then I wouldn’t be in music at all because I have so many degrees for me to fall on for a career. I wanted to become a successful career person but God hijacked me seeing my commitment and dedication to my own ambition. I was given music as a reward; there was never an inborn intention. The more I do the work of the ‘rewarder’ the more I get ‘rewarded’ and the more I want to please who is ‘rewarding’ me. Serving God brings music for me. Either I switch to hip-hop, street gospel, church praise, and church worship, any which way it comes from complete obedience to God

Q: HOW HAVE YOU MANAGED TO STAY RELEVANT IN THE NIGERIAN MUSIC INDUSTRY?

A: I would say that I am very passionate about KSB, I have a passion for me. I won’t lie to you, I am a lover of me, I want the best out of me, I want to set goals and achieve them and set higher goals. I align with the changes set in the industry. So it comes from that person who has tenacity for greatness. Music is my first constituency, and being an A &R expert, I always know what to do to get it right. Something sharing that passion with me is parenting, so I am committed to being an excellent parent and also an excellent personality either in music, which is my main constituency or even when I veer into Politics.

Q: HAVE YOU HAD ANY REGRETS BEING IN MUSIC?

A: I am not given to regrets because you could be in another industry and meet challenges you have to face head on, music has given me relevance and fulfilment. Although if I had pursued my career in oil and gas, I would have been richer and I also loved the aviation industry, I would have been an international career woman, but I faced music, it pleases God, even when I slow down, it displeases God because he tells me I am slowing down his grace and glory, so I have to run back to music. No regrets!

Q: IN YOUR OPINION WHAT IS THE GREATEST ISSUE FACING THE MUSIC INDUSTRY?

A: Media buying. A lot of people have better music than what’s being aired but those that have the money to buy the media space gain the popularity, get the endorsement, and  in some cases it’s a lot of thrash been aired but you know when this thrash is overly played, before you know it, even you are singing along. On Air Personalities (OAPs) demanding for money before playing your songs is also a problem, some claim they are underpaid while those that are well paid feel they are doing you a favour, so drop something. Many people say it’s piracy that is the major issue but who would pirate a song that isn’t known? Digital downloads have made monetization of music difficult too, as people always want to download the songs for free.

Q: WHAT SOLUTIONS DO YOU PROFFER TO THESE ISSUES?

A: There is no way it won’t cost you money. It has frustrated the older artistes because we are not used to it. Those days’ songs were played for the love of the industry, this new trait is dwarfing the growth of the industry and they don’t know it. It also limits the versatility of the Nigerian music industry because people can’t get to hear the good music from the other artistes. They’ve spent millions on production and have to triple that on media airplay. The cheap way out will be to put it on YouTube, but will it get traffic when it’s not getting airplay? The best you can do is put in on social media, but that’s still limited.

Q: WE KNOW YOU AS A STRONG BELIEVER IN COPYRIGHT, YOU’VE ALSO BEEN A VOCAL POINT FOR COSON, WHY ARE YOU SO PASSIONATE ABOUT COPYRIGHT PROTECTION?

A: I wear 2 caps, one is as an artiste and the other is of a music executive. I’ve been a music executive for over 18 years; I’ve played the dual role well. Way back Kennis Music, every song we had to publish abroad, meant money was coming in, and for those whose songs were played, we paid royalties. So having such knowledge, also as Nigerians we were complaining of not having a body to collect royalties from wherever our works were been used. I would have been miserable if I had pretended not to know the upliftment a body like COSON would bring. As an artiste, that’s a way of securing your life time gratuity and even for your children when you are gone.

Q: FINALLY, IS KSB STILL LOOKING AT POLITICS?

A: Haa! It’s a life time career. I am people’s person, I want things to get better for people. I crave for the next big thing. In Nigeria, I was looking forward to the next big thing and I wanted to be a part of it, and I will be a part of that next big thing. I want to be the link between the government and the people. For me, politics is for life.