How My Father Influenced My Music Career- Temidayo Balogun

Boston, United States of America-based musician, Temidayo Balogun, who leads "Akede Band," loves what is doing and he is determined to give it all it takes.

In this interview, Balogun spoke about how he got into the music profession, his father's influence in his career and who he is planning to collaborate with in Nigeria.

What made you want to become a musician?

As a kid I grew up in a music oriented home. My dad who was a shepherd at the Celestial Church of Christ, but he is late now. May his soul rest in peace. My dad played a major role in influencing my choice of becoming a musician because growing up, I watched him play different kinds of music in the house.

As the pastor's son, as soon as they get a new instrument in the church I will be the first person to play that instrument without having any kind of education aboy that instrument. I just have a way of finding the sound of the instrument. 

After a while, my dad got me a music teacher that helped me in learning some of these instruments. I started learning at the young age of nine (9). That was when I had my first music instrument lesson and that was the drum set. If I'm not mistaken, three years after, the church bought a keyboard, I also took lessons on the keyboard. 

After my secondary school education, I gained admission into Peter Kings College of Music in Oko Afo, Badagry, which was the first music school I attended. I did a 3 year program in music performance and education there.

At the completion of my program at Peter Kings College of Music, I won a scholarship titled! MTN Scholarship, sponsored by MTN Foundation to study for 2 years at the MUSON School of Music (Music Society of Nigeria). I completed my degree with a diploma in music from the MUSON School of Music. After my program at MUSON, my passion and quest to be the best in my music career led me to taking online lessons from a jazz professor from New Jersey, United States of America for a while. I did this from 2017 to 2019. In 2020, I gained admission to study Jazz and Contemporary music Graduate Studies at Longy School of Music in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which I recently completed. 

Aside Music, what else do you do? 

Nothing! All I do is music. Currently, I teach jazz, jazz saxophone, jazz piano, and jazz flute. I also teach composition and songwriting. I teach these in schools in Boston, USA and also teach online private lessons for interested students. I don't just play saxophone, I do composition, arranging, orchestration, and I also produce music for other musicians. I have produced for a couple of artists, some non-jazz, gospel, and yoruba fusion musicians.

Do you have any favorite instrument?

It is hard for me to pick a favourite instrument because the instrument represents my artistry. My artistry at the moment is mostly amplified through my saxophone. I would say saxophone is my favorite at the moment. However, I also have vocal songs, for those kinds of songs, I will say my artistry is being expressed through my vocals. Most of the time I play the saxophone.

Tell us about AKÉDE?

AKÉDE means town crier in Yoruba dialect. I named the group, AKÉDE because the music I started writing at that time speaks about issues that affect us as human beings and also as African people. The best name that fits the band and depicts our message so well is AKÉDE, which means a messenger bringing a message to the people.

If you would collaborate with any musician who would it be?

Depending on the territory, if I have to collaborate with musicians in Nigeria, I have a lot of names I can mention.One of the few people that I want to work with very recently would be (smiled with pause). It is hard to make up a name as I am already talking to some of them. However, one of my favorite musicians is Dotti, The Deity. I also love Brymo, he is one of the favorite musicians that I listen to.

Do you have any musician that inspire you?

I don't have a particular artist that inspires me. I listen to many artists across the different genres and everyone I listen to inspires me one way or the other. I listen to Jazz, Afrobeats, Highlife, especially Highlife artists from Ghana. 

How would you describe your music style?

If I want to place a name to my style, I would say it is a Yoruba post-style. 

Tell us about one of your memorable performances?

That would be a show I was invited to by GBH Radio in Boston, USA to play a concert series. I had to play many of my recent compositions. It was very nice. The audience was very mature to listen to my music.