I took a big risk on Kenny G -Mike Aremu
I took a big risk on Kenny G -Mike Aremu
Nigeria’s leading saxophonist, Mike Aremu, has opened up on how he proposed to his wife of three years, Omolara. In an exclusive chat with TONY OGAGA ERHARIEFE, Aremu, who is set to thrill fans when his annual concert, Sax Appeal 4, takes centre stage in Abuja on November 23, said that he flew all the way from the United Kingdom to propose to his wife. It was June 23, 2009, her birthday.
“Actually it was on her birthday. I was in the UK but travelled to Nigeria; she did not know I was coming. I got to her home at exactly 12 midnight opened the door, right there before her parents and siblings, I wished her a happy birthday and proposed to her. I later gave her an engagement ring; she was ecstatic! We finally tied the knot two years later on June 23, 2011, just before Sax Appeal 3. We dated for like two years before we tied the knot.” and knocked on the door. When she
Aremu was already a celebrity with so many women around him. How was he able to pick his wife out of the crowd? His face splits in a grin as he responds: “When you see the real thing you just know. I guess that is what happened with my wife. In her, I saw somebody who wasn’t bothered about my fame and who just accepted me the way I was; I was so excited. I knew I had finally found the bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. What attracted me to her was her kindness, her realness and genuine nature.”
Three years down the line, Aremu describes marriage as a great experience saying that with each passing day, he and his wife are getting to know each other better. “She is my best friend and getting to know her has been a great blessing upon my life. I had a son in between and it’s been a very rewarding experience. Now it is no longer all about me because I have a wife and a son,” he enthuses.
As a showman always on the move, does Aremu get to spend quality time with his family? “I spend time with my family; I dedicate time to be with them. I don’t just come home, I stay home with them; those days I even took Omolara on tours; that was before our son, Jetro came along,” he quips.
To Aremu, the joy of fatherhood is inexplicable as he cherishes being a father: “I have a passion for my son and wife. I just enjoy watching him play and grow. We are looking at having at least three or four kids. Fatherhood has given me a very strong sense of responsibility and purpose.”
Today, the musician is one of the frontrunners in the drive to reinvent jazz music in Nigeria. His career started in the church at the tender age of eight. He later joined House on The Rock’s music team playing alongside the likes of Sammie Okposo, Agboola Shadare and Gbenga Owoeye-Wise among others, while also playing with the Compassion Band of Strong Tower Mission, Lagos. This culminated into performances at such venues like Pintos, Green Lion, Club Towers, K’s Place and Mega Plaza’s Dome to mention a few. During this period, he also did session work with artistes like Onyeka Onwenu, Ras Kimono and K1 de Ultimate. Today, The ex-Kennis Music artiste has released a number of albums including Dance, No Shaking and his latest, Coat of Many Colours. He has also toured the world extensively playing alongside notable international artistes like Kenny G, Hugh Masakela, Najee, Kirk Franklin, Marvin Winans, Ron Kenoly, Mary Mary and Adlan Cruz.
Speaking on his latest album featuring MI and Sasha, which was released last year, Aremu said: “My latest album, Coat of Many Colours, is quite great. It was recorded in the UK. Coat Of Many Colours is a 16-tracker double CD with spanking singles including Doxology and Life Goes On.”
Sax Appeal
During Mike Aremu’s tour of the UK in 2008, he organised a sold-out concert at the Jazz Café, and that experience inspired the creation of Sax Appeal, a concept that is geared towards the rebirth and promotion of live music performances in Nigeria. Currently in its fourth edition, Sax Appeal has featured artistes like Kenny G, Judith Sephuma, Kunle Ayo, Yolanda Brown, Agboola Shadare, Yinka Davis, Tosin Martins, Bez, Cobhams, and Waje among others.
Now, arrangements are in top gear for the successful hosting of this year’s edition of Sax Appeal at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja on November 23. On preparations for the show, Aremu said: “Sax Appeal 4 will parade great artistes like American smooth jazz Latino saxophonist, Jessy J, Kunle Ayo, Yinka Davies, Timi Dakolo and my humble self.”
How did he arrive at the choice of Jessy J for Sax Appeal 4? “My manager in London, Tunde Babs, has always spoken about how he went for a concert few years ago where Jessy J performed, and the next day his wife went to buy a saxophone because she was so impressed with her performance. However, during my last concert in London earlier in the year, my manager wanted to bring Jessy J but I said ‘no, this is just about me and my band.’ Because of that, I got interested in her and looked her up and I was like wow! She’s actually huge and a great performer. So, my team was like you’ve done Kenny G before, let’s do Jessy. You see everything works for good, so here she is today. Jessy has worked with some of the best and biggest names in jazz.”
The highpoint of Sax Appeal was in 2011 when Kenny G headlined the show at Eko Hotel & Suites, Lagos. Back then a lot of people felt Aremu wouldn’t be able to deliver on his promise. How did he pull it off?
“After Sax Appeal 1 and 2 at the Muson Centre which were successful in terms of turn out, I promised my fans that Sax Appeal 3 was going to feature Kenny G. And immediately I said so, I was like, ‘what did I just say?’ Kenny G is huge and you naturally don’t want to make something public until you are ready.
“Truth is, until I said it, there was no plan to invite Kenny G. However, that gave me the impetus to succeed; I couldn’t go back on my words. I had promised and I had to deliver. At the end of the day, I just said to myself, if he is free for Sax Appeal 3, I will bring him to Nigeria no matter what it takes, and today the rest is history.”
Five years on, has he achieved his dream for Sax Appeal? Hear him: “I am grateful and happy. After Sax Appeal 1, a lot of jazz events have sprung up like the Lagos Jazz Series and Smooth Jazz Concert. Before that, there was the Lagos International Jazz Festival. We have really come a long way. The dream was to market jazz like a pop event and it has paid off. Of course, there is a niche but I wanted everybody to be part of Sax Appeal and it has paid off tremendously.”
Now, Aremu must be a multi-millionaire. Has he really made money from Sax Appeal? The musician shakes his head vigorously as he responds: “No, I wouldn’t say so. At the moment, it is still passion driven and supported by people who share the dream. We are trying to get it there and I know that eventually, the money will come. And since we have chosen to do it, we are not going to stop. In between, I got married as well, so family also took its own toll but I am happy with what we have archived today.
“Did I ever believe I could be this big when I started over two decades ago? Oh yes, I believed so much in my passion. I was just following my heart and I believed that I would accomplish great things. Let me state that everything I have achieved is just by the grace of God. It’s not because I did anything right but because I was favoured by God.”
“Actually it was on her birthday. I was in the UK but travelled to Nigeria; she did not know I was coming. I got to her home at exactly 12 midnight opened the door, right there before her parents and siblings, I wished her a happy birthday and proposed to her. I later gave her an engagement ring; she was ecstatic! We finally tied the knot two years later on June 23, 2011, just before Sax Appeal 3. We dated for like two years before we tied the knot.” and knocked on the door. When she
Aremu was already a celebrity with so many women around him. How was he able to pick his wife out of the crowd? His face splits in a grin as he responds: “When you see the real thing you just know. I guess that is what happened with my wife. In her, I saw somebody who wasn’t bothered about my fame and who just accepted me the way I was; I was so excited. I knew I had finally found the bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. What attracted me to her was her kindness, her realness and genuine nature.”
Three years down the line, Aremu describes marriage as a great experience saying that with each passing day, he and his wife are getting to know each other better. “She is my best friend and getting to know her has been a great blessing upon my life. I had a son in between and it’s been a very rewarding experience. Now it is no longer all about me because I have a wife and a son,” he enthuses.
As a showman always on the move, does Aremu get to spend quality time with his family? “I spend time with my family; I dedicate time to be with them. I don’t just come home, I stay home with them; those days I even took Omolara on tours; that was before our son, Jetro came along,” he quips.
To Aremu, the joy of fatherhood is inexplicable as he cherishes being a father: “I have a passion for my son and wife. I just enjoy watching him play and grow. We are looking at having at least three or four kids. Fatherhood has given me a very strong sense of responsibility and purpose.”
Today, the musician is one of the frontrunners in the drive to reinvent jazz music in Nigeria. His career started in the church at the tender age of eight. He later joined House on The Rock’s music team playing alongside the likes of Sammie Okposo, Agboola Shadare and Gbenga Owoeye-Wise among others, while also playing with the Compassion Band of Strong Tower Mission, Lagos. This culminated into performances at such venues like Pintos, Green Lion, Club Towers, K’s Place and Mega Plaza’s Dome to mention a few. During this period, he also did session work with artistes like Onyeka Onwenu, Ras Kimono and K1 de Ultimate. Today, The ex-Kennis Music artiste has released a number of albums including Dance, No Shaking and his latest, Coat of Many Colours. He has also toured the world extensively playing alongside notable international artistes like Kenny G, Hugh Masakela, Najee, Kirk Franklin, Marvin Winans, Ron Kenoly, Mary Mary and Adlan Cruz.
Speaking on his latest album featuring MI and Sasha, which was released last year, Aremu said: “My latest album, Coat of Many Colours, is quite great. It was recorded in the UK. Coat Of Many Colours is a 16-tracker double CD with spanking singles including Doxology and Life Goes On.”
Sax Appeal
During Mike Aremu’s tour of the UK in 2008, he organised a sold-out concert at the Jazz Café, and that experience inspired the creation of Sax Appeal, a concept that is geared towards the rebirth and promotion of live music performances in Nigeria. Currently in its fourth edition, Sax Appeal has featured artistes like Kenny G, Judith Sephuma, Kunle Ayo, Yolanda Brown, Agboola Shadare, Yinka Davis, Tosin Martins, Bez, Cobhams, and Waje among others.
Now, arrangements are in top gear for the successful hosting of this year’s edition of Sax Appeal at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja on November 23. On preparations for the show, Aremu said: “Sax Appeal 4 will parade great artistes like American smooth jazz Latino saxophonist, Jessy J, Kunle Ayo, Yinka Davies, Timi Dakolo and my humble self.”
How did he arrive at the choice of Jessy J for Sax Appeal 4? “My manager in London, Tunde Babs, has always spoken about how he went for a concert few years ago where Jessy J performed, and the next day his wife went to buy a saxophone because she was so impressed with her performance. However, during my last concert in London earlier in the year, my manager wanted to bring Jessy J but I said ‘no, this is just about me and my band.’ Because of that, I got interested in her and looked her up and I was like wow! She’s actually huge and a great performer. So, my team was like you’ve done Kenny G before, let’s do Jessy. You see everything works for good, so here she is today. Jessy has worked with some of the best and biggest names in jazz.”
The highpoint of Sax Appeal was in 2011 when Kenny G headlined the show at Eko Hotel & Suites, Lagos. Back then a lot of people felt Aremu wouldn’t be able to deliver on his promise. How did he pull it off?
“After Sax Appeal 1 and 2 at the Muson Centre which were successful in terms of turn out, I promised my fans that Sax Appeal 3 was going to feature Kenny G. And immediately I said so, I was like, ‘what did I just say?’ Kenny G is huge and you naturally don’t want to make something public until you are ready.
“Truth is, until I said it, there was no plan to invite Kenny G. However, that gave me the impetus to succeed; I couldn’t go back on my words. I had promised and I had to deliver. At the end of the day, I just said to myself, if he is free for Sax Appeal 3, I will bring him to Nigeria no matter what it takes, and today the rest is history.”
Five years on, has he achieved his dream for Sax Appeal? Hear him: “I am grateful and happy. After Sax Appeal 1, a lot of jazz events have sprung up like the Lagos Jazz Series and Smooth Jazz Concert. Before that, there was the Lagos International Jazz Festival. We have really come a long way. The dream was to market jazz like a pop event and it has paid off. Of course, there is a niche but I wanted everybody to be part of Sax Appeal and it has paid off tremendously.”
Now, Aremu must be a multi-millionaire. Has he really made money from Sax Appeal? The musician shakes his head vigorously as he responds: “No, I wouldn’t say so. At the moment, it is still passion driven and supported by people who share the dream. We are trying to get it there and I know that eventually, the money will come. And since we have chosen to do it, we are not going to stop. In between, I got married as well, so family also took its own toll but I am happy with what we have archived today.
“Did I ever believe I could be this big when I started over two decades ago? Oh yes, I believed so much in my passion. I was just following my heart and I believed that I would accomplish great things. Let me state that everything I have achieved is just by the grace of God. It’s not because I did anything right but because I was favoured by God.”
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