Name: Olisaedozie Aniebonam aka Olisae
Nationality: Nigerian
Occupation: Vocalist, songwriter, producer
Current release: Olisae's new single "Sambele", a collaboration with Slowdog, is out via Dripmedias. He also recently worked with YouTube Music’s Director of Design, Dee Speed, to create his own personal luxury brand.
Recommendations: In terms of music, I recommend Fela Anikulakpokuti and Olisae and for books I would recommend Robert Ludlum (The Matarese Circle and the Bourne series) and The Joy of Motherhood by Buchi Emecheta. Art works hmmmm … I love Rembrandt (Storm of the sea of Galilee) and Michelangelo’s Mona Lisa.

If you enjoyed this Olisae interview and would like to stay up to date with his music, visit him on Instagram, Facebook, Soundcloud, and twitter.



When I listen to music, I see shapes, objects and colours. What happens in your body when you're listening? Do you listen with your eyes open or closed?

I listen with both my eyes closed or open, depending on what mood or particular music I’m unto.

What were your very first steps in music like - and how do you rate gains made through experience versus the naiveté of those first steps?

I was always jumping into studios despite the constraints I had in my early beginnings. My family, especially my father, never supported the idea of music as a career even though I caught music from him (he liked to sing and play, he owned a guitar and went for music lessons). I had very little or no support to further up, hence I would always sneak in at my best free time.

I ventured into music professionally after I garnered experiences working as a studio hand.

According to scientific studies, we make our deepest and most incisive musical experiences between the ages of 13-16. What did music mean to you at that age and what’s changed since then?

At that age every member of my family could sing, albeit not professionally. We were all members of our local church choir (I had the opportunity to learn to play some instruments), so music was not alien to me.

I still had not thought about music as a career path that I would eventually take. At the time, music was not generally accepted or encouraged in my environment as a career by most parents and my folk were no different.

Over the course of your development, what have been your most important instruments and tools and how have they shaped your perspective on music?

Over the course of my career, my most important working tool have been my laptops, and headphones. I have a portable sound card that accompanies it, and they follow me pretty much everywhere.

I draw inspiration from everything around me even though I never let myself get carried away when I get an urge to create when its inappropriate.

What, would you say, are the key ideas behind your approach to music and what motivates you to create?

Like I said earlier, I draw inspiration from pretty much everything around me. I like love, my personal love life, I sing about politics, nature, my environment, etc. Sometimes, the sounds around me.

But mostly, my motivation comes from my love for music.

Paul Simon said “the way that I listen to my own records is not for the chords or the lyrics - my first impression is of the overall sound.” What's your own take on that and how would you define your personal sound?

For me, getting a hang of the overall sound of any recording may not be the first time you listen to it. It may be listening to it over and over again that helps draw out your feelings about the sound.

Even though I am at the center of every production, I have had situations where I had to ditch certain aspects of a recording if over time they failed to meet my expectation or creative idea. I ensure that the final output is pure before I put it out no matter how long it takes. I make changes where necessary.

My personal sound is Olisae. Original. I strive to sound like me and not copy anyone else in the industry. I have a little blend of the king of Afro, Fela Anikulakpokuti. But I maintain my originality, the Olisae sound. LOL

Sound, song, and rhythm are all around us, from animal noises to the waves of the ocean. What, if any, are some of the most moving experiences you've had with these non-human-made sounds? In how far would you describe them as “musical”?

My favourite. The animal noises, the waves of the ocean, the trees, and the wind clatters and hisses through leaves rejuvenates my soul.

My love for nature made me live in an almost hinter part of the Eastern Nigeria where I get those nature sounds that are still preserved. They are the best form of natural music I get to listen to.

From very deep/high/loud/quiet sounds to very long/short/simple/complex compositions - are there extremes in music you feel drawn to and what response do they elicit?

I do not have a particular specification or genre in music I listen to. I listen to all good stuff. I listen to all good music and sometimes my mood will dictate what type of sounds I would love to hear at a particular time or period.

But hey … if the first 5 seconds of a track don’t draw me in, I’m for sure skipping to the next track. (Now you know why I don’t joke with my track intros.)

From symphonies and traditional verse/chorus-songs to linear techno tracks and free jazz, there are myriads ways to structure a piece of music. Which approaches work best for you – and why?

What I feel at the moment of making a track determines what type of vibe I'm giving out. Most times, I do not write my songs. I allow that spiritual moment to take over. I mostly free style.

I almost can not recognize what I’m doing until, perhaps after the track has been made.

Could you describe your creative process on the basis of one of your pieces, live performances or albums that's particularly dear to you, please?

Every single piece or song I have ever made is dear to me. But I will pick “Good love”.



It came straight from my heart. It had to do with my personal love life. Musings about my woman and where we were in our relationship and about us generally.

Sometimes, science and art converge in unexpected ways. Do you conduct “experiments” or make use of scientific insights when you're making music?

No! I do not. Music is spiritual. It is beyond the eyes of men. I would also say spirits and science have nothing in common. They are in fact, the complete opposites.

The only meeting point I would grant the two are in creativity because I can imagine that a scientist would sometimes get like I would when I am in my elements or when I am creating.

How does the way you make music reflect the way you live your life? Can we learn lessons about life by understanding music on a deeper level?

Yes, my music reflects the way I live my life.

As a matter of fact, it is my best form of expression of the things that are on the inside.

Do you feel as though writing or performing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?

I think making music requires a lot of spiritual presence. Anybody can make coffee, but not everybody can make music. Yes, they all require attention and maybe some form of art goes into it, but in very distinct and separate ways or methods. Hence … you spoil it!

For me, making music has been my greatest task, because it has had my greatest devotion.

Every time I listen to "Albedo 0.39" by Vangelis, I choke up. But the lyrics are made up of nothing but numbers and values. Do you, too, have a song or piece of music that affects you in a way that you can't explain?

Similarly, that’s what most good music does to almost everyone. Hence, we refer to them as spiritual. I have tracks like that, too, by Bob Marley. For example, “Redemption song” or “No woman No cry” and many more that put me in that inexplainable moment.

If you could make a wish for the future – what are developments in music you would like to see and hear?

Honestly, I wouldn’t ask for anything more. But I do wish we could actually go back in time.

The developments we have now in music have become so extra that it is almost about to destroy the art of creation. Music has been so simplified that people who do not possess a musical bone in their body and who do not have an iota of idea how music is made end up in a studio and make music that is not worth listening to.

Which is why some so called big names today have very poor stage or live performance or outings. Live bands are very different. Wish we could go back to the days of live bands. LOL