In another of the series of special interview sessions for accomplished Musicians and other renown Entertainment figures in Nigeria as facilitated by the reputable Artists Media and Publicity Manager Quadri Rasheed Atanda, Lawal Adeyemi Quadri who goes by the stagename Skaliey Mental delves into his family background with expose on the influence of his family on his choice of music as career while also talking about how his music career has fared all these while, as well as other aspects of his personal life.

It is nice being able to catch up with you for this interview session. Before we proceed,would you mind telling us your real names since there are lots of people who know musicians by their stagename but hardly know the real names of those musicians?

Thank you for starting on that note. My real names are Lawal Adeyemi Quadri.

Should I address you as Mr Lawal or Skaliey Mental during the course of this interview(laughs)?

As it pleases you, both are forms of identity for me. My real names are my official identity found on my international passport,national identification management commission database,bank account statements and other official documents. Skaliey Mental is my music career identity. That is what music fans and people on the streets call me. Whichever one you prefer to call me in the course of this interview,it’s alright by me.

Can you please tell us your tribe and which exact ethnicity and you hail from ?

I am a full blooded Yoruba by tribe and a proud indigene of Ibadan in Oyo state by ethnicity,therefore,I am one of the descendants of great men such as Lagelu, Oluyole,Basorun Ogunmola and others too numerous to mention.

Hmmm,that’s lovely.What are the peculiarities of Ibadan your place of origin,that makes it a lovely abode for people to visit or live in?

Ibadan is a historical city of great warriors that actively participated in the Yoruba civil war and presently,it is the largest city in West Africa. Ibadan was also the seat of the western region government in the days of regionalism. It is on record that the first television station in Africa,first stadium in Nigeria and once tallest building in Nigeria are based in Ibadan. Moreover,the people of Ibadan are accommodating and hospitable.

Are you saying Ibadan as a city is notable for historical facts and its being the political centre of Yorubas in the past only?

There are other reasons. Location wise,Ibadan enjoys advantage of close proximity to Lagos with possibility of reaching Ibadan from Lagos by road or rail on time. In addition,the first football club from Nigeria to win an African football continental trophy was IICC Shooting Stars of Ibadan as at then,the first world boxing title fight in Nigeria was also held in Ibadan,I can go on and on about unique nature of Ibadan, its attractiveness, achievement and its people.

It’s quite educative hearing you talk about Ibadan.Let us talk about your family,how it was like growing up with your parents?

My parents, Mr and Mrs Lawal are the greatest motivation that inspired me. My father worked in Nigeria Railways Corporation and later moved to Media Link. Thereafter,he left Media Link to set up Lawee Publicity as the founder and Chief Executive Officer. My mother worked with Lever Brothers in Agbara,Ogun state which later became Unilever PLC. The striking quality of my parents is their disciplinarian cum motivating nature.They never spared the child. They applied stick and carrot approach.When we erred,we got punished,when we did well,we got rewarded as their children,my parents always did their best to provide for us.

It implies that you have siblings?

Yes,I do.Three siblings made up of two sisters and one brother.

How did your parents take it when you decided to become a musician?

They supported my decision.My father happens to be an artist and artiste,aside his other career interests,he was a back up artiste for former King Sunny Ade instrumentslist Ademola Haywire when Ademola Haywire released his first music album titled,”Mosorire”My father was glad about my interest in music because a successor for his music aspirations emerged when I went into music.

Let’s talk about your personal interests. What kind of food is your favourite because it is usually said that Ibadan indigenes prefer Amala,ewedu,gbegiri and all those stuffs,that is if I am right?

I love all kinds of foods. I have no favourite food so long as the food is tasty and nourishing,I am alright with it,and the food must of course be prepared in an hygienic environment.

That means you must be a foodie.How do you spend your spare time when you are not on stage performing or in studio rehearsing or recording your next music singles?

I am not a foodie(smiles). I am this kind of person that loves to be left alone when I am not performing nor in the studio. During such periods,I reflect on my past music works,their level of acceptance and my recent music performances on stage. I use such moments for stocktaking and brainstorming to improve my creativity and meditate on how my next stage performances and music production will be better than previous ones.

I had this perception of you as a complete extrovert who is always found in the midst of people given your brand of music and lyrics.

Not really that way,I always ensure I create time to be alone for self-reflection.

(To be continued)