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Gbemiro Adetokunbo, popularly known as Gt, The Guitarman, has, undoubtedly, signaled a new direction in the Nigerian music industry. Born in 1984, GT is a pure force of nature, with the looks of a teenager and the voice of an angel. He almost looks too young to be allowed out late at night. But his lyrics show a maturity that goes beyond his years. The final year student of Economics at the Lagos State University (LASU) spoke with Funmi Elugbaju about his love for music, how he combines his academics with it and his dream to be extremely rich. Excerpts:

Who is GT the Guitarman?

My names are Olaolu Olugbemiro, aka GT, the Guitarman. I hail from Ogun State, precisely Obafemi Owode Local Government Area. I am a 400 level student of Economics at the Lagos State University and the second of three children. I am a musician and I am also a student.

Why did you decide to go into music?

Music is what I have passion for. I made a mistake by not studying theatre arts in school and that was solely because I was trying to impress my mum and also broaden my horizon.

How has the music industry been treating you?

It’s a mixed feeling, I will say, because of the ups and downs that surrounds the music industry. There are times when you are happy and there are times when you are sad. There are times when you don’t get shows and there are times shows are in abundance. I guess such is life.

Aside schooling and music, what else do you do?

I do a little bit of everything. I can service my generator myself and I can also service my car myself. I do a bit of carpentry and plumbering too. Not for other people but for myself. I am also into music production. I am a self reliant person and someone that can survive in a dessert. I can fit into any setting.

What song gave you the major break?

I think it’s Dreamer. I performed it in 2005 at Nite of a Thousand Laughs and ever since then it’s been good for me.

How comfortable is GT, the Gutarman?

I can afford everything I need and I am working towards getting everything I want. But everything I need I can afford.

What project are you working on?

I am working on so many things. I have a band and I intend to tour the whole of Nigeria for a start.

Is Gt married?

I am very single. I just got out of a five-year relationship. I am definitely going to enter another relationship soon and I just pray it works. I can’t kill myself.

What are the pains and gains of stardom?

The fact that you drive in traffic and people keep calling you, telling you they love you and your music. I am in school and different people call me, sometimes distracting me from lectures, even if that’s not how it’s supposed to be. But it just goes to show that they appreciate you. Being appreciated, I will say, is the major gain of stardom. When you do something for love and you find out that people appreciate what you do and love you, it gives you such joy that automatically clears any sign of pain you might have.

How do you get your inspiration?

I get my inspiration from people around me and my environment. God is my major source of inspiration. There is a meaning to all my song. That’s why I write all of them.

What inspired your hit song, Dreamer?

In was born in the UK in 1984 and if I was born in 1983 I would have gotten my British citizenship. All my life, I always wanted to travel out of Nigeria and most of my friends felt the same way. Sadly, on getting to the embassy, they told me I wasn’t a citizen and it dawned on me that I have been dreaming all these years and that thought alone weighed me down. That incidence inspired my song, Dreamer. Nevertheless, I am proud to be a Nigerian at the moment and I am loving every bit of it though I am ashamed of our corrupt leaders, piracy and so many other things happening in the society.

What do you think can be done to make the entertainment industry grow?

Government’s intervention is the major thing. The Nigerian government should come in and make all the pirates realise that they are thieves and the same measure and punishment that are given to thieves should be given to them.

What have you done in your own way to make the industry grow?

I don’t think it’s my job to do that. It’s my job to sing and talk about it as I am doing now. But it’s left for the government to take a stand. If the government doesn’t support us, then we will just keep talking and nothing will be done. There is nothing I can do other than talk. My voice is my selling point.

Who are your friends in the industry?

So many of them, I don’t think I have enemies in the industry. The list is very long.

Do you have a cabal in the industry?

No, I don’t. I love to be free with everyone.

What is your fashion statement?

I am a simple person. It doesn’t take me anything to dress up. I just pick my shirt and my jeans and I am good to go.

The hat you spot, is it your signature?

I am trying to come up with something else. It’s been five years with the guitar and I definitely have to change it. We are still experimenting though. I tried dreadlocks and other stuffs but at the end of the day, I know we will find something.

Where do you hang out?

I hang out in my room, in my house. I am not the outgoing type. Work, to me, is hanging out. The only place I love hanging out is my house. At times, a couple of friends will come around and we will just gist and generally enjoy ourselves. I pretty much have everything I need in my house so, I don’t see any reason to go out. If I want to drink, I buy it and take it in my house. If I want to play games, I have them in my house.

How do you combine your school work and career?

I am as clueless as you are. I don’t know how I do it. I wrote two papers yesterday (July 14, 2010) and you can imagine I am still here and I am supposed to prepare for a paper that I have tomorrow (July 16, 2010) or the next. So that’s how it is. It’s all about prioritising. I have been doing that and it has been working for me.

In the league of top Nigerian musicians, how will you rate yourself?

I would love people to do that themselves. I don’t want to belong to any position. I just want to do good music and let people appreciate me for what I do. It’s not a report card thing because I am not in school. The only recognition I need is on the street because that’s where it is practical. We can all do what we want to do but the street remains the most important place and when they are feeling you on the street, then be rest assured you are highly ranked by them.

Are you working on an album now?

My album just came out and I intend to promote it with a couple of tours. They are already lined up and we will be working on them soon. It’s going to be an intimate setting where my fans could come together and experience my music first hand.

Do your parent support your chosen career?

At first, my parent weren’t in support. I grew up with my mum, so it was pretty tough as I was always fighting with her. There were a number of occasions that I left the house for her. At times, I will stay away for like three months and the last time I left I got my own place. Despite all these, we are very good friends. She is very understanding, she prays for me and she understands my kind of music. She likes the fact that I am still in school and if I drop out I am going to break her heart.

Who are your roles models?

My role models are Taiye Solarin, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and recently 2face Idibia. I love his humility and that is his strong point for me. I also like anybody that has been able to get into the minds of Nigerians. There is something you can learn from them.

What food will make your day?

I love amala with gbegiri and ewedu soup, especially with goat meat.

What is your most embarrassing moment?

I have had so many embarrassing moments that I can’t think of any right now. It is really embarrassing when you get on stage and the sound is bad. If you are supposed to have a hall where you are to perform and the hall is not good and you scream on top of your voice for people to hear you, it is embarrassing. It’s really sad when show organisers don’t make proper provision for good sound and there are so many other times when my female fans will call me and tell me some nasty stuffs. It could also be embarrassing at times, especially when you don’t know how to answer them. This is more so when they call you and tell you they want to sleep with you. You wouldn’t know whether to say thank you or to say go to hell.

What is left for you to achieve?

Time changes a lot of things. But at the moment, I am not thinking of anything. I definitely want to go up because going higher is my dream.

If you were asked to make a wish, what will it be?

I want to be extremely rich like the Mike Adenugas and Aliko Dangotes of this world so that I can make other people’s dream come through. I can imagine what Adenuga is going through right now. He can just look at anybody on the street and probably if the person does anything interesting, he can just call him and bless him. I want to be able to do that and much more.

A lot of actors are moving into the music industry and vice-versa. Are you planning same?

I love to act and I just need people to encourage me a little bit more. It’s a good thing that actors think the music industry is rosy and they want to join. I will love to act someday and the possibilities are endless. I do so many things that people can’t even imagine. I have a talent when it comes to carpentry and I can decide to open a big carpentry workshop. I could go into anything as GT is definitely beyond just the guitar and music alone.

How did you come about the name GT, the Guitarman?

GT stands for Gbemiro Adetokunbo and the Guitarman because I play the guitar and it was given to me by my CEO. At first, I didn’t like the name. But it was imposed on me and after my first single, the name stuck. I intend to remove the Guitarman very soon and probably just become GT. I think that will be nice because it is good to surprise people once in a while.

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