Korede; The Belloved Prince Of Mavin

After three years of thrilling fans with his hit singles, Mavin Records singer Korede Bello has officially released his debut album Belloved. The singer recently announced the album with a post of the album cover art and an official statement on his Instagram page.

   

   The message read thus: “Dearly Belloved, It is with an incredibly gladdened heart I write this to you. It’s been 3 years since I got signed – 3 years of sweet memories, and accomplishments that have led to this moment. Finally, My Debut Album Belloved is ready. I worked real hard to ensure each of them is a masterpiece; a body of work that would still be relevant in the coming decade. Because of you I am #Belloved. Listen and be blessed.”

   The 11-track album boasts an eclectic list of some of the most celebrated producers Nigeria has ever produced such as Don Jazzy, Cobhams, Altims and Baby Fresh.

  “It feels like having a child or getting married I guess; I don’t know what any of those experiences look like, but I can liken it to that. Whenever they search my name, the album would be reckoned with me. This is my first album ever and it means a lot to me. I’ve put in a lot of work and I’m really excited about the outcome; the reviews have been very positive. Let me say I expected nothing less actually,” Korede said in an interview with The Guardian.

    Ever since Korede made the tweet announcing his album release, endorsements have continued to pour in, with reviews from music critics. Particularly, the tweet from Wizkid made the day for young Korede.

   “I mean, it was barely 24 hours after we released the album; in the morning, I just saw a Wizkid notification. He tweeted the album and I could see from the caption that it was something he’s genuinely excited about. He literarily listened to every song and he appreciated it; he really loved the album and that was what excited me most. Prior to that time, he’s one of my guys I respect his craft, but I never told him to help me promote anything; there was nothing like that. And seeing that from him is a big deal that, ‘oh, this is a good work, I should be confident about it,” he enthused.

   Just recently, Korede Bello performed at the Wazobia FM Carnival where he thanked the radio station for setting the tone for his music career by putting his first ever single, I Love Naija, on air.

   “It’s inexplicable; the feeling was new. It was something I had never felt before because I’m a big fan on the radio. Though it’s a patriotic track, hearing my song on radio felt so real, I was like, ‘yoo, that’s me singing.’ I was excited, dancing around the house, calling everybody that cares to know that my song was playing on radio. And it wasn’t just played once; Yaw kept playing it back to back. I felt like a superstar already, I felt like this thing can actually come through. It was part of what gave the drive to keep pushing,” he revealed.

   Largely, the airplay from radio station such as Wazobia FM, to a large extent, paved the way for the first ever meeting between Korede and MAVIN Record boss Don Jazzy in 3013.

   “After 2010, I released a few more singles; I was relatively popular within my own world, I had some fans. Then, one of my beloved helpers connected me to someone that knew Don Jazzy; the person was very passionate about me and about helping me to the next level. So, I got connected to Don Jazzy via that person,” he narrated.

     Meeting Don Jazzy was a big deal for young Korede Bello, who saw that as an opportunity to widen his fan base.

   “He invited me and my manager to the studio; different people spoke to him about me. He went on and listened to some of my stuffs and said, ‘hmm, some little breath of fresh air.’ We did something like a mini interview, just to get to know me. He was actually singing my song word for word the first time I met him,” he enthused.

    Though joining MAVIN was a big deal, Korede’s hit single Godwin seems to be the magic behind his instant success in the showbiz industry.

    “I think, maybe you are using the wrong word; it was miracle not magic because, God was involved every step of the way,” he said, adding, ‘till date, I can’t explain how this song has catapulted me and my band; how it has opened doors for me, especially the way people perceive. To be honest, I didn’t put limit as to how big the song was going to be because, I knew that this one is a ‘God project’ and there’s no limit to how God can take it,” he said.

  However, it seems the artiste had inkling on how big the track would eventually become.

  “I actually had a dream; I saw Evangelist Ebenezer Obey and he was listening to a radio and they were playing a commercial music, he was in a car. I didn’t know what it meant, but days after we did Godwin, I now remembered, ‘Oh my God…’ that was the meaning of the dream; I was going to have a gospel like song in a commercial way. It just clicked to me that God blessed me with Godwin; it was everywhere,” he noted.

  He continued: “The idea was to make it a song that everybody can relate to; so, Muslims, Christians, young old, elderly, corporate world, political sphere. I’ve performed it before presidents; I’ve performed it in the house of God. That was a big song and very overwhelming as well.”

   In most cases, making a hit as an artiste becomes a challenge when it’s time for follow up. For Korede Bello, it wasn’t different.

    “The thing about having a hit is that you don’t know when time goes bye, especially when it’s very good and takes you everywhere that you don’t have time to about follow up. There were some controversies that surrounded me performing the song in church; so, attention is on me now, like what am I going to put out? That was the only pressure,” he said. 

   In the end, Korede and his label settled for Somebody Great featuring Asa.

   “I had recorded so many songs, but which of these songs now will be follow up to Godwin? However, we knew it had to be positive; it had to be in line with the good boy brand. Fortunately for me, I’m naturally a good person and I like to inject positivity into my music. So, Somebody Great just happened to be the perfect follow up,” he said.

  On the choice of album title, he explained, “I look at myself sometimes, and I’m like, “I don’t think I’m the most talented person in the world; I don’t think I’m the finest person in the world. There are people, who are more talented; there are people, who are better looking than I am, there are people, who even love God than I do. But He loves me and He has made the people love me. I think that’s really what this is; it’s not about my talent or my looks, it’s about love. God loving and the fans loving me for who I am, that’s why I decided to title it Beloved.