WHAT DO ASA AND NIKKI LAOYE HAVE IN COMMON? THE ACE GUITARIST/SINGER- "GBOLAHAN"

The Nigerian music industry is experiencing a major renaissance as a whole new generation of Afro hip hop, soul, r&b and pop acts rise to establish a new age in our music culture with major international appeal.
From among these emerge, GBOLAHAN, an inspiring yet versatile singer and songwriter with a flair for rock and R&B juiced with a strong rhythm from ‘dante’, his acoustic guitar which he plays with thoroughbred skill.
Underground for a while, with the previous release of  his demo album a couple of years back which included the very popular ‘Agbanilagbatan’ (ultimate deliverer), He's also been a part of the history and musical development of some top nigerian artistes.
Namely, Asa, one of Nigeria's finest, whom he tutored on her guitar-playing skills and was widely recognised as the very expressive guitarist in Nikki Laoye's "Never Felt This Way Before" musical video, after which, he also has accompanied her at many events including The Experience IV 2009 before a 500,000 audience



ASA - the Playing Songbird



SnapShot from Nikki Laoye's Video ( Right is Gbolahan)

 Gbolahan (pronounced ‘gbor-la-hun’, which means, show off my wealth!) is a native of the Yoruba tribe in South Western Nigeria and was born in Lagos to a chartered accountant father and an entrepreneurial mother. Along with his 5 sisters (of which he is the 5th), they were a close knit and highly musical family as he learnt to play the piano at the age of 7. He recalls, “I learnt to sing 3-part harmony during family devotions as everyone could sing beautifully, so I knew what soprano, alto, tenor sounded like long before I even knew what they were called.” He eventually became the choirmaster at Command Secondary School Jos. He adds, “I wrote my first song when I was 14 and sang it at the school chapel, all my friends couldn’t believe I wrote it yet kept asking me for the lyrics. This trend has followed me ever since.”
As a freshman economics undergraduate at the University of Lagos in 1996, he was encouraged to learn to play the guitar by a neighbour during a 6-month Academic Staff Union strike (that plagued all Nigerian Universities!). With the aid of the book given to him, he began his journey to becoming a versatile guitarist, pianist, singer, songwriter and guitar tutor to over 200 clients including the world acclaimed guitar playing songbird, ASA.
 He has graced the stage on Spirit of David’s Celebrity Takes 2 and with artistes such as KUSH, Cobhams, Rooftop Mc’s, Nikki Laoye, Lara George, Yinka Davies and recorded along with names like TY Bello and Sound Sultan.


Gbolahan has released singles with critical acclaim  such as ‘Agbanilagbatan’ (ultimate deliverer), ‘Seni ma dupe’(I’ll always give thanks) and ‘Valentine’; all produced by the highly acclaimed producer, Cobhams Asuquo. These tracks reflect his spiritual, soulful and romantic sides. He confesses, “I see myself as a Contemporary Christian artiste, who is just an ordinary guy with a gift for writing heartfelt songs on my guitar that the regular guy on the streets can relate to: and the positive response from people is proof of this connection.”
He recently teamed up with Wole Oni, another highly acclaimed producer to record his new single ‘Lojojumo’ (Everyday), an upbeat Rock classic which is receiving good reviews and airplay from radio stations. The video was just released recently and Gbolahan is edging closer towards the release of his 12-track album titled, ‘Seni ma dupe’ in 2011. He assures his growing fans to expect great music, deep lyrics, heartwarming vocals and lots of quality guitar work.
Gbolahan is married to Ademilola, and they live in Lagos. He is a self employed guitar and voice tutor and continues to share his love for music with his many clientele most especially, the children.


    "Lojojumo"- Video Directed by Imoh Umoren




Video of  "Agbanilagbatan" (Produced by Cobhams Asuquo)