Being Paul Play Dairo

The name Paul Play is synonymous with the new turn in the Nigerian Music industry. He has carved a niche in the hearts of many lovers of African music with his love songs which touches the souls of many romantic hearts and leaves them yearning for me. Many have found themselves falling in love with his sounds, his lyrics and his voice. Through out the years, many cynics have tied his success to his father’s overwhelming success in Juju music but for those who have actually followed the musical journey of this young man – it is quite obvious, that though he is I.K Dairo’s son, he is a person with his own worth and a person who has created a place for himself within a very different genre of music. I got a chance to talk to Paul Play on being his father’s son, his musical career, his dreams, hopes and aspirations. Enjoy the interview.

PS: Why did you choose that name Paul Play?

Paul Play: That name was given to me by a friend because I was always playing with something in the studio.

PS: I actually thought you were given that name because you play some instruments, like the piano or guitar – do you play any instruments?

Paul Play: Yes, I play the Keyboard and I have been playing that for over 20 years. I also do some music production work as well.

PS: Your songs all seem to be love songs. Why do you choose to sing within that genre of love ballads?

Paul Play: That genre allows me to express myself fully. Beyond that, love songs are more poetic and more creative. Love happens to everyone, regardless of race – it is universal. All songs come from past experiences.
Forever - Paul Play Dairo

PS: When you write your songs do you have a particular audience or demographic in mind or do you just write as you feel?

Paul Play: My songs are not directed at any particular listening group. A lot of my songs are from my personal experiences. Love happens to everyone, regardless of race. I get a lot of emails and text messages from fans who tell me how my music has affected their love life. Love songs will remain universal as long as people keep on enjoying it.

PS: What do you think of the Nigerian R and B industry? Do you think that there is an improvement from how it was in the past? How do you think that it compares with the American and British R and B industry?

Paul Play: There are very few Nigerian artists doing pure R and B music in Nigeria. The rest are doing Nigerian pop music which is a mixture of Nigerian dialects, Reggae and maybe R and B. R and B is still very fresh in Nigeria but people are now warming up to it.

PS: Have you faced any challenges in the music industry?

Paul Play: When I started singing within R and B, Nigerians were not that open to my brand of music. Many record companies did not want to sign us up because they felt that we were too foreign. We were encouraged to sing more local genre’s like Highlife or Juju music but that was not our passion. We produced a song for Tony Tetula which eventually opened up doors because people started paying attention.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWwzqERctUc

PS: I know that you are IK dairo’s son, has being his son helped or hinged your breaking into the music business?

Paul Play: My father died in 1996 and I was doing music way before he died. Of course, he gave me advice in what I was doing but I had to work as hard as other musicians out there.

PS: Do you have a favorite memory of your father?

Paul Play: My father was a very religious man. He was a pastor and one thing that remains with me, is that he always told us to make sure that we remember to put God first in all we do.

PS: How did it feel being IK Dairo’s son when you were growing up?

Paul Play: I really enjoyed that royal treatment but being a really shy person, I was not a fan of all the attention. Growing up we had to be careful in all we did that we did not disgrace our family. I will say that being IK Dairo’s son is a mix bag, you enjoyed the privileges but had to be very careful. I remember when my father died, many companies didn’t want to employ me because they felt that my father had left me with a lot of money and as such I didn’t really need a job.

PS: What does Paul Play do for fun?

Paul Play: I am an introvert and I am always in my home or in the studio. Moreover, being in the limelight, I cannot have too much fun because the press is always around.