Folarin and Keziah Have 100% Control

Independent Gospel recording artists Folarin and Keziah are ready to storm the Gospel world on a global level. The two have created lots of music that they plan to release on their label God Colors Media.

These independent artists possess 100% control and 100% ownership of their music. Currently in Canada, they are happy to remain independent. However, they would consider a major deal if it were a situation where all involved parties would win.

We caught up with Folarin and Keziah recently. They were nice enough to take the time to answer a few questions for Hits You Love Radio.

What is your music background?
Our main instrument is voice and have been worship leaders in local churches in Nigeria, England and Canada.

Folarin: I started out on piano in my teenage years but quit to focus on track and soccer. I joined the children’s choir at the age of 9 and sang soprano. My love for music was re-ignited in high school and I started self-training and moved on to singing solos on my high school choir. I became a praise and worship and music director in my late teen and also started dabbling in song writing about the same time. Later, I took on the guitar and took some private classes and self-taught materials. Around 2008, I started studio recording while working on a project for my local church in Nigeria. That experience gave me the exposure to DAW applications like Pro Tools and Fruity loops (FL Studio). I recently completed some courses on music production through Berklee School of Music which further influenced the decision to self-produce our music.

Keziah: I was born into a music loving family so I was introduced to and fell in love with music and the arts at a very young age. I began singing in a children’s choir when I was about 6 years old. I went on the join the church choir at my high school where I became the choir leader in my senior year. After high school I joined a local youth choir called YBSC Family Choir before going to University where I joined the House on the Rock Church Choir. I took a break from singing between 2005 and 2010 to explore some of my other talents and gifts. I returned to singing professionally in 2010 where I began to work on writing songs as I prepared to record my debut album. Since then I have completed a Voice Technique Course at Berklee School of Music and I am currently studying Piano at Merriam School of Music.

Who are your musical influences?
Our greatest influences include gospel artists like Andrea Crouch, Richard Smallwood, Ron Kenoly, Fred Hammond, John P Kee, Israel Houghton, Cece Winans, Yolanda Adams, Karen Clark Sheard. Recently, we have been inspired by artists like William McDowell, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Steffany Gretzinger, Maranda Curtis, Bethel Worship & Jesus Culture who are pioneering a new move of worship. We also admire artists like Sinach, Ntokozo Mbambo and Nathaniel Bassey who are taking the sounds of Africa to the world.

What are your long-term career goals?
We are in this for the long haul and hope to continue to cultivate our brand through our independent music label; God Colors Media. We have recorded a number of songs and plan to release more singles, Eps and albums throughout our music career. Ultimately, we want to have a national and global platform to shine more light on the work been done here in Canada and continue to share the message of hope, love, forgiveness and peace found in Jesus Christ. It would be a thing of great joy to be able to collaborate with some of our greatest musical influences. Also, we believe we are blessed to be a blessing and hope we can help other artists in the making fulfil their dreams through our Independent label; God Colors Media.

What type of recording process do you use and who produced your recording?

We recorded all our songs starting with the making of a scratch track where every main instrument was recorded live together in the studio. We found this method to be dynamic and allowed each musician to feed of each other’s energy. It also allowed to create a live feel on a song like Jesus is alive. We also did our live vocals while the band played which also provided a guide on the ebbs and flow of each song. The chord structure were created on the scratch track. Each instrument was later over-dubbed separately until the original track was deleted. This mainly involved recording the harmonies (piano, synths, rhythm guitar) and then the melodies (lead guitar). We added color using various tools including background vocals, percussion fills, piano fills and sound effects. The last step was recording and re-recording the lead vocals before editing, mixing and mastering. We self-produced all our tracks with the help of our talented friends and gifted musicians; Tomide Oyebola (generating the chord structures) and Amy King White (recording the scratch track).

Do you ever get the chance to perform live?
Yes, we get the chance to perform live. We write songs that can be used on praise and worship sets and often do our songs on stage in our local church or when invited for concerts. This has helped to see what works and how listeners respond to our songs. Live performance gives us the chance to re-create what we sensed on stage when recording in the studio.

Are you looking for to remain independent or to get a major label deal?
At the moment, we have 100% creative control, keep 100% of the profits and have 100% ownership of our music as independent artists. It’s been an expensive and arduous process but we’ve learnt so much making music. Singing with a major label means access to more resources and budget, networks, connections and marketing strategies. That means limited creative control and fewer profits from copyright transfer. In weighing the pros and cons, we would remain as independent artists for now and continue to develop our music business experience and eventually take this on a full time role. However, we would consider signing with a label if we can work out a win-win contract.

If anything, what would you change about the music industry today?
We think many changes are needed at all levels of making music, getting music to fans and making profits from music. First, more funding is required for creative arts at all levels, whether in schools, colleges or for artists that need support to do their crafts. Ideally, this funding should match or come close to what is spent for STEM programs. In terms of distribution, more should be done to ensure streaming is available to everyone in every continent since people no longer spend money on physical CDs. Streaming services needs to increase the payouts to artists so that they can make more than the minimum wage. Live shows are a major way of making money but ticket touts and scalpers should not be making so much money at the expense of independent artists. Ideally, artists should be able to get a percentage of the cost on every ticket sold instead of a fixed prize. Also, there should be more enforcement of illegal downloads and anti-piracy laws.

Do you have any advice for up-and-coming artists?
To every one looking to start out in the music industry, you need to create music that you enjoy and be true to yourself. Don’t let people or the industry change you into what you are not. Listeners can really see through the farce. You need to build a team around you. You can start with your friends and families and then get professional help as you get bigger. Being an independent artist takes a lot of effort and we both support each other and share our roles to keep things moving. It’s also important to keep on learning new things in terms of song writing, production and especially the business side of things. You need to be patient because success takes time and may need to keep your day job to make music before your big pay day comes. Network by attending events and also support local artists that you like by buying their music and going to see them perform live.

Anything else you want to say on the people?
We are grateful for the huge support from friends, families and fans who have been supporting our music. We also appreciate every radio DJ that has spun our songs and curators who have our songs to their playlist. We look forward to coming to a city near you for a live performance. We will continue to work at our craft and be the best we can at creating and releasing inspirational and life changing music.