My Friends Deserted Me When I Was Sick –Paul Play Dairo Opens Up

Bouncing back after a seven-year break, Paul
Play Dairo recalls the medical challenge that
affected his career.
After a seven-year hiatus, ace music producer
and artiste, Paul Play Dairo, is working
towards staging a big come back. Having
dropped a total of five singles since March, he
says the response has been massive. In spite
of the seeming lull in album sales, the RnB
star who says he is up-to- beat with current
trends in the music scene, still intends to drop
a 'luxury' album.
"The idea is basically to fill in
the gap since my last album
and also sample people's
opinion. Thankfully, the online comments have
been encouraging. So far, I have recorded 20
songs and some of them have already been
released as singles. I am currently tidying my
gospel and each track has an element of
Nigerian flavor and pop.
"The bulk of the money is no longer coming
from album sales because these songs are
already online and people are downloading
them. Music business is now streamlined to
performance and endorsement. I am still going
ahead with the limited edition album which
will be expensive because that way I will be
able to control and monitor the sales and
distribution," he discloses.
When Paul Play launched his way into the
Nigerian music scene in 1999, riding on the
goodwill and success of his late father, IK
Dairo, he enjoyed solid patronage. Within a
short period, he also earned an independent
voice of his own, springing hit singles that
include Mosorire, Happy Day and Yes O!
In 2009, however, his career was threatened
when he fell ill in South Africa, while shooting
some music videos for his last album and had
to be rushed to a hospital. In his absence, the
media was awash with speculations over the
nature of the illness. It was rumoured that he
had cancer, kidney failure to a spiritual
attack. Four years after, he has clearly moved
on, choosing not to dwell on the nature of the
ailment.
According to him, the near-death-experience
has taught him some lessons. He talks about
a few of them in a low tone saying, "It was
taught to be scared of God, and not to depend
on man because God is ultimate. You don't
have to trust man, but psyche yourself that
people are close to you for one reason or
quality or the other. I lost many trusted
friends during my ailment and gained a few in
the process.
"There were some who said and did things
that made me say 'Oh, even you too', but you
know it is part of life that when things are
down you lose your friends. Right now, I am
not afraid of anything. I am stronger and can
take whatever life throws at me."
The year 2014 is 'Paul Play Dairo's year', if
indications emerging from the soft spoken
artiste are anything to go by. For one, he
intends to release a Box Set- two albums of
highlife and gospel music. The third will be
RnB.
He says, "It will be a limited edition because it
is going to be expensive.I wanted an album
that people will like. That's the reason for the
long silence. My management is considering
working with a number of new school acts like
Inyanya and Wizkid. I am open to work with
any artiste, so I don't end up being an island
in the industry. I don't want to streamline
myself only to a group or set of people. I was
taking my time to do things right and face
other things. I have been able to keep up with
the industry online and the commendation I
have been receiving ever since is an indication
that people have missed me and want me
back on the scene."
The one-time Globacom Ambassador adds
that so much has changed since his
temporary exit from the scene. He says, "The
music industry has become saturated. Today,
everyone wants to sing so there is limited
space to get the desired publicity. But artistes
who have pedigree will always fit in, no matter
what friends," he explains.
While many artistes of his time, have found it
rather difficult to fit into the scene after being
away for a long time, Paul Play is optimistic
that his fans will embrace his return and
warm up to him. He hinges his belief on the
fact that Nigerians now embrace indigenous
music when compared to the past.
"If you say it is difficult to come back and
then give up things will pass you buy. If the
likes of Lionel Richie and Stevie Wonder have
stood the test of time, why label yourself as
old school? With a good pedigree, people will
respect you and with God you can still make a
comeback. I don't intend to stay in music for
a long time,'' he notes.