Korede Bello must be on cloud nine. His song
Godwin is currently Nigeria’s most popular
song. So popular is it that some have even
gone as far as saying it is now the de facto
anthem of Nigerians all over the world. With
this one song, he has achieved what every
musician actively aims for.
It is also
important to note that this song is actually
Korede’s second or third single as a
professional musician. With this, he has
joined the likes of Davido, Kiss Daniel and
Patoranking as musicians who through one
single attained ‘superstar status’ or in his own
unique case, ‘mega superstar status’.
I did not fully appreciate how popular the
song was until almost all politicians who
emerged victorious during the just concluded
elections adopted it as their ‘unofficial victory
anthem’. Akinwunmi Ambode, governor elect
of Lagos state is said to be especially fond of
the song. In fact, it was the song of choice
when he and APC party stalwarts gathered at
the party headquarters in Ikeja, Lagos to
celebrate his victory at the polls.
With all the plaudits the song has gotten, I
would like to sound a note of warning to
Korede and Mavin Records. Leave the song as it
is, Please do not remix it. Do not get me wrong,
I’m not saying remixing the song will be a bad
thing, I just feel it would be unnecessary to
make a Godwin remix. Some might argue that
a remix might actually make the song last
longer in the minds of music lovers. An
example to support this case would be
Patoranking’s Girlie O ft. Tiwa Savage. The
remix was so good that most people forgot
about the original. But let us also not forget
that major hit songs like Oritsefemi’s Double
Wahala Iyanya’s Kukere, Davido’s Damiduro,
Olamide’s First Of All, and Kiss Daniel’s Woju
had remixes that were considered outright
failures in every sense. Even though they all
featured ‘A list’ musicians like Akon, Dbanj,
Tiwa Savage and Davido.
Though Korede might not realise it, he has
made a song that would be around for a long,
long time. You know your song is a hit when
you are invited to perform it in churches.
Though some pastors might consider it a
‘secular’ song.
Also in all this, one must not forget Don
Jazzy’s input in all this. He remains like the
proverbial wine that gets better with time. 3
of his new school artistes (Korede, Reekado
Banks and Di’Ja) all have songs topping the
charts currently. Other acts signed to his
Mavin records like Tiwa Savage, Dr Sid and D
Prince are also doing well. Kudos to him.
One can only hope Korede develops on the
success of Godwin and keep giving us good
music. We wouldn’t want him to turn into a
‘one hit wonder’.
This article was written by ‘Bisola Alawode.
‘Bisola is a journalist and PR consultant. He
can be reached at
abisolaalawode@yahoo.co.uk
