Ikuforiji Olaitan, widely recognized as Oxlade, a burgeoning Nigerian music sensation, has disclosed that the iconic singer Wande Coal is the pivotal inspiration for his musical journey.
In a recent interview, Oxlade confessed that his admiration for Wande Coal’s talent and impact on the music industry motivated him to pursue singing. “I don’t think I’ve ever said this generally before, but I think Wande is the reason I make music, and people don’t even know,” he said.
“Wande is the reason why singers have the guts to still sing. Wande came in an era where, you know, vocalists and singers were a dying breed, and he made us have an identity and still believe in ourselves—so having someone like Wande on this album is a dream come true for me.”
Also, Oxlade shared the story of how he collaborated with Wande Coal on his song, Asunasa – Hold Your Waist. He recounted how, after recording the song in Ghana, he felt something was missing, and a conversation with Wande Coal led to the legendary singer’s feature on the track.
“That’s the fastest song I made on the album. I made it in Ghana, and when I was thinking of the song I felt like the song was just missing something. [Wande and I] were discussing and I just pitched it to him, and he decided to jump on the song. That’s one of my favourite songs of all time, and I feel like the world is going to relate to it.”
