Skales is all grown up. When he signed his record deal with E.M.E and burst onto the scene in 2009, he was only 18 years old. Now, Skales is 31.
A lot has happened over the years. His biggest songs including Shake Body, Mukulu, Komole, Keresimesi, and more seem to have already happened. His newer music, while still very good and reaching his dedicated core group of fans just aren’t the commercial successes his older songs used to be. The question of course is WHY? What happened?
I’m sure everybody has their own thoughts on why they think it happened. Some believe “his time don pass”, some say the audience he catered to grew up and moved on from him, some say he no longer makes the hits like before. Everybody has an opinion on why they think this happened. But what does Skales himself think?
During a recent interview he had with the good people over at Unorthodox Reviews, Skales opened up about what he thinks happened. Here’s what he said.
First of all, Skales is still releasing music in case you didn’t know. In 2020, he put out an EP called Healing Process EP. Speaking about what inspired that project, Skales said:
I would say it was the case because I was in a relationship at that time before the pandemic hit. We eventually went our separate ways. In addition, I fell ill and I had to pay for private medical services at home due to the lockdown restrictions. So the ‘Healing Process’ idea culminated in both experiences but I was still recording all the while. As a matter of fact, I carry my studio in my bags. During the COVID time, I believe we all went through some type of healing and I got my fair share.
Now, while answering the question “what would you say is the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your music career?” Skales opened up about what he thinks happened that made Nigerians stop listening to him. Skales opined:
My debut single that ushered me into the industry, “Heading for a Grammy” was a rap song. Even before the likes of Drake, I was singing my own hooks and all. Through that many folks labeled me a “rap artist” so when I gave them the other part of me, they thought I had sold out but I feel like I do both very well and as an artiste, you should be able to express yourself in more that one way instead of sitting in your comfort zone.
So Skales believes that we put him in a box and upon hearing other sides of him, thought he sold out. What do you think about that? Is that why you stopped listening to Skales? Or do you still listen to Skales’ music?
