Q: Can we get to know you?
A: My name is Samuel Bamidele Ozokwerobi , I was born in Akure that is how I got the name Bamidele. I am from Imo state; I speak English, Igbo, Yoruba and a bit of Hausa languages because I did my compulsory National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) in Zamfara State. I have a very good foundation of the Primary school; I attended Bishop Hughes Oke Ijebu, Akure. A missionary school , Seminary Catholic Diocese in Akure and I am so proud to be an alumnus of the school. I then furthered to the Seminary though I did not finish and I headed to Salas Universal secondary school, Ayedun quarters Akure. Before I moved to the great University of Ado- Ekiti now Ekiti State Uniersity (EKSU), I don't know why they changed the name to EKSU but I was proud it was UNAD then. But as long as the standard of the school keeps improving who are we to say no to that? I studied Computer Science and I am very glad to be a graduate of that school.
Q: You studied Computer Science, why did you choose work of Arts in entirety, as an entertainer, musician, Television and Radio Presenter?
A: Practically, one would have observed that there is a big difference between fulfilling what you are doing and doing what others are doing. When I graduated I worked for three years with a company and I was in charge of the customer service there and I was this white collar guy, in suit and tie and trousers, confined to the four walls of an office with air condition everywhere. I was not just getting fulfilled because I knew I had something inside of me. Right from my childhood I love entertaining people and making them happy although I was very shy when I was younger anyway. But people never knew I could do such things now. I just felt that I could do better at the entertainment industry. That was how I became a Master of Ceremony (MC), Musician, Television and Radio Presenter, Jingle producer, and to the glory of God am really doing well in the job.
Q: As an entertainer and a musician, how has it been?
A: I thank God because it is not an easy thing anyway. I did not learn most of these things from anybody. They are basically intrinsic ability God gave to me and I find it easy because it is part of me. Assuming I went to somewhere to learn them it would have been stressful and strenuous for me, I just took the business the way they come as long as they are scheduled for the date and It is for me to go and perform what I do. I do my Tv and Radio Presentation on contract basis for people especially if they have a product they want the public know or want to pass an information to the public. I also produce jingles that go with music. That is why I have a lot of things that I do.
Q: How long have you been in this work of Arts/ Entertainment industry?
A: I left the company I was working with on December 28, 2011 and ever since I have started fully in January 2012. I have been in the business for the past two years.
Q: How has it been so far?
A: It has been splendid. The first thing an entrepreneur encounter when he wants to start a business is of course you need to break into the society. First thing you seek is relevance before the money starts coming in. it is when people know that you are good then your relevance counts and can earn you money. So what you first seek is relevance. It is as if you are sowing tilling the soil which is relevance, and planting good seeds in them so by the time the seeds would grow you would have a bountiful harvest. So I want to believe that gradually I am leaving the planting stage now and wetting my seeds now and God is there wetting it for me and chasing away the weevils from the seed so that they won't take away what He has planted in me. So that is just it so gradually we are getting there.
Q: What is the genre of music that you produce or do?
A: I will call my kind of music 'High breed'. In the sense that I have flare for high life music and there is hardly a genre of music I make that you won't find a taste of high life in them even if I sing Rhythm and Blues(R&B). There was a song I did titled 'Play Boy no dey pay' if you listen to that song you will see a little bit of high life in it but it's still R&B. I do Hip Hop too but you feel a little bit of high life. I did a Rock titled 'I just wanna Love you' but I have high life taste so I call my genre of music High breed music because I put a little bit of high life in all the songs I do and I can play any genre of music including gospel.
Q: Who is your role model in the music industry?
A: I do not have a particular role model because I combine role models. Once I listen to a song and I see that the song is very good I appreciate it. There is nothing new in this life you just have to do an ordinary thing in an extraordinary way to get ahead of others. So mainly I don't really have a role model but I love good music. Coming to Nigeria I love creativity, artist like Tuface is okay, even J Martins. There is something inside him that people do not really know, that guy is a genius. Lagbaja, Flavour too is good, so when you then combine their skills together, that's how I get down to work. You pick on everyone and then you do your own. I would not say I have a specific role model, once I see you are doing something that I like then I give kudos to you and I like to worship in your temple.
Q: So far what has been your highest pay on the job?
A: I want to tell you that no individual will want to give you such information as a journalist. You know what the country is saying but at least I am making a living out of what I am doing, though I am still expecting more because I am still in the tilling stage, planting. By the time I get there I can now say like N 7million it's a big money which we all pray for.
Q: Aside Ondo state which other places do you explore?
A: I go to places like Lagos but not so much, but I am based in Akure.
Q: How have you been able to break ground in Akure before considering going outside?
A: To be candid the level of entertainment is what we are battling with here in Akure. Entertainment here is in a moribund state; it is not really improving except if you have activities like the Mare Festival, which even most indigenous artists are not given the privilege to exhibit their skills. They prefer bringing in already made artist to come and perform which is not okay. We have the democracy Park behind the Central Mosque, nothing stops the government from at least maybe once in a month stage a play their like it is done in Calabar. We have so many promising youths here, most of them in Lagos MCs, Comedians are all from here. It is when they cannot make a living here they tend to migrate. And we lose all of them to the metropolis of Lagos, Abuja, and Portharcourt, they are all there thriving. When they then tell us they are from Ondo state all we need to do is to clap for them that they are indigene of Akure. It is an eyesore; we have a lot of things here. We can make use of what we have. Maybe every last Sunday of the month around 4pm to 8pm we have a big concert at most they bring an already made artist to the show and everybody would stand. From there people would make a living and make money because some people will trade there to sell edibles amongst other things. And the economy would grow. I believe we need to work more on that.
Q: Where do you see SAROX Entertainment in the next five years?
A: SAROX Entertainment is a company duly registered in Nigeria and the basis of the company is for entertainment and for advertisement purpose that is why the Sarox company has a subsidiary called the Jingle Palace where adverts and jingles are been produced. Where event management are been handled because a MC makes an event counts, we have live bands, a handful of DJs, to make great events, we help you to plan event you do not have to worry about anything so if this company continues like this in the next five years I believe we would be an allies company both in Nigeria and Internationally.
Q: How many tracks have you been able to produce as a musician?
A: Mr Sam is an entity that can compose about ten songs in a day. But his taking his time, I have a lot of tracks out there, I have 'Chocolate Love, Iyawo mi,the recent one 'Ebezina', just watch out for that and I am producing the video very soon and I have the track already on the internet not on the airwaves or the radio for now. As soon as the video comes out you watch everything both on the airwaves and the Television and the Radio. So I actually compose with what I see and what I imagine.
Q: What inspires you into writing your songs?
A: I am a man of the society and I believe that music is a key like Late Fela Anikulapo Kuti would always say. Music can talk to billions of generations to come and one should maintain the truth not gliding with time. One should not say that you have to sing this song so that people can appreciate you. There are some songs that are called evergreen songs; Songs that would linger in the mind of the future generation, even if the composer is dead the song would still live that is what is called evergreen songs so it is good if you can sing evergreen songs. The challenges we are having today is that we all want to sing party songs that will just reign within a short time and after a period of time it dies off. But if you sing evergreen songs people will appreciate it. We should sing songs that can suit occasions, suit people's mood, people's orientation and people's thinking. I call music the doctor of the soul. Because if you listen to a good music it would suit your condition and you would have a.. psychologically you have an aura around you. Music is so deep that you cannot even finish or exhaust it. It is just like the language that people speak. How many languages do we have in the whole world? For instance, Akoko have various dialects in Akoko so many types of music that we can listen to, it now depends on the personality it now depends on what kind of music you listen to. There are some people that listen to Fuji music alone and such person would not appreciate R&B so it depends on the kind of music you listen to that make the kind of person you are.
Q: Considering your choice of career when you decided to tow the path of Arts what was your Parents response?
A: Oh my God, right from when I was very young my parents always gave me the liberty to do whatever I choose to do in my life all they need do is to ask that , 'are you sure of what you are doing?' and if you can convince them of what you want to do you will have their blessings right away. That is why in the morning devotion they will start including you in their prayer points just to make sure you are on the right path. They are very wonderful people. But when I was leaving the white collar job for what I am doing my father asked me that ' My son are you sure of what you are doing considering the fact that people are looking for job helter skelter you are rejecting a job for something else' but in the long run they concur. And look at me today.
Q: When you were leaving the white collar job did you not experience what is called the fear of the unknown?
A: Yes that is why so many people are not progressing in life because of the fear of the unknown. A risk taker is a business minder. If you don't have a mind for business you will not be able to take risk. And if you cannot take risk you cannot do business. Everything in life is a risk, there are some steps that you just need to take if you don't you will not progress. That is why some people go and study risk management. It is better for you if you are been optimistic about things. Do your feasibility studies, check yourself inward and outward and with the acumen, can I do this that I actually want to do? If I start doing it what would be the outcome? Thank God I did Computer science I did a lot of Algor Reading, I was so convinced I had to move on. Though frankly starting could be very tedious especially in issues like entertainment. Because so many people are already known for that and people are already used to them and you trying to crack your way into the industry may be sop frustrating. For instance, the very first time I got my first MC job the lady kept asking me are you sure you are an MC? This is my wedding and it is once in a life time. I just reassured her that she should relax that I can do it that it is my job. Immediately after the wedding do you know how difficult it is to compare in an inter tribal marriage? But that was my very first job, the Bride is from Benue and the groom is from Ondo state. I don't understand Otukpo language but I made my research, I noted some greetings in their languages and I worked around it. After the wedding she said, 'Sam I did not know you are as hot as this. Then I replied that I told you.' Even some people will say it to your face that we have not seen your job before how do you want to convince us? Who have you worked for? That is what it looks like so you have to work assiduously and you need connections. Because you do not know who is watching, they might assume it is a local wedding but somebody of very high reputation might be there just to grace the occasion who will connect you to other people. From there you start climbing the ladder and you start improving per event. Making yourself how to be a good compere, how to be a good MC. Once you start repeating same things at events people would begin to get bored with you. You research.
Q: What kind of events do you MC for?
A: there is no event I cannot handle. As long as you just give me the job and pay me my money, I will deliver. That is why I sit down with my client to know what they want and I work in line with that. Once you tell me what you want I draft it out and I will show it to you if you are okay with that I work with it.
Q: When is your happiest moment?
A: My happiest moment in life is yet to come.
Q: When is your embarrassing moment?
A: There was a time I had this musical show that I use to play highlife live band. There was a wedding I went to with my crew and I did not know what happened that day everything was just messing up. And the man(host) just came and said hope you people are sane? What are you doing here what kind of songs are you singing? Did you record the songs you are singing?' I was thrown off balance I was totally disorganized and I said God what is happening here? But to the glory of God the following day we played well. It is one of those things that can happen to you and you know before you become a celebrity definitely you get an embarrassing moment, If not from your fans.
Q: Your hair is braided, is it your brand or your logo?
A: when came into this world I came with a long hair and over the time I observed that I keep afro and from there I started developing passion in doing a long hair. So whatever you like to do is your nature, you cant act out of your brain box and more so if I tell people when I comb my hair I feel uncomfortable. I feel like am Samson but notwithstanding and also it is a form of branding, it is about gender policy, by showing gender equality, if you look at me as a guy weaving my hair I am showing that a right that every boy has so also a girl has and vice versa. Because I hate people molesting girls, I hate people trying to peg a girl's attainment of career in life. Because she is feminine she cannot go to school or be in a particular profession. Every girl has the right that every boy has so it could be attributed to that, gender equality that is what am preaching. And more so it is a matter of doing what you love to do I don't smoke weed, cigarette to get high so everything I do I do it with my right senses.
Q: so what is your advice to the upcoming youths who wish to tow this path in life and are scared of the future?
A: Do not let the waves of your surroundings sweep you away from your goals to the top. Whatever is worth doing is worth doing well. If you know how to sweep you can get a contract from the Federal Government for that, who says you cannot have a cleaning company, Whereby you have people working under you as as cleaners. You can submit your proposal because you are literate enough and you are handed the contract of sweeping the ministries every morning and they pay you millions of naira and from there you pay your co workers, you earn a living from there. Everything is all about packaging there is nothing new again. So atimes when you want to do some things that are new people would stand on your way. There would be various criticism. For instance, this popular mobile toilet was started by someone and people are crazy about it now and we even have the ones that have air conditioner inside. It is so clean. But who do you want to tell that some one's son is a toilet cleaner. Another instance is the Late MIC casket CEO and Son, they were undertakers but they did it in a grand style. They even died a heroic death, they died on a plane that crashed that was conveying an ex- governor. You know what that means to convey an ex-governors corpse is not easy. He worked assiduously for that, he had a passion for the job and he did not allow anything including his relationships to weigh him down. So whatever you have a flare for it may not be necessarily be what you studied in school just do it. If it is footballing do it, I want you to believe that when you start people will criticize you that you are unserious for you to decide to be footballer that he has no future. But if you play that ball and you have the support of basically your parents if they pray for you, you will succeed. Hard work, Prayer, not even hard work again but working intelligently pays a lot. So anything you want to do, do it well but do not do what would be contrary to the development of the society. Do not say because you love stealing you then start stealing you will end up behind the bars and if you are caught with arms I won't judge you the law is there to judge you. Do anything that is good for you and the society though people will stand in your way even family members. But I for one I will never discourage my child not to do what I feel is good.
Q: How do you manage ladies around you considering your job?
A: Ladies make the fan base because if you check the density and population of ladies on earth to men it is high. If the ladies turn their back on you, you are in trouble. So anywhere you have ladies in abundance you don't have to be rigid. If you do not mix you cannot go far. You cannot date everybody be yourself, plan your life but you have to pick one out of the ladies to marry. The best friends I ever had are ladies they give you insight, it becomes more meaningful if you are a friend to an opposite sex. You do not need to be a ladies' man it makes you a Casanova but if you are a man of ladies it is better than been a ladies' man and you do not have to date everybody.
END
