Adekunle Gold is set to release his biggest album yet, “Tequila Ever After” on July 27 and in an interview with NME, he talks about his career, the love for his fans and big-name collaborators.
When asked why he gave fans “Tio Tequila” as the first single, he said “It’s really a taste of what you get on the album. I wanted to give people a taste of how different the sound is. If you listen to ‘Do You Mind?’, it’s sexy as heck. And then there’s ‘Omo Eko’, which is a party starter, talking about where I’m from. This newness [on ‘Tio Tequila’]… I’m embodying everything I am, and then I’m learning to be more confident than I was before. It keeps growing.”
The songwriter has always been working on multiple albums at once. He said: “I think what’s crazier is how I’m already working on the one that comes after the next one. I’ve always been like that. When I was working on my 2018 [About 30] album, I was already working on my 2020 [Afro Pop Vol.1] album. I knew what I wanted that one to be, but I knew what I wanted 2018 to be. I wanted to grow into 2021, so I’ve always been like that. Making music gives me joy. Being able to be in a space and then somebody’s playing music, and then you search the depth of your mind to churn out melodies that are from nowhere: I think it’s my superpower. Knowing that there are seven keys in this world, I always find a way to make it different.”
He also talked about his music genre and collaborations with other artistes, saying it’s the music that comes from Africa generally, but mostly from Nigeria.
“We have the vibe. Forget all these new artistes, go back to the likes of Fela [Kuti], Ebenezer Obey, Sarkodie, all these people. The music has always been good. It’s always been groovy. It evokes emotion. We’re all about celebration and it shows in the music,” he said.
On his collaborations with other artistes he said, “When I write, I envision who else can add to the song. First of all, is there a need for somebody to be on the song with me? I serve the music, that’s the most important thing for me. I’ve had collaborations that I didn’t really like much and didn’t put out [because I wanted to] serve the music first.”
He also talked about his experience being signed to Def Jam and how it feels good being in the company of people that care, earning MOBOs and performing at the Grammys. He’s grateful for these things, but the most important acquisition for him is people growing with him. He’s been in the game for nine years since his first song, “Sade,” blew up in 2014, a song he still holds close to his heart because it was his story and changed his life.
Finally, Gold announced that he’ll be playing a London show at Wembley Arena in November and thanked his fans for their support. He said that his new album is everything and that he’s excited for people to hear it.
“Other than the album, we’ll be announcing a London show in November. We’re playing Wembley Arena this time. I just want to say to everyone who’s supporting me that I really fuck with you. It’s insane to just be following me all the way, like, rooting for me, sharing my song, telling people about me. I want to say thank you. And then this new album is everything.”
