At home with Wale Thompson

After a long wait, you finally came out with another album, `No Rival`, why the long wait and how is it doing in the market?

The album is doing well. Infact, we are out of sales now as we have sold everything we have in stock. The work is hot and is in hot demand. The video is also enjoying good review on airwaves both on the cable stations as well as terrestrial stations. The response has been awesome, that is the reason it took me a long time to come out with this work. I actually took my time because I don’t want to come out with an album that my fans won`t be able to associate with.

With your pedigree in juju music, what`s your opinion on insinuations that juju music is gradually going into extinction? 

Juju music will never die. I will never accept that. This brand of music has gone far in Nigeria`s music scene. Our veterans such as King Sunny Ade, Ebenezer Obey, Sir Shina Peters have really tried with the juju brand to get established. We have taken it to the level where other genres of music are borrowing one or two things from us to supplement their own music; they borrow our kind of lyrics, rhymes and instruments to make up with theirs. We are the pathfinders, it can never die, and it has come to stay. It has become part of our culture in Nigeria, especially among the Yorubas. It is still the only music that is being listened to at wedding, naming, house warming and even funeral ceremonies. We are the father of all genres of music in Nigeria.

Your hit song, Lalale Friday was a great hit; is `No Rival` going to surpass it?

 To be honest with you, that is left for God to decide because you cannot predict how far a song or album can go, you can only show your talent and your hardwork while God determines its success or otherwise. When Michael Jackson came out with Thriller, it was awesome but after that, he never recorded such similar success again till he died. 

However, I want to tell you that this album will go places because I took my time, burnt lots of energy to make it a good album.