Singer and a former member of the defunct gospel band, Kush, Lara George, tells TOPE OMOGBOLAGUN about her career, family and other issues
You studied Architecture at the University of Lagos. How did you delve into music?
Music is something I have always loved to do. I have always wanted to sing since I was five years old. I always dreamt of singing in front of thousands of people. I would watch Michael Jackson’s videos and see halls, fields, stadia filled with people and I always saw myself doing just that.
In my days at Queens College, Yaba, Lagos, we were mandated to have at least one extracurricular activity and music was my extracurricular activity. I also joined the choir and that’s where I learnt a lot about the theory and rudiments of music. I got a lot of vocal trainings and I had excellent teachers.
Did you ever take a course in music or you inherited your voice from your parents?
I got very extensive music education in secondary school. I learnt how to play the recorder and the keyboard, though I have forgotten a lot of these skills due to a lack of practice. But, at the time, I was doing so much music theory that I was actually composing music. I also took some courses on music theory at the Muson Centre, Lagos, for some weeks and got a certification.
However, I have to let you know that my mum has a very beautiful singing voice. She’s like the soprano of sopranos if ever there was one. And I really think my voice sounds quite like hers. I think I got that from her.
What led to the disbandment of the group, Kush?
Kush broke up for many reasons. But the chief reason was that the group was just not moving in the same direction. It was a tough time in the history of Nigerian music and even though the industry was at the precipice of something very beautiful, we needed a lot to get past the toughness of that season.
We were at a season where even though there was a lot of hype about music, there wasn’t enough that was sustaining the work that we were doing. At that point, we had some issues with our record label and there were so many difficulties, so we sought of agreed to disagree. We had a meeting and we literally agreed to call it quits and unfortunately, the group disbanded. We were never able to come back together again.
What’s your current relationship with other members of Kush?
They will always be my sisters. Life took us on a journey in such a way that for all of us, we would never be able to write the story of any of us without talking about one another. That’s how intricately we are part of one another’s lives.
Why did it take you so long to come up with another body of work after your last album?
Each artiste’s creative process is unique and for those of us in the industry, our journeys are completely different. For me as a female in the industry, just at the point in life where I am, the truth is that going through the creative process of writing that album and making it ready for people to hear is a very intensive one. It requires so much, especially if one writes one’s songs. I’m yet to find a structured system where I can draw from a pool of written songs by songwriters. There’s really no good publishing system in Nigeria. So, I have to rely very heavily on my own songwriting skills. And the truth of the matter is that it takes time. Meanwhile, there are times when artistes actually encounter ‘writer’s block’. Sometimes, one just needs to withdraw from the public eye so that one can build oneself up again.
Some people are of the opinion that the lyrics of gospel songs are not as deep and introspective as before. Why do you think that is?
I don’t agree with that. I think that Nigerian gospel songs that are out there now and even the old songs are some of the best-written songs that you’d ever find worldwide.
Who said lyrics of gospel songs are not as deep and introspective? I don’t know what songs such people have been listening to but the ones that I hear are beautiful. I don’t have the words to describe the beauty of the craft of writing. It is second to none. I do not agree with that opinion at all.
Do you think you could have done better as a secular musician?
There’s no way that I can answer that question asides saying that the word ‘better’ is a relative word. Better depends on what one’s goals are as an individual. For me, my goals have always been to impact lives and draw people towards a better alternative. I feel that is what my music does and it gives me great joy which I can never replace with anything material.
Some people feel that gospel musicians should not charge performance fees. What’s your take on that?
Those who believe gospel artistes should not charge fees for the work they do are very ‘interesting people’ and I say that as an euphemism. How can you expect a person to write a song, go into the studio, pay a producer, pay for studio time, pay to have CDs printed out and all those production costs that one has to put up, for nothing?
If people persist in that ‘ungodly belief’ that gospel artistes should not charge for the work that they do, then, people who are gifted would end up dropping the work and get a secular jobs, so they can feed their families.
You once stated that at a time, you felt like quitting gospel music. Why did you change your mind?
What I felt like quitting was music itself; I didn’t quite say quitting gospel music. It wasn’t about the genre of gospel music but music generally.
What made me change my mind was seeing the impact my music had on people’s lives. One can’t buy that with money. I think that being blessed comes with more than just accolades or material wealth; it also comes with a good name. God has blessed me with a good name that opens certain doors for me. The fact that my children and husband are blessed because I have chosen this path is a blessing I wouldn’t exchange anything.
Do you look forward to doing a collaboration with your colleagues from Kush?
That would be nice if it ever happened. But the question is, will it ever happen? If it was left to me, my answer would be a quick ‘yes’.
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