Michael Collins Ajereh, the renowned Nigerian artiste and music executive better known as Don Jazzy, has expressed his unwavering commitment to aiding the growth and development of aspiring young artistes.
During an interview with Fisayo Fosudo, Don Jazzy opened up about his own journey in the music industry, revealing that he and his colleagues faced significant challenges in the early stages of their careers due to the lack of guidance. Drawing from their personal experiences, they strongly believe that emerging artistes can greatly benefit from the lessons they have learned along the way.
“My priorities have changed over the years. I basically started as a musician but along the line, I started doing different things. Finding, growing young artists into global superstars and things like that. I feel like it’s my calling to help people grow. I have a strong conviction that I know how to work with people.” he said.
While emphasizing that his sole focus isn’t solely on building the Nigerian ecosystem and nurturing new artistes, Don Jazzy emphasized the importance of ensuring that aspiring musicians are equipped with the necessary knowledge to navigate the industry successfully. He acknowledged the significance of guiding them towards making informed choices and following the right paths in their musical journeys.
The Mavin Records CEO stated that he is “leveraging on the huge brand that I had built to just impact people’s lives.”
He added that just as he is helping other other artiste who have the knowledge on how to succeed in the industry must also provide guidance to artistes who look up to them.
“If I see young artists now, I’m like, ‘if this person doesn’t have like guidance before they get to a certain level, they might just be lost.’ It would be nice if we could speed up the process.
“It would be nice if somebody that has been down the road before…You know where the potholes are, you can just tell the person, ‘I don pass this road before. Avoid this road, follow here.”
Don Jazzy also advised young artiste to seek the counsel of experts who are willing to share with them their story.
“If the person that has gone there before and knows the road, does not want to show somebody the road, you can not be following for no reason. So, I feel like anybody that has any update about how to survive, should share the update.”