Oxlade also revealed he had to abscond from home to pursue his music career, when his lecturer dad refused to support his dream
By Kehinde Okeowo
Popular Afrobeats singer and songwriter, Ikuforiji Olaitan Abdulrahman, known professionally as Oxlade has revealed that he did menial jobs while pursuing his music career.
According to the 26-year-old, at one point he sold bus tickets at the motor park, just like touts, popularly called ‘agbero’ to survive and foot his bills after he absconded from home.
Oxlade made the revelations in a recent interview, where he said he was left with no option but to leave home when his lecturer dad initially refused to support his aspiration to become a musician.
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Speaking during the chat he said: “Honestly, he [my dad] was indifferent at first. But my stubbornness and consistency paid off [laughs].
“I ran away from the house at some point in my life to pursue music personally. And I had to do all sorts of stuff to survive. Selling bus tickets and selling foods at parties.”
The singer, who is signed to Troniq Music, Epic Records in France, and Fuenlabrada Records in the UK, went on to say his experience growing up in the ‘streets of Surulere’ in Lagos, helped him to pull through, stressing that “if you can survive in Surulere, you can survive anywhere.”
He added that the experience he had while growing up in the ghetto helped him make the right decisions.