Despite going silent after breaking up with his former partner, Limpopo star, Kcee, a few years ago, Precious John, a.k.a Presh of former music duo KC Presh is battling to relaunch his dwindling career. But he still believes that breaking up with Kcee was a step in the right direction. He neither sees Kcee nor any other artiste as his rival,instead, according to him, he’s back to take his solo career to the next level. His latest follow up single, “Asalamaleku”, which is set to rule the airwaves is the magic that will accomplish his mission for him.
By Benjamin Njoku
SINCE you staged a comeback to the nation’s music scene, your songs haven’t really enjoyed massive airplay?
Initially, I had a management problem. I had to make do with my former manager. He tried to promote my songs but he couldn’t go beyond his limit. But I have a new management now, Qtaby Management. The company is in charge of promoting my songs. Henceforth, they are going to be responsible for promoting my new and old songs. My new song, ‘Asalamaleku’ trended about a week as number one on twitter.
Why did you decide to go silent at a time when the ovation was loud for you?
At that point, I needed to rediscover my career. I didn’t have a sponsor then and what I had would not take me too far. So, I decided to embark on musical tours to assist myself financially. And by the time, I completed my tour, I had enough money to do what I wanted to do, as a solo brand. People know I can sing, judging from the songs I did with my former partner, Kcee. Then it was fast pace kind of sound. There wasn’t much of me expressed in the songs. I needed to know how to go about my solo brand.
You said earlier that your inability to put in place a management team affected the promotion of your songs, wouldn’t it be rewarding if you joined Five Star Music, owned by your former partner?
Since it’s a solo brand, it wasn’t a KCPresh project. One would expect that if you people are doing solo, you have to do it on your own,. That’s why it is called a solo career. If we had wanted to do anything under the brand, KCPresh, we would have done so. It’s better to step on toes and apologize later, and do thing separately?
If Kcee invites you to join Five Star Music, would you honour the invitation?
I don’t have a problem with it. But right now, I am not looking forward to that. I am bent on taking my career to the next level. If I am invited, not now but in the future.
What were you doing after you broke up with Kcee?
I embarked on series of tours, staging shows in Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, Norway, Denmark, UK among other countries. After I was done, I then travelled to Malaysia and later returned to the UK , where I did some courses on Voice Grooming among others. I returned to the country thereafter to begin a stage of my career
But fans insinuated then that it was a way of escape for you?
If it were a way of escape, I would not have staged a comeback to the music scene. I could have stayed back because I was exposed to a lot of good things that would have kept me back and helped me to make money. But music is what I know how to do best and that is my passion.
How do you feel when people compare you with Kcee?
There is no king forever, even if you want to remain forever, you must die. The industry is big, I don’t see competition in any way. He does his own brand of music while I do mine. The sky is wide enough for birds to fly without clashing.
What is your relationship with Kcee at the moment?
It is cordial. We talk when we need to, but everybody is doing his own thing. If I am not travelling, he is travelling.
What exactly are you missing now that you are no longer together?
We joked a lot. We never get serious even in serious issues but we still get results from that joke. That’s the best part of it. It doesn’t have to be a brainstorming session all the time.
Do you feel jealous, whenever you listen to Kcee’s hit songs?
A jealous or envious person is somebody who knows he has lost sight of where he is going to and pick on another person and starts hating him. I know where I am going to and I am seeing my destination. I have no competitor. I am on my lane and I must get to my destination. I’m already getting there. Those are not the things I am looking at. I am focused. The Bible said’ ‘seeth thou a man who is diligent in his business, he will sit with kings’. I don’t see anybody, I only see the work I’m doing.
K C Presh
We heard a rumour that Dilly came to your rescue?
Dilly didn’t come to rescue me. We have been friends for a while. When I returned to the country, I started recording my songs. And as friends, we got talking. I told him I wanted to record my songs, and he offered to do business with me. Besides, he is a nice person. He is one of the nicest bosses I ever met in my career.
Artiste breaking up has become a recurring decimal in Nigeria.What do you think is responsible for this ugly trend?
I would say artistes breaking up, is dependent on what led to their breaking up. We have various reasons such as greed,over-ambition, and the urge to go solo. Some try to take advantage of others. Better still, one may feel, the other is slowing him down, while sometimes, it gets to a point where they would want to go solo. Most times, breaking up is not rosy.
What makes your new single, ‘Asalamaleku’ unique?
It’s Arabic, it’s a form of greeting. I am appreciating God’s creation. That’s all. I just want to convey a message to my fans. I still want to appreciate God’s creation and God’s handiwork that’s what led to my composing ‘Asalamaleku.’
What are you bringing back?
I am bringing back that part of me that people didn’t know. The singing part of me, the voice that they don’t hear that they should have been hearing. Those are just the things I want to put in peoples’ minds, that Presh is not just an artiste, he is a performer. My album will be released in the later part of 2016.
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