Multi-talented singer, Kizz Daniel from Nigeria, is currently one of Africa’s top musical exports. Kizz Daniel spoke to outlet Okay Africa in order to promote his most recent album, Maverick, which was just released.
In an interview, Kizz Daniel discussed the most crucial element in songwriting and discussed how Libianca’s song “People” affected him so deeply.
Here is an excerpt from the conversation with Kizz Daniel where they discuss Libianca’s “People” and what is most crucial in creating a song:
In an interview, Kizz Daniel was asked about about his technical preferences and which section of a song, for instance, does he consider the most important? Is it the revelatory zest of an opening line, is it the catchy hook, or the encompassing closing verse?
“None of those,” he says. “The most important part of a song,” he affirms, “is the artist. Because everything is in the hands of the artist. The way music is now, the weirdest thing can work. There’s no formula to it. It’s about what do you want to do? How well can you be relatable?”
He explains further. “The people want to consume music that connects to them, whether through dance, or how they’re feeling at that particular moment,” he says. He makes his point singing the chorus of Libianca’s “People”—“I’ve been drinking more alcohol for the past five days, did you check on me?”—saying that it was “all she needed to say. It’s not like the rest of the song is not beautiful, but that line alone got me”.
The next minute is spent expanding on the idea of people checking up on you, and not just assuming one’s alright because they’re a celebrity. “We all have a lot of things that’s bothering us that we’re scared to share with people, because we’re afraid of being judged,” he says.
He seems to say that perspective is king, and what is a Maverick if not the artistic refusal of anyone else’s philosophy? “Be real, and that’s when the real music will come out,” he says now. “You don’t have to have Beyonce’s voice or Jay-Z’s swag — as long as you connect with people, you’re good.”