Asante: Gilad's first album

Musician Gilad Milo has released his debut album titled Asante, two years after his smash single "Unajua".

Though seemingly successful, he has had to tough it out like every musician through shabby promoters and finally to two AFRIMA nominations. He spoke to Josephine Mosongo

I gifted myself my own album on my birthday.

Sounds selfish, right? But it is exactly the right gift because, in a way, it is giving to others by sharing the music. This is why I think it’s selfish, though every time a person listens to the new songs, if you watch me in interviews, I’m waiting to see their reaction, and how they respond to some parts.

It’s very fulfilling to share the music.

Since it cost me money to make the CDs and the album, my wife was like: ‘That’s your birthday present’. But she also got me a cool Kenyan themed bracelet. She gets me because that’s exactly what I would wear. I’m not a “shiny” dude. I drive a 10-year-old Prado because it’s the most practical car. I can beat it up on the roads and go out on the field and we go to music video shoots in it. My car is famous, it’s been in ‘Sema Milele’ and ‘Nairobi Yangu’, and so that means it has more than 1.5 million views. It’s like a collector’s item. If that car could talk…

I turned 46, I won’t say what I wished for because I blew the candles out and, if I did, it won’t come true.

But my birthday turned out exactly as I wanted it to. I went out and launched my album in different radio stations.

Originally, I wanted to do a birthday party launch but  I thought, it’s only one birthday, how many people would I have time to spend with, as opposed to stretching it out over a month and seeing my friends one by one, and write a personal dedication to each one on the album?

The album is called ‘Asante’ and it has 16 tracks. It’s my journey from ‘Unajua’ until now.

All the songs were mastered by Eric Musyoka. The song ‘Asante’ is a prayer for food; I mean it’s a common prayer, we all pray for food. It’s also a celebration and thankfulness to God and life. Juliani is amazing on the song. Someone heard the song and told me: “This is vintage Juliani at his best”. I agree. It’s at ‘Utawala’ level in terms of the things he says and the way he says them. I’ve always wanted to do a song with him at a friend’s level. I went knowing he would say ‘Yes” because the lyrics are so perfect for him. Working with Cedo and Juliani was a walk in the park, one session and we were done.

I wrote ‘One Wish’ in Lamu, sitting under the stars. I was there with my children. My wife was away studying.

When I got the first lines, my son said: “Let’s do it this way”. He’s a better guitar player than I am, he’s now at Berkeley College of Music studying the guitar. He’s featured on the song as the guitarist with Sauti Sol’s Polycarp. It was one of my wish come true to watch my son work with Polycarp.

I sing for my wife and children to the point that they are sick of me (smiles).

I sing all the time and part of a song will get stuck in my head and I will repeat it in the car and around the house while they are watching television and they’ll go like: ‘Dad!’

 I don’t really make money off my music, I have invested much more than I have made in terms of videos, producing the songs and marketing.

Music is far from being that thing that brings in the income. It’s a very tough industry but that’s how it is anywhere in the world, but Kenya so much so. For me it’s even tougher. I come from the corporate world; to replace what I was making with music is virtually impossible at this stage. My son is in college and my daughter is in International School of Kenya (ISK). I left a good life in corporate and to supplement that with music is a tough thing to do.

But if you are 23 and a bachelor then it’s easier. In terms of experience, guys out here are being taken for a ride by people who promise them things.

I have paid my dues in the last two years.

I have been in crazy scenarios; being left in the streets of Eldoret at 4am after a gig had been moved by a shabby promoter to a second club, with people complaining that I wasn’t in the first club. He left us without a plane ticket back and the money for the hotel balance.

But when life gives you lemons you make lemonade. Luckily we had a car and ended up driving, we made a road trip back from Eldoret and it ended in a wonderful experience of stopping at all these choma zones, meeting families and taking pictures. I never thought this would blow up the way it has. Now I’ve been nominated for two categories at the AFRIMA awards.

I haven’t signed with any label but if they come and offer a huge cheque… let’s go.

I’m kidding, no I’m not, because you want to get to that level where if you are signed you want to play with one of the major labels.

The least I’ve ever made from a show is minus Sh130,000.

I had an opportunity to play at Maseno University and I really wanted materials for videos. I wanted to test out what it was like to perform on campus, I hadn’t done that before.

I performed with Superband, which included travel costs. We however got sponsorships from a bus company and a hotel, but at the end of the day there is a need for cash to pay the band members and stuff like that. I wanted it so bad that I ended up paying from my pocket. I really enjoyed but I wouldn’t do it again. It was a phenomenal show that went for over one and a half hours.

I’m planning a tour for the album.

I’d thought November was a good time for the tour but the elections moved. I will be going to Lagos for AFRIMA and then there’s Christmas. So we might look at it again next year, early February.

My wardrobe has changed.

Larry Madowo had these colourful shirts on ‘The Trend’ made by Shiyenze Fashion. I called her and she designed a few shirts for me. I’ve shown my commitment to the musician look; I have the beard, earrings, hats and colourful shirts.

I had earrings 20 years ago but I took them out about 15 years ago. I had four piercings. While in the States with my son, he said he wanted more ear piercings. So I told him I would get piercings just to embarrass him, but he was cool about it and we split a pack of earrings.

I haven’t had anyone write me a song yet but I would like it if Nyashinski did it.

His lyrics are phenomenal, he’s a wordsmith. As a rapper he’s already at a crazy level in terms of lyrics. In ‘Malaika’ he shows how well he can take the lyrics to a love song. If anybody were to write a song that I could sing, it would be him.

Do I really have a crazy fan story? I get these crazy screams?

In the beginning it used to freak me out. Just before the elections, I participated in a youth camp where there were thousands of people. I gave a motivational speech and I was the opening act. When I stepped on stage, the reaction was insane. They were screaming at the top of their voices and I looked around to see if there was anybody else they were screaming for. It was crazy energy. I don’t expect it but it’s happening more and more.

Every time young fans come up to me for a selfie, they all say: “My mum, or dad, loves your music”.

That tells you they are fans and so are their parents, and that’s cool because I’m speaking to a wide audience. I make an effort to speak to Kenya’s youth because I think they are the most undervalued asset.

@jmmosongo