Maroc - MOCKINBIRD.COM.NG - A La Une - 10/Jul 16:21

‘I am a protege of my father’

Bimbo-EshoBy Evelyn OsagieChief Executive Officer of Evergreen Music, Bimbo Esho, comes from a heritage steeped in music promotion. Her father was Nigeria’s foremost promoter and Africa’s largest music collector, Samuel Babafemi Esho. Like in music, she also commands a revered place as the chief executive officer of Esho-Re, a clothing and branding company and The Amuluduns, an indigenous event management company. She speaks to EVELYN OSAGIE about her father’s legacy, showbiz entrepreneurship and more.My love for musicLet me explain what music is like. Music has to do with creativity. Anything that has to do with creativity is where you will find me. I’m into anything creative. I do fashion, I do printing—not sitting down to create it, but I can tell an artist what to do in terms of creativity. So, all those things together are in one circle. Music was something we were born into. Naturally, all of us in the house just imbibed the culture of liking music. So, most of us, when we were growing up, were familiar with our fathers playing this one and playing that one. Beyond that, I have a natural love for music. I just love music for music.Growing up in a house with the legendIt was beautiful. People thought he was a disciplinarian. No, he just loved children to be decent. He just wanted us to be decent. He wanted us to have a good name. He was living his own life and developing himself, knowing the good things of life, the things that people are expected to do. Most of those things, his expectation from the children, were to also follow his own path of integrity, anything positive. And by the time you imbibe it from your parents, naturally, you become good people, good children. And that’s it.What I miss about my father the mostYeah, I told a media friend recently that his humility is something I will miss, his humility and genuine love. It is very difficult for you to see people that have genuine love for people.My father’s greatest achievementHis greatest achievement today is the fact that there was a man called Femi Esho that came to this world to preserve our musical identity for tomorrow. So that’s one of his greatest achievements. Today, a lot of people will tell me that “Ah, Bimbo if not for your father, I didn’t know this artist before. If not for your father, I didn’t know this song before,” and also there are sometimes some people who will call me and say they were looking for songs of an artist from so and so years. I will say, “Where do you want me to get that one now?” Then, when I go into the archive; lo and behold, one will just find it there. And what you did to that person, it’s like you have added value and more years to his life. That’s the power of music and that’s what Baba has created for all of us. That you can go back to history and get all the music of your childhood. That’s a lot. That means a lot.  My father believed in establishing a legacy. And that is what inspired the setting up of the Evergreen Music Heritage Foundation.One of such legacies is the Evergreen Music Heritage Foundation that is set to establish a music experience centre, christened ‘Evergreen Music Heritage Centre’. Although he first founded the Evergreen Music Company, he also founded the Evergreen Music Heritage Foundation and became a mentor and promoter of many Highlife music musicians of diverse ages, and walking “databank” on Highlife music.On the Evergreen Music Heritage FoundationThe company came before the centre, called Evergreen Musical Company Ltd. The evergreen company has grown bigger than us and now like an institution hence the need for the foundation.We want to have a museum where we can have relics of Nigerian artists, their pictures, their busts, their materials, their instruments that define us, then books, you know, everything about music—the total music empire. Then we could also have people perform all these music of yesteryears because they don’t have platforms. Most of these artists don’t have platforms.Yes, it is definitely going to establish him. We’re having it in conjunction with Dr. Olukoya of MFM. He has been extremely supportive. When my dad was alive, my dad met him and they spoke about it, and he said he was 100 per cent interested in this.The company came before the centre was called Evergreen Musical Company Ltd. We decided on the centre because the company Evergreen has grown bigger than us and is now like an institution, hence, the need for the foundationBeing my daddy’s protégéWatching him and the respect that was accorded him in society made me know that there mustn’t be any slip up from my side. Because any slip or mistake I do will negatively affect him because he has been a good man. So everything I did was like watching somebody’s back, and ensuring I do not fail my dad; while nudging myself on what I’m doing to make sure that it doesn’t happen That’s one of the things I, as a protégé, could help him with. The closest person to someone that society knows is just like the second half of that person. So whatever you do affects the person automatically so you have to have empathy. Once someone is trying to build something or doing something positive for society, one should not allow mistakes to mess up and mess up his efforts. A lot of people may not think that way but like to think deeply. It takes someone like you to understand because you are a poet, and poets are also deep. That’s one of the things that made me become who I am. Doing that also rubbed off on me. I didn’t even know that I was keeping a good name for myself too. It’s the next stage of my life now.Stepping into daddy’s shoesIt’s been wonderful. Sometimes some people will say it’s a big shoe to fit in. No, I learnt all his mistakes. Yes, most of his mistakes and that even help one to be able to fit properly. You will also have your mistakes because you are dealing with another generation, another era. But I learnt a lot from his mistakes and I learnt a lot from people around too. So people will say “Ah, big shoe”, no, it’s not a big shoe. I’ve been in it with him for like, forever.Navigating the business of music promotion as a womanNavigating the business of music promotion as a woman is interesting. You must be very disciplined and principled to deal with musicians. If you don’t and get distracted, you’ll find yourself wanting. You also have to have an organised spirit; and you have to have good human relations. It’s very key.How you relate and treat people matters a lot.How do you treat people when you collect their works? When you get money, do you spend it on them or yourself? When you sign agreements, do you stand on your integrity? If you can make sure everything is properly sorted, you are good.Music promotion is not difficult. It’s about human relationships, and I have that. I can easily flow with people. And being an anthropologist, I can understand behavioral attitudes. So it’s not difficult to manage human nature. Musicians are media shy people. People should understand that the music business is in seasons – and big names are not exempt. Some of the big names might not have it anymore because the times changed. CDs and vinyl are not selling; their record label is dead. They are not really making money. So what do you expect from such a person? Naturally, the person will be timid. So the promotion part of music is very easy.Managing fashion, music and familyI want to say they are interwoven. People that do music too want to wear good clothes. They want to do an event, they want to sew good clothes for their ushers, their bands, so everything is altogether—it’s a complete entertainment outfit. Of course, I’m not married, but I have responsibilities as a daughter. Managing that is part of your daily activities. It’s not a big deal at all. It’s not.Being a womanIt is being happy in your own skin. As one who is also fashionable, I want people to see the good parts of women. Motherhood, singlehood, whatever it is, whatever hood, let’s just see the good parts of them. Every woman and every human on earth has something to contribute to society – so like to show that part to the world, Let people see the good parts of women. Let’s not see women as sexual objects. Let’s not see women as those negative things that are attached to women. Let’s see their brilliance along with their charm. Let’s see their charisma along with their beautiful personality; so that women can be better respected in our society. Or me, that makes me a complete woman.My escapeRelaxation for me is when I listen to music or watch a live band. I love to watch live bands a lot.My go-to fashion styleI wear anything that fits comfortably like what I’m wearing now (she was on a t-shirt and jeans. Sometimes I could go to natives – most of which I do myself. Sometimes I will go in a skirt and blouse, a dress down shirt and so on. As a brand expert who is into fashion, I just interpret what best suits the occasion. Anything that fits and anything that can work for the occasion I want to appear in so that’s it.Fashion items I cannot do withoutMaybe my wristwatch. I have very good wristwatches. Yes, I think that’s the first. Most times, when I wear a wristwatch, people always admire it and say, “Ah, I’m going to take this from you.” So I think it’s my wristwatch.My favorite designerMyself.My fashion outfitsIt is called Esho Re. I have been running it for more than 10 years now. We do shirts, mostly customised designs. Shirts, tracksuits, dress-downs, polo shirts, gowns made of polo we don’t really do all those natives but dress-down things like what I’m wearing. In my family, we are all creatively inclined. I am not only into fashion; I manage events as well. I do many things that entail creativity. I can easily be found doing anything that has to do with creativity