Zaaki plans comeback with new album

Zaaki Azzay, a veteran singer, believes that most deceased artists were neither properly buried nor properly honoured.

He told Saturday Beats, “They (late practitioners) are not honoured the way they should. That is why we are trying to get the Performing Musicians Employers’ Association of Nigeria to work, so that we can address those things. We would also call on the state and federal governments to give such entertainers a befitting burial.”

The singer, who is known for his signature cap and torchlight, also stated that as the second vice president of PMAN, he had been busy managing the affairs of the music industry, especially as regards the welfare of entertainers, including producers and instrumentalists.

He added, “I recently recorded a song with Di’ja for my new Extended Play album. I have recorded another song featuring Magnito, and I am looking forward to working with Olamide. I am discussing with Wande Coal as well. Once I finish those songs, the EP will be released. I intend to make a strong comeback to the music industry.”

Speaking on how he keeps abreast of latest trends, he said, “In life, one must learn to evolve. I always advise people to establish a relationship with God, so that He would direct them on what to do. All these ‘Gen Z’ artistes love to feature me (in their songs). They love what I am doing, and they know that I am up to date. The world is celebrating afrobeats, and our artistes are shutting down big venues such as the O2 Arena in London, United Kingdom. I am happy that is happening in my time.”

The veteran singer also stated that shallow lyrics was not the fault of just the artistes. He said, “It is a two-way thing. I usually say that we are no longer Nigerian musicians, but international musicians. There are special occasions where artistes with meaningful lyrics are not invited. How would such people then be encouraged to continue singing meaningful songs?

“Meanwhile, those artistes have families and responsibilities. Aside from creating good melodies, marketing is also very important. A creative person can actually just focus on beats and be commercial. However, songs without meaningful lyrics will not stand the test of time.”