Fade the Healer: Being an independent artist in Nigeria

Fade the Healer

Fade the Healer :  "Know what your sound is and stay true to it, whoever gravitates towards it will"

Fade the Healer is a Nigerian singer and song writer based in Lagos, Nigeria. In 2022 following the encouragement of friends and family she made her official debut as an independent afro-pop, afro-soul musician, though she says she "still doesn't know how to describe my genre." 

“I think music is something I was always going to do. Even as a child I was in choir at church and at school. I used to write songs and record videos and it's something I always knew I was going to go into professionally. 

“My family is very supportive, I think they've always known I was going to make music. It was just a matter of time.” 

The singer's passion from a young age led her to acquire formal music theory training from MUSON (Music Society of Nigeria) “but I think I stopped at grade 3. I think I stopped at grade 3 for piano as well. I also did music in secondary school as well as a bit of voice lessons during my A levels.” 

As an independent artist in Nigeria Fade says it is difficult to know what advice to follow “because there is no blueprint on how to navigate the industry. Everybody has different things to say, and you wonder what their credentials are. Everybody has different takes and I don't think there just one way to do it."

She adds that being an artiste is dissimilar to other professions with more structured routes of education and career building. “With music it's not so clear cut. That's the hardest part.” 

The song writer further expresses that there is often a push to conform to trends “in this day and age when Nigerian music is being platformed, there is a certain sound that's popular right now and there is pressure to sound like everyone else because that's what's trending.” 

“I get it, sometimes you have to play towards the market, and you have to make money, but you shouldn't dilute yourself completely. It's a balancing act.” 

Speaking about her writing process Fade says "Sometimes I have melodies in my head and record them on my phone. Later I go back, I listen to the melody that I had then start developing lyrics or my producer sends me something and I listen to it until something comes to mind.

“I could be inspired something that I've watched or something I've read.” the singer adds. 

She says “To be honest, I don't think my music sounds like anybody else's. There are elements of Afrobeats, but also R&B, soul and pop.  I'm still not sure what to call it.” 

Outside of her music the artiste works in finance and hosts a radio show called The Soft Life with Fade centred around creatives across different fields. The singer states that as an independent musician she feels an obligation to help others gain recognition.

“When I was first starting out, I felt it was so hard to get visibility. I constantly had to figure it out myself. It often felt like people were taking advantage because they'd say you have to pay to be spotlighted on their show.  

“I thought that was unfair, so I made my show accessible. I just find different creatives that I think are talented and give them the chance to platform their art.” 

The singer says that she “wears many hats” but is unsure if she is balancing them. “Music-wise I have bursts of motivation. There are times I write and record loads of songs and there are some dormant periods. But I'm really trying to change that this year by having a proper schedule, but it's not been easy to be honest.” 

Fade says it has been interesting being both a singer and a radio host however, as she says it has opened several opportunities for her “I recently got booked for an MC gig randomly because someone thought ‘clearly, she knows how to speak to a large audience’ and that's how it worked out.” 

Currently she is working on an EP. She says “It's not finished yet. I can't really say when it's going to be released but it's before the end of the year.” 

Fade the Healer's advice to fellow independent artistes is that “you have to know how to filter out constructive criticism. Know what your sound is and stay true to it, whoever gravitates towards it will, it's not for everybody.”