WHY I DROPPED DANCE FOR MUSIC - GABBYBRAUN

Can we meet you?

My names are Gabriel Nkem Obi, Am from  Imo State, I was born and brought up in Lagos State. I am a recording and performing artist, also a dancer.

How did you get the name Gabbybraun ?

The name  Gabbybraun was gotten from my first name Gabriel. In which I shortened to be called Gabby, Braun happened to be the real colour of my hair which so many people do not know today, and that was how I got Gabbybraun.

Tell us about your background and childhood

My childhood experience was crazy though, my parents separated when I was a little boy. I was actually raised by mom who happened to be a yoruba woman. My father's parents didn't support the relationship, so it didn't get to work out between them. To the experience was terrible, I had to be with mumsy for some years. I Didn't get that fatherly love, it was crazy man. I get too emotional whenever I tell this story.
I had my primary Education here in Lagos at St. Anne Nursery and Primary School then my secondary was At Ansar-Ud-Deen-Grammar school. I am currently studying Public Administration in National Open University here in Lagos as well.

So how did you start doing music?

Music has been part of me ever since I was a little boy, Entertainment generally has been in my blood. I started off with Dance. Had been attending all kinds of shows and parties in my Secondary School days, I would mime to some songs by those foreign musicians. So I have had the passion for music since I was in secondary school. So I switched from Dance to music finally when I had my first studio experience in 2013.

So why did you choose music?

Dance and music blends together . You cannot dance without hearing any music unless you are a mad person and you cannot sing without Dancing. So I decided to double my hustle by joining both of them since I can do both. That is the passion.

How does it feel doing music from the ghetto?

Music is a weapon and I am very sure that the past legends made it through hard situations, some with different experiences. According to the great musicians that we all hear about today  music started from the street, we can see the likes if Tupac, Jay-Z, Eminem, 50cent, just to mention a few, they were all from the ghetto, thier situation motivated them. 
They say what doesn't kill u makes u stronger. I get inspired most times when I'm in the ghetto. 

What else can you do aside music 

Like I said earlier I started as dancer, so apart from music I also dance, I was also a good footballer but didn't take it serious.

What is your best and worse performances? 

Wow! My best performance so far would be the Cloud9 experience, I had my first major show on stage with other great superstars sharing the same stage with them. It was an amazing experience I tell you. The crowd cheering me up for a song they haven't heard before and as an upcoming art of course I did gave a great performance. It was a good feeling my brother .
No worse performance so far.

Can you remember your first breakthrough performance that made people start believing in you? 

Yeah sure that was the best performance I ever  had in Lekki.

Tell us the lesson you have learnt about life through your music hustle 

My music hustle has thought me so many things. First of all do not depend on anyone, because you will be deceived. And you have to be ready for all the mockeries surely people will say bad about you, same mouth is gonna still say good about you. We found out how strong we are not when things are going well but when they are not. So all this things makes me strong. Still learning though.

Who is your mentor in the Nigerian music scene? 

My mentor in the Nigerian music industry right now is BurnaBoy . I really love that guy no homo bro. His sound is one sound that I dig. He is different from others.
Burnaboy actually motivated me into music and I am not shy to say that. Although I got a style of my own .but I actually tap from his as well. Yeahh. 
Big shout out to all the great Naija artistes they are all  doing great  I tell you.

Who is your mentor in the foriegn scene? 

Honestly I love all the artists doing good music in the foreign scene right now. I really don't have a mentor in the foreign scene but I so much love Eminem and 50cent. Yeah so much for this guys .

How did you convince your parents about doing music?  

At first my parents were not in support of me dancing but when I started earning money from it and all the good things I always bring back after my show ,I didn't have to convince them to support me in my music because my mom already knew I love dance and music.

Tell us about dance and your plan for the future concerning dance

It's all about music for now. Would still incocate dance in my music videos and also in my stage performance so I am not leaving dance.

How do you get your inspiration?  

First of all God is my inspiration and in addition to that I get my inspiration from my surroundings, the people I see. My past love life inspired one of my song though.

Whats your biggest song so far? 

So far so good and improvement is certain, I love all the songs I've recorded so far but to answer your question I will choose "RollUp" .

Name the collabo you have done and which is your favourite and why? 

That will still be "RollUp" this is a motivational song I recorded to encourage every artist in the game to keep their head up no matter the challenges they face.

Which artiste would you like to work with in Nigeria? and why? 

Definitely I would like to work with BurnaBoy..because he got that voice texture as I do.

Which artiste would you like to work with in Nigeria? and why? 

That will be Drake, he is exceptional.

Which producer is your favourite and why? 

In Naija I like Leriq's production, he is versatile and he has a good tune and overseas Dr. Dre, no need to mention why cos everyone knows he's the king of music production.

What project are you working on presently? 

Yeah recently I just dropped my new single #JEMBE and it's banging everywhere and the response from the fans is overwhelming. So am still on the promo. I am shooting a video for it soon. You guys just watch out. 

When are you dropping an album? 

Brother there is no plan for dropping an album for now. I'm just gonna keep recording good songs when the right time comes I'll drop an album. 

So What do you know about Quadoowear? 

Quadoowear is a brand I've known for a decade now...this is a brand with various talents implementing a very good strategy for the growth of the Nigerian youths...I strongly believe that the best is yet to come from Quadoowear.
The sky is our stepping stone my brother.

Tell us about your love life 

My love life hmmmmmm...I'll like to keep that private ...*smiling*

What do you think about Nigeria? 

Well as u can see its no longer new to anyone how our leaders has corrupted the country. Despite the fact that the nation is suffering a severe economic meltdown, we still find way to make ourselves happy as entertainers. I'm proud to be a Nigerian and hopefully the change we all av been seeking will come to an existence .

Whats your social media contacts? 

Okay my social media handles are Facebook.com/Gabby Braun, Instagram: @iamgabbybraun , Twitter : @im_gabbybraun.

Message to your fans and your loved ones 

To my loved ones I will have to thank you all for your support so far, I am very grateful, words cannot express how I feel right now. Please keep sharing my songs and keep supporting the brand and I promise never to let you guys down ..Thank you so much God bless you.

Advice to younger artistes out there

Let me say this quickly as an upcoming art first of all you got to love what you are doing, be passionate about it. Believe in yourself Don't be deceived by anybody out there. 
Put God first and every other thing will be soft for you. That's all I have to say. Thank you so much. God bless us all. Amen.