INDOMITABLE NIGERIANS - Impacts through Music

In a society where diverse ills thrive and its systems seem to support all the tracks and paths to the anomalies  through its tools of which music is no exception, few determined and good spirited Nigerians have chosen to be the change and solution their country much desire. The life of one of these young fellows is not without challenges and difficulties but has a message for many others. An interaction with Mr. Joshua Oluwaseun popularly known as Joeryos revealed the following to challenge us.

1. Who is Joeryos?

Joeryos is a music minstrel hailed from Ogun State, Nigeria and was born on June 20th, 1991. I started my music career in 2007 as a drummer and as a singer in 2009. Since then, I never stopped music because I had this passion to make music in every area of my life, although this wasn't there before. I also had this passion and anxiety just like other people to become a computer engineer but nothing came out of it after all. So I let go my desires and anxieties and followed God's desires for my life to be a musician.

How did I come about the name Joeryos? JOE is the short form of Joshua, while the RY is the last letter from Glory, OS is Oluwaseun.

2. What is music to Joeryos?

Music to me is life.  More so, music is peace and joy to me, there’s nothing I can do without music. Music has kept me going till date. In times of need, ups and downs and difficulties of life, I still find myself doing music because it has kept me going. Sometimes it sounds funny, there are some times in my life that I didn’t have anything like money, financial support from people, although they promise, they won’t fulfill. In all of these disappointments, I wrote songs, I mean to say that songs came to me while in this state. Instead of thinking or crying, I engaged myself in writing songs. Immediately I start the writing, all my worries disappear. God’s faithful solution to that problem surfaces immediately. 

Music is my soul. Without music, Joeryos is nothing. 

3. You started JOGM RECORDS COMPANY 

Please, tell us a little about the company and how you started.

I started JOGM RECORDS; I mean the lay down because I didn’t know how to produce songs. I started learning the production through an online production course from Bekley School of Music from 2017 till date. Before then, I asked friends to teach or to put me through but what they were asking from me was too much. I went into a deep thought; no help, no support but the spirit of not giving up kept me focused. I kept up with positive vibes in order not to stop thinking positively. No one bought into my positive ideas and if I shared with them, they see me as someone that’s mad. To them, the music of a thing wasn’t going to yield anything and even my family went against it. They also wanted me to further in another course saying that God did not call me but I insisted on what I heard from God. 

My first production was condemned by people. They said I was doing rubbish, there were discouragements everywhere even from friends and family but I held on to God for turn around. Because of the faith I had in God, JOGM RECORDS became a reality and so many songs and albums have been released by the company all thanks to God. 

4. How many albums and tracks do you have now?

I released my first album ‘Unquestionable God’ on December 10th 2017 and after that; I have released many singles produced in JOGM RECORDS myself. Unquestionable God was produced by my friends in their studio; after the release of that album, the albums and singles that followed were created in JOGM RECORDS COMPANY all thanks to God. 

In 2019, I released another album called Ranmi Lowo. After the Ranmi Lowo album, I have released so many singles all available on YouTube and musical blogs and sites. It is indeed God that has done all of these things.

5.  What is the source of your inspiration and what motivates you?

God did it all. The inspiration and motivation was from God because the work was an assignment so all my inspiration and motivation was direct from Him and He gave me a song from every situations of life.

6. What is your advice to Nigerian youths in general and those who desire to do music? 

The advice for the young ones coming into music ministry is to ask for God’s leading because we have so many people looking at other people’s wristwatch to set theirs. They can’t differentiate whichever way life is taking them; “my friends are doing it this way let me join them”, they can’t decide or differentiate where their call is from.  To the young artist coming, ask yourself this question; what’s the reason why you want to do music? Are you doing it because you love it? Are you doing it because you are told to do it? Or are you doing it because it’s your calling? 

So many people enter into music industry because of jealously, envy, lack of what to do or where to go. Ask yourself why you want to go into music industry?

Is it to show off or to fulfill purpose and destiny?

My own is to fulfill purpose and destiny, change my society for good and impact lives and the upcoming artists spiritually and physically. Thank you.

Certainly, the teaming youths of our country must stop looking at the wrist watch of others to set theirs but look unto the set time of God their maker and stand firmly on transforming their society with their potentials and not otherwise which is the evolving trends.

God bless Nigeria and her young ones.

Edited and reported by PraiseGod Wome