In Conversation with Nigerian-Irish Singer & Songwriter, Tolü Makay
Tolü Makay Lives By The Mantra: ‘Success And Nothing Less’
May 22, 2024 | Written by Christine BradshawPhotos provided by Tolü Makay
Your new single, "Mind & Body," explores the theme of being present in the moment amidst the chaos of life. What inspired you to delve into this subject matter for your latest release?
Honestly, I was stressed. I was trying to sort and plan what I wanted for my career. I needed to build a new team that would believe and help support me while being an independent artist. For as long as I can remember, I’ve always lived the mantra, ‘success and nothing less’, but I didn’t realise the weight that carried. I’m a fixer and it starts with my mind processing how to create a strategy. So when something isn’t panning out how I’d like or is out of my control my mind gets so exhausted. I had to look elsewhere other than in my head for that sense of peace, familiarity and comfort. This forced me to be still, to engage with the present and my community. The need to ground myself is really what inspired this song I believe.
Can you tell us about your collaboration process with Steph Marziano and Dan Grech-Marguerat for "Mind & Body"? How did their expertise contribute to the overall sound and message of the song?
It's important I trust the people I work with, I'm quite particular about this. I know my vocal capabilities so I also want whoever I work with musically, to have higher and better knowledge about how to get the sound to bring the song to another level. Steph Marziano is brilliant at what she does. It was a breeze working with her and finding the right chords for the chorus I had brought to her. I haven’t met Dan in person but he was brilliant. The mixing stage can sometimes make or break a song and is often the stage I’m very nervous about. He got the feeling I was trying to relay in the song which made the experience seamless. I wanted a build in the last chorus to feel like one is in a clustered environment looking for an escape. I think that was achieved.
Moving from Nigeria to Ireland at a young age, how has your multicultural background influenced your music and. songwriting?
I get asked this question a lot. I don’t know if it affected it directly. I do know I write about my experiences and my feelings and perhaps my environment is what shapes how I view a lot of things around me. But it has nothing to do with my style of music or genre. I don’t think there is a correlation there but in my writing I think it will only continue to be influenced by the environments I find myself in.
You began singing in church at the age of 8 and later won a national gospel singing competition as a teen. How has your upbringing in gospel music shaped your artistic journey?
I never studied music. The bit of music theory I knew is self taught. Looking back, church days were my musical education. It taught me how to engage a crowd, how to connect emotionally with an audience, and how to handle forgetting my lyrics. In all it taught me the art of performance and connection through music. It’s something I’m extremely grateful for.
These lyrics, “I’m out of my mind now, in my body”, from “Mind & Body” resonated with me. They remind me of advice I’ve been given from my therapist in dealing with anxiety; to drop into my body with grounding techniques and get out of my anxious mind. Do you have any experience with anxiety and does it affect your artistry?
Therapy is a game changer! I was given this same advice with an analogy to help me remember I am in my own bubble and that bubble is for me alone. Creating this image in my head has helped anytime I felt outside of myself. Or in an environment I find I have to mask up in. I am also learning that having a routine is something that really helps me feel safe. Having a career in music means you have to be ready at any point in time, in the presence of people because the power is with the people. Opportunities can be so fleeting so you’re always on edge waiting and ready for your moment. This is what I think gives me, as well as a lot of artists, so much anxiety. It's the not knowing. Pressure of always being on. And the way to combat that looks very different to every artist. Personally, having a routine and boundaries has allowed me to focus on what I care for more which is allowing me to have more time to process and inevitably be more creative.
Your earlier single, "Goodbye," became anthemic across the UK and Ireland. How does it feel to see your music resonate with audiences on such a wide scale?
Goodbye honestly changed my life. I wrote that song as an anthem for myself. The fact it resonated with so many people made me feel like I was doing something right and that I belonged. I’m constantly betting on myself and even when I didn’t have examples of people in my immediate circle doing what I was doing it was the need to get my story out of me. I’m hoping this will be the year it hits a million. That song had no promo and has been steadily building an authentic listen by people over the years. I’m so proud of Goodbye!
Could you share with us some of the challenges you've faced and the growth you've experienced in your musical career so far?
With anything there will be challenges. I’ve come to the conclusion that challenges are there so we can reflect, grow, learn, and expand. I had no connections in the music industry in Ireland and even less connections outside of Ireland. Since the age of 14 I’ve just had to audition and sing wherever I could. That was a challenge in and of itself because you simply don’t know what you don’t know and no one will tell you. I had to learn the hard way of trusting the wrong people which inevitably taught me to value myself and the work I put into my career. This career has many lows but incredible highs that overshadow the lows. There were times I’d have to ask friends if I could stay with them for a while because I lived outside of Dublin, or even take the spare bed at friends places in London because it's bloody expensive! There have been moments where I didn’t know how to negotiate percentages and only learned later that I’m the one missing out on the deal. There are so many instances of challenges. From moments of discrimination, self-doubt, burn out, asking if I want to continue this pursuit of being an artist. You just have to keep going and figuring it out when you don’t have the resources. That’s the tough part. Not knowing. But my god! The sensation you feel when one of the things you’ve envisioned clicks, there truly is nothing like it. This career is a humbling, difficult yet deeply fulfilling path.