“Music is my career. It’s the only thing I want to do. I’ve passed on money before and I will again if it means I have to do something that does not bring me any joy.”
Andre Vibez
Andre Vibez is known for his magic with sublime music production that has gone on for many years. He has gotten multiple recognitions, one of his most recent being the producer of the year award at the Beatz awards in 2021.
If you know of Andre Vibez, I’m sure you’re always looking out for his signature echo of “…vibes!” at the beginning of every song he produces. If you don’t know who he is, he is a music producer formally known as Alex Uwaifo. He is the magic fingers behind the hit songs “Feeling” by Ladipoe ft Bnxn that won the Rap single of the year at the Headies Awards recently, “Calm down” by Rema, “Body” from the newest Mavin Artist, Bayanni, and even “Rush”, Ayra Starr’s latest single among many others.
Andre Vibez is one of the hardest working producers in the Nigerian music industry, pushing the envelope and working his way to display his depth of creativity in a multi-faceted way, through music and fashion. On today’s Soot Africa Exclusive, we got a chance to talk with him, digging deep about who he is, his creative process, and his lifestyle in and out of the studio. As expected, he comes with vibes! You might want to keep reading if you’re as curious as we were.
It’s a calm afternoon, I had just finished eating a large chunk of meat from the food I bought earlier when a call came in from my editor. “Andre is ready for the interview by 4 pm, please be ready”. “Say no more fam, I’m game”- I said. Not exactly my words but you get me.
To Begin with, who is Andre Vibez and who is Alex Uwaifo?
He told us about the side of Andre Vibez that is much more than a producer. The name also covers other creative aspects like fashion and art in general. He also explains how fashion is his second love after music. Music+Fashion= A match made in heaven if you ask me. On the other hand, Alex Uwaifo is a more reserved and observant person. Guess you could say Andre Vibez is the alter ego of Alex Uwaifo. Interesting!
It’s obvious you got into music at a young age, and I’m sure that came with its challenges. What would present-day Andre tell younger Andre to make his journey into the music industry easier?
“I’d say, hey, don’t put too much sentiment in front of your work, and follow your instincts. Get bigger, focus on yourself, and grow. When you’re capable enough, you can carry other people along”.
Andre speaks about how his younger self would always want to carry people along, forgetting that some people are only there for their own selfish gain. I somewhat agree with Andre on this one… A drowning man can’t save another drowning man, can he?
Quick one, Do you Play any instrument(s)? I play the keyboard so I am just curious to know if you play any instrument because it is common to find instrumentalists among producers
Contrary to what people believe about producers, Andre says knowing how to play an instrument might be an added advantage, but it is not necessary for you to learn an instrument to be a producer. This is true, considering the fact that top producers like Sarz don’t play musical instruments well.
Andre says he does play a little bit of the keyboard though and is currently trying to learn the flute and guitar as well. His siblings on the other hand are experts at playing various instruments.
We know music producers are the brains behind the beautiful songs we hear every day. I’d like to know what goes on in your head and your creative process.
“Being a producer is so much more than just making beats. You have to know how to arrange things creatively and put them together. You don’t even have to do it yourself, you can assemble people to bring your creative vision to life.”
“It differs for me. I just need to feel that motivation I need to push myself even on days when I don’t want to. When I was much younger, the passion was what drove me. The concept of making something from scratch, the little ideas in my head to something really dope that people would love was fascinating to me. I always picture what the end product would look like and that motivates me.“
The idea of creating something massive from the scratch is one thing I definitely envy in Andre. Not everyone can be that patient to go through that creative phase. It is nice to hear that this desire is what fuels his creative passion and drives his productivity as he explains.
The passion has to fuel the drive. It is very important. I had days in the past when I’d visit a friend of mine who was a producer. If he’s working on a beat and gets stuck, he usually goes out, takes a stroll, and it loosens him up a bit. When you experience creative blocks like that, as I’m sure you do, how do you get back in the zone?
Andre’s response to this was quite interesting. He said he’d, first of all, save the work (very important before Rema’s beautiful songs get lost on the system). Imagine how many solid beats the world would have never gotten to hear if the producers deleted them whenever they hit a wall. Andre breaks his creative block by doing stuff around the house because of how much of a homebody he is. I believe in the supremacy of cleaning and arranging your house as a top-tier brain decluttering process.
He’d either watch a movie or a documentary or something educational. It’s hard to imagine that the beats of a song like “Calm down” by Rema might have been produced after watching a documentary. Such an interesting process.
For me, most times I go to the gym to break the funk, that’s my therapy
Andre laughs at this. You can’t blame me for being a gym rat. Do you think he might be someone who spends some of his time at the gym too? I guess we’ll have to ask him at the next interview.
But sometimes there are deadlines that you absolutely have to meet, you know…
To this, he says he just has to find a way around it… “By fire by force”. He sees this as one of the beauties of his work, which even applies to his life generally. Whenever he starts a project, he always wants to see it through to the end. No matter how long it takes, he’d always dedicate time and energy to it. Sometimes pressure can be good, it helps kick you out of your creative block phases.
Is there any difference in the outcome though, when you’re working at your own pace and when there’s a deadline you have to meet up with?
“No, the quality of my work is always the same.” The only thing might be that, as a human sometimes I tend to be a perfectionist. The beat might already sound good, but I’d want to add more and it’s almost always unnecessary.“
I also feel the same way as I write this, this line is almost not necessary but you get my point.
What’s the fastest time in which you’ve made a song?
“I’ve made a beat in at least 10 minutes, and I’ve made some in 25 to 30 minutes. But that was a long time ago. These days I’d probably make a full song in an hour or two. Sometimes it’s less, I can always put down the ideas I have in my head and come back to them later to add more things or use a different approach.”
That’s something legendary right there. As an aspiring producer, I want to tap into this anointing as well.
How do you manage difficult artists, especially those that don’t share the same energy with you in the creative process?
Producers work hand in hand with Artists all the time and it can’t be all rosy at all times. There tends to be an exception in relations.
To this, Andre answers by talking about how important it is to have chemistry in the music-making process. “I always try to build chemistry and a friendly rapport between me and the artist. We don’t have to be best friends or anything, but there has to be an understanding. Of course, some artists are just difficult, not as humans but as artists. And that is understandable because everyone’s creative process is different. I always make sure I try everything I can as a producer to make sure I show you how much better your song can be. But if there’s still no mutual understanding, I’m willing to let the project go. It’s never a do-or-die affair and other opportunities will always come along.”
Talking about connection, which project, song or artist would you say is your Favorite so far? Is there one that you’ve particularly made a connection with?
Andre tells us he has no favorites. He did mention that he particularly enjoyed working with Rema though because of how intentional and creative he is. He is young and has a lot of drive and that is something that Andre loves tapping into. “I also really enjoyed working with Ladipoe. He is a very open and creative person in the studio and that’s something I love.”
Speaking of that… the track “Feeling” with Ladipoe, what was the creative process behind it? Was it spontaneous or a planned process?
“The recording was spontaneous, but we didn’t even have a hook for it at first. I had recorded the beat a long time ago and had even forgotten I had it. So that day, Ladipoe came over, and I was looking for something to play for him, and that was when I stumbled on it. He loved it instantly, and when Buju came over, he wanted to hop on the song too. So, he gave us a hook, and here we are. “With ‘Feeling’, we wanted to create something nostalgic that people would connect to and remember a time when things were easy and happy.”
And for those who have seen the music video, I hope this helps in understanding the concept behind it. This is exceptional. This song was born from a Spontaneous creative vibe to winning the best rap single of the year.
i would like to know, was there any time when you got tired and just wanted to quit?
Andre’s answer definitely took me by surprise. “Never”. He did admit to taking a step back to pause and do other things sometimes, but there was never a time when he was ready to let go of it completely. So many creatives have a point in time when they are ready to throw in the towel, but it seemed to Andre that he was all in, right from the beginning. I found that so inspiring.
He’d learn from his mistakes and try not to stop making mistakes but to make new mistakes because that meant he was growing. He just had to be sure of himself, with the number of endless hours he dedicated to perfecting his craft right from his teenage years and early 20s. In his own words... “I have a good ear for music, and I knew that my stuff was good and people were going to love it”
One more Curiosity before you bell my cat. Did you start as a producer or as a musician?
“I started music as an artist when I was 14 years old. I used to write raps, I was trying to write my songs. What pushed me into production was a particular experience I had in the studio at 15. The producer wasn’t listening to me, and I felt stuck. Because of that, I never wanted to be in that position again. So I wanted to do it for myself and also for others, so I’d be open to their suggestions amicably. Luckily for me, right after secondary school, everything I needed was around me and I started producing beats. My dad had hired a sound engineer to walk me through it, but I already had the creativity inside of me. He showed me the technical stuff, and within a short while, I was good”.
Andre also speaks about how being born into a music background helped, with his dad being a musician and all his siblings knowing how to play one instrument or the other. He likened his family to the Marleys and I couldn’t agree more.
If you were to pick between your art or career, money, and your legacy, which would you go for?
“Music is my career. It’s the only thing I want to do. I’ve passed on money before and I will again if it means I have to do something that does not bring any joy to me”
We brought the question a little bit home at this point. When asked how we could better explore our Time Series here at Soot Africa, he suggested creating a platform that gave more limelight to producers who are normally left out of the conversation. (Just like what we’re doing).
As for past producers that inspired him, Andre gave odes to Doctor Frabz and Nelson Brown, who produced hits from the 90s and so many others.
We’ve seen more producers try to come into the spotlight by Having collaborations with artists, just like Sarz did. Should we expect something like that soon?
“I’m open to it, yes. The goal is to try and make amazing music with as many amazing artists as possible. And, because I’m trying to expand my catalog at the moment, it’s definitely a step I’m taking in the near future.”
This is great news to hear. I have an album name suggestion in mind already. Think of something like “The Vibes and the Man”. Producer-artist collaborations will not only help the artists, but also help expand the horizon for the producer. It is a win-win situation.
Can you give us one name?
I’m working with a lot of artists, it might be something like an Andre Vibez album, but I can’t reveal any names.
I guess we just have to keep our fingers crossed on this one.
On this note, I pizz-out in grand style as we appreciate Andre Vibez for taking out his time to honor this interview. We hope to meet physically for another discussion like this. It is a very humbling experience to meet someone like Andre, who has such a knack for his career and personal growth at the same time.
Enjoy other Exclusives like this on Soot Africa here.