StudentsWhoCreate
#13 Chemmie: Music, Cakes, Laboratory — Balancing it all, and Keeping it Real
I used to be very shy. It never occurred to me that I would do music. Chemmie originally started her music journey with simple songwriting in secondary school. She proceeded to start singing the songs she wrote and people loved thm
Growing up, Chemmie attended the (name of primary and secondary schools). Upon her graduation, she proceeded to study Microbiology at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU). How did she go from the shy kid to now performing her song to a crowd? How did she manage school work with music and baking?
I am an artiste and songwriter with the stage name Chemmie from Chemistry. Outside of music, I bake and do event decoration.
I started music in 2019 before the lockdown but started music officially in 2020, after the lockdown. I made a viral video for my song, Time (Asiko), which had airplay on radio stations and TV stations like AIT, and Africa Magic Yoruba.
How did music come about for you? Why music?
I'm the kind of person people never thought will do music because I used to be very shy. It also never occurred to me that I would do music. I liked singing and people used to tell me I have a good voice but not to the point of doing it publicly.
It started originally with songwriting in secondary school, in SS2. I started writing and singing, and people loved the songs I wrote then. My seniors invited me to their class to sing. I went to a girls-only school so even though I was shy, it was still okay because we were all girls. My friends started advising me to go into music after graduating, so I spoke to my parents about it and they said I should go to the university first, which I totally understand now. If I had gone into music then and blown, I will probably not have known how best to handle the fame because I was still young and didn't have enough knowledge about the music industry and the music business. I feel like doing it now is actually better because I'm more mature and can differentiate right from wrong. I joined the choir because I didn't want to stop doing music and at the same time wanted to improve.
Real by Chemmie
In 2019 during one of those ASUU strikes, I just felt like recording a song. I wanted to know what it felt like to record in a studio because I've never been in one. I didn't know who to talk to at the time, so I spoke to a cousin of mine who introduced me to his friend who is a producer. His producer friend was not available so I then spoke to my brother who connected me with another producer. I went to the producer and my cousin came around to support me since his producer friend was not available.
This was my first experience in the studio. I did my thing and the thing was not the thing I wanted. I did it to know what a studio session was like and to get see what my song will sound like when produced.
Can you tell us a bit more about this first studio experience?
I was scared and nervous but I had people around me to encourage and guide me. That is why I always like to have people who can guide me when I'm doing something for the first time. The first time experience was not that bad but I was just nervous.
Chemmie during a stage performance
How were you able to combine school work with music and baking?
It wasn't easy, it was crazy. My department does a lot of practicals so I can’t just miss class and most time I always end up as the group leader or the assistant so I can't miss practicals. I made a decision to do music and record songs on holidays and also, most of the producers I work with are in Lagos so it is easier for me to record during breaks and holidays and just face school work and cakes when school is in session. It got stressful at some point because some people on campus now knew me as “Chemmie the Artiste” and want to invite me to their shows and events, so I had to now make time for school work, music, and baking because people were still ordering for cake. It was really crazy because I was also doing my final year project work in the lab but we were having fewer classes. In the final year, we don't write tests in my department, we just write exams and do practicals.
What are some of the challenges you faced as a student artiste?
One of the challenges is having to attend shows overnight and being in class the next morning because most shows are done overnight. When I started doing music, amphitheater shows were canceled because of COVID. I was just trying to find my foot and connect with influencers which is why I didn't get an amphitheater gig to date but I was able to attend some shows off campus like clubs and departmental parties.
Having to go to these shows overnight and attending a class that can't be missed because of the lecturer taking the class is very challenging. Sometimes I have to choose between going to the show and missing the class or missing the show and going to classes the next morning. I remember a particular show I was supposed to attend one night but I finished my project practical around 8 pm that day and I got orders for cakes which I needed to deliver the next day. I got home and the light in my area went off. It was just crazy and I was frustrated. While I was baking the cake batch by batch, I got a call from a friend who offered to drive me to the show in his car and I agreed because it would make getting down to the venue easier. Unfortunately, the car broke down at the campus gate and it was past 10 pm at this point. I had to text the organizer that I wouldn't be able to come around anymore. I went back to my place and continued baking. I finished baking at midnight and was so stressed when I was done. I still had to go back to the lab in the morning to continue with my project practical. It was crazy.
Balance It by Chemmie
How did you navigate this challenge?
At some point, I had to draw a scale of preference and choose what was more important per time. For example, if I know the class may not hold and my customer can wait a bit longer for their order, I would attend the show and vice versa. I had to pick the most important thing at a time.
How would you describe the music creative community in your school?
The community is just there. It's the same everywhere. You have to know this person and that person for you to be able to perform in a show. It's just what it is. You've to connect with people. There are shows I attend not to perform but to connect with people. There are shows that you know that you just can't perform. There are shows I get invited to but don’t end up performing and there are shows I just attend and end up performing at. It's just that crazy.
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Is there an organized community?
I think there is but I'm not a part because I don't know if there’s any specific one but there's that impression that there's one. When you look at OAU artiste from the outside, it looks like there's a community because there is this kind of bond but I don't know the route to this community. For example, I met one of my artiste friend in church and another on Twitter but when you look at us from the outside you feel like we met at the same place or time. The interesting thing is that this bond among OAU artistes always transcends beyond campus.
If you were to rate the community on your campus on a scale of 1-10, what would it be?
For the community on Twitter, I would say 9 but you know social media is not real life so, for real life, I can't tell.
Chemmie
What is your creative process? How do you determine your style for a music project?
When I recorded my first official song with Fayasound (may his soul rest in peace), I downloaded the beat. I searched for a beat and just picked the one I vibed with. I wrote something to it and went to the studio to record. Also, I did some covers, one was for Blow my Mind by Davido and this cover song gave me my first performing gig at Elegushi beach when OAU and UNILAG did a combined hangout.
For some songs, I went to the studio and the producer played a beat. I get my inspiration in different ways. Sometimes I get it after hearing a beat and some other time I'm doing something else and the melodies just come. Most time I always prefer to hear the beat first because different beats have different stories, you can hear a beat now and it gives you a heartbreak vibe, and hear another beat and it has a party vibe which is what happened with Balance It. I was in the studio while the producer made the beat and it gave me this party vibe and it being an amapiano gave people the Niniola vibe because she's the queen of afro-fusion. It's just the amapiano vibe that gave that Niniola impression because that's me doing my thing. So for me, the beat gives me inspiration and sometimes the inspiration just comes.
In summary,
Listen to the beat > Write the lyrics > Record
What tools do you use when creating your music?
I prefer to use a pen and paper to write my lyrics but sometimes I use my phone’s note app if I can't get a pen and paper.
Real by Chemmie
How would you describe the impact of Covid-19 on you and your work as a creative?
During the lockdown, it was impossible for people to go to music shows and for artistes to go to the studio to record except for those who had their personal studio and recording tools at home. So people began to record with their phones and started posting online and some went viral. This motivated me to start recording covers of songs with my phone even though the quality was not that great but I was getting nice reviews and this motivated me to do more. These music covers also got a lot of people to DM me for collaboration and got me a lot of projects too. The lockdown really helped me.
Have you ever felt like quitting?
Severally
Why?
I mentioned that I got good reviews but I didn’t mention that I got bad ones too. There are some people that just have a bad mouth. These bad reviews sometime made me feel like I was doing rubbish and didn't want to do music anymore but with the help of the people around me, I got through it.
Chemmie
The people that have been around me since day one always tell me I have come this far and make me realize I didn’t come this far to quit. I'm the kind of person that things/words get to, a bad comment can get to me but I have people that encourage me. There are some reviews I see that don't get to me because I know I have passed that level. There was a time I released a song that got me invites to a lot of shows and someone was trying to give me a bad review about it, I just didn't take the person seriously. Even if a bigger artiste than me tells me I've been doing rubbish it will get to me but not like when I started, I know I've improved and gotten better.
What are your proudest projects?
For released projects, Real and Balance It. Also, the cover of Zamora’s ep, which got me a slot to perform in one of his shows. I am also proud of Somebody’s Son's Cover
I create when I am happy. I create when I'm in a good mood. When I'm not in a good mood, I just won't be able to.
What do you do for fun? How do you relax when you're not actively creating?
Movies, food, and sleep. Sometimes I go out and hang out with friends.
Who are the creatives that inspire you?
I am inspired by all the female artistes doing great in the industry.
I started singing because of Asa. I always listened to her and wanted to sound like her. I later learned to sound like myself. Also, her writing is really great.
I also love Davido’s vibe on songs. It’s always brain-bursting.
Adekunle Gold inspires my writing.
Chemmie
Who are the creatives you would love to work with or collaborate with on a project?
Adekunle Gold and Davido.
Chemmie Music is active on social media. You can connect with her via her official handles on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X.
