TOMATO: THE RISING AFRO POP STAR

Tomato is an Afro-pop newcomer, who is acclimatized with prevailing issues in our society, choosing to highlight a few in his music. Multitasking interior design and music, cements him as a skilled creative with a vocal dexterity that bodies a wide range of sounds and styles.

Having a brief chat with tomato to get a bit introspect;

 

BAD GUY IN A BENZO Out now! Produced by @mr_femidipe sorry it took so long. Link pon mi bio. Now let’s rage!! pic.twitter.com/1EfhIYktmR

— Tomato 🍅 (@tomatovibes) May 29, 2020

What is your inspiration behind your new releases?

Generally being inspired by real-life experiences, the environment I’m growing in, what I see in the media, and from people and friends around me. I’ve gotten tired of living in fear and seeing people afraid to speak up because of some sort of repercussions or fear.

What is the message behind the music?

Sensitize people, to make them aware of the current terrors of this bad governance hopefully causing them (us) to act at some point.

I just want to make more people aware of the challenges we face here in Nigeria. It’s not like people don’t know, most people know but they haven’t achieved a serious level of consciousness towards these issues. I feel when people gain this level of consciousness, we would look to take action by speaking out, educating others and taking a stand.

This reaction is based on self-experience or a 3rd party narrative?

It’s based on both really, but it was highly influenced by self-experience.

Do you believe your music carries some sort of truth?

Yes, I do. I believe it carries my truth and my reality and that of many others out there.

If we decide to go by facts, we are not strange to the news we have seen and heard in the media. It’s all out there.

What has this year been like for you?

2020 was “That year”  from day one, the 2020 vision was sold to us even a decade before it was witnessed and clearly cannot be forgotten.

Nevertheless, I am still determined to make it my year and speak out on core issues that affect our society at large, from juxtaposing opulence and status like in Bad Guy In A Benzo (B.G.I.B), then a segue into the ever-present ignorance and lack of identity that Fela spoke about way back as ‘76 in Follow Follow.