Good Music Must Actualise Its Production Purpose

Good Music Must Actualise Its Production Purpose

David Olurinde, popularly known as Dave Willz, is a musical artiste of a refined style and class. His kind of music blends with any event or occasion, serenading his listeners. David Willz talks to Tosin Clegg, about his career, how it all started, his musical excellence and more

How I started my musical journey

It all started when Justin Bieber released his song titled “Baby”. I would sing it word for word and try to match the tone of voice he sang with. Soon, I started doing that with other songs and eventually people started asking me to sing and I would do it so well they wouldn’t want me to stop. That’s how the musical journey began and so far it has been a challenging yet beautiful journey.

What led me to the mastery of singing, writing and more

I sang in my church’s teens’ choir. We had voice training sessions and I had friends who will not rest until they’re able to perfect the techniques of Kim Burrell and J Moss. In the university, I was around the same music crowd and I couldn’t escape rehearsing till 2am for some nights. It was a lot of work but it was also fun because we knew that when next we sang outside, we would have added a few extra tricks to our book. I was in an acapella group with some of my friends, so I was almost always singing. Soon, I started writing poetry and eventually I was able to convert that to song writing.

Growing up was fun

My dad was a ministry man, so I had to move around a couple of times. I remember I wanted to be an aeronautical engineer. I wanted to make things that took people from one place to another fast and, guess what; I think I made something like that now. With my music, I can take people from one state of mind to another or even from one place to another mentally. So, I think I got my childhood dream, but then I moved on to study Psychology at Covenant University.

The kind of music I do depends on how I’m feeling at the time

Sometimes, it could be RnB, could be afrobeats, could be folk and it could also be pop.

Coining my stage name

Initially, I used David Oluwilliams but it was a little too long so I changed it to Dave Willz. Dave is from David and Willz is from Williams which is my Dad’s name. I decided to use that because it sounds simple and easy to remember.

Inspirations for my songs

My songs are inspired by what I see, hear, and feel and majorly, about things that happen around me and to me. Sometimes, it could be a story I heard or something I witnessed or experienced. Each song addresses a particular situation or season. If a season is close and there’s a song that aligns with that season, then it’s the best time to release that song. There is honestly no telling how long it takes to make a song, there’s only how long it took to make a song. When I start working on a song, I just keep going till I feel it’s ready. It could be two weeks or two months or two years. And funny enough, there could still be adjustments while it is being recorded. So, you never really know how long it will take.

Body of works, songs and EPs

In 2019, I put out a compilation of covers titled “My book of Covers”. There are about 10 covers on it. It was released to get the attention of the right audience and it did. With the attention of the right people, it would bring gigs and these gigs would bring funds required to produce and promote my original music. I have performed those covers and more at different events and on different platforms. In 2018, I released a song titled “My dear” and “Eko Ile”. In 2019, another song titled “Poverty Go”, which is the desire of most Nigerians. Some of my songs have been featured in movies and I’m currently working on a few projects.

Defining good music

Good music can’t really be defined. In my opinion, I can only say good music is music that performs the purpose for which it was produced. If the music was intended to make you dance and it does, then it is good music. If it was made to calm you and it does, then it is good music. If it was intended to make you dance and it doesn’t, you know what it is. I believe the key element in making quality sound is “order”. Everything must be in order, nothing must be out of place else it would sound like noise. I work with the best people. We share the same vision and understanding, so they are the easiest to work with. We are more like a family and I have great respect for them. My music is influenced by Kizz Daniel, Wizkid and John Legend. Also, I have found a mentor in JJC Skillz. I’m working on a couple of projects at the moment. Working on different sounds and testing some waters, so you all have to expect good music. In a few years, I see myself in a place of progress, continuous value and relevance.

I work towards being a great musician with great music

The goal is to be timeless! To create music that will stand the test of time and touch my audience. I want to create the kind of music that will not fade, and always have space in the heart of my listeners.

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