I STARTED SINGING AS A BACKUP SINGER WITH MY LATE FATHER AT AGE 12

Says Evangelist Lekan Remilekun Amos, Ondo based gospel artist

Evangelist Lekan Remilekun Amos is a talented Zion gospel artists from the riverine area of Ondo state. He is the son of popular late ilaje gospel artists Dr. Remilekun Amos who disappear mysteriously in Nov 2000 while he was traveling to Lagos for a ministration and since then his Son fondly called Omo Dafidi, a graduate of Physic Electronics from Federal University Of Technology, Akure (FUTA) stepped into his late father’s shoes. He had produced well over 10 hit albums. He speaks on his career and 20 years in the ministry.

You are one of the promising gospel artists in Nigeria with a unique style, for the benefit of our reader, can you tell us briefly about yourself?

Thank you, am Evangelist Lekan Remilekun Amos aka Omo Dafidi, I was born to the family of late gospel legend¸ Dr. Remilekun Amos in Ilaje local government riverine area of Ondo state. Am the 2nd born of family of 5 and a graduate of physic electronic from Federal University Of Technology, Akure, ondo state.

You had a background in science, how were you able to switch to music?

Hmmmm, I see gospel music as my calling though it was not what I intend to do but I was told that before my birth, there was prediction that a child was going to be born into the family that will be a minister of God and so on. The prediction was what I grew up to know. Though am a graduate of Physics Electronic but here I am today following God’s direction / instruction for my life (smiling).

Was there any sign to show or back the prediction of you becoming minister of God?

I believe God will not speak without signs, right from my childhood days I do see signs that God want me to win souls for me through song, I remember there was one almanac in 1987, I use the description on the almanac to compose a song, “Jesu to’fun mi i won ko” so I turn it to song. Again each time I pick my bible, I tried to put the words into song and as time goes on, I developed myself. Don't forget I grow up knowing my late father has a singer. Going by my experience, I appreciate what my father was doing and I was told even his own father, that is my grandfather was a great singer too, so I will say it runs in the family but in my own case, it was a special and divine calling because there was a prediction before I was born that this was what I will do and I thank God for his grace upon me.

Having had a prediction of you becoming a gospel artist, while then did you study physic electronic and not music?

In life what will be, will be. If I have to study music then, it might alter the direction of what God wants me to go because my kind of music is very peculiar and unique and it does not really require me going to school to study it, it is just divine on its own. Left to me I was aiming to become a lecturer because of my love for mathematics, so I decided to follow my own dream but when myself and my family were faced with this challenges, I had no option than to go into music.

What were the challenges that lead you into music?

My father's death. It was the most challenging period of our life, when my father went out and got disappear mysteriously in 2000. The story was very popular then and there was nobody to help us and the family was just there on their own and at that point in time I was facing much problem, it was during this period that I and my family made decision to be more devoted to God. During this period I started receiving inspiration and this lead me to my first album tittled Tribute to my father and that is how it all started till date.

Aside your father’s death, what were the other challenges you face in the industry?

The challenges are many but to start with, our generations don’t want to listen to gospel music anymore but to dance to beats and my own type of music is what people refer to as the message gospel because of this some people were trying to distract my attention telling me what to do in other to please the world, so I find this as a big challenge but I have made up my mind to please God who had given me the instructions rather than me to please the world and because of this, it took me a lot of time before my type of music was been accepted. Another challenge is finance, nobody is ready to invest in gospel music, you don’t get back what you have invested in it and apart from this, the marketing is poor; the marketer wants to gain all the money at once while you that produced the work will not have anything to show for it. When I started, I was very young, people were saying he can’t do it, he can be Remilekun Amos’ son but I give God the glory today for what I am and where I am today.

What inspire you when composing your songs?

So when did you started music professional?

I only release my first album in 2002 to commensurate my late father's death and that was the first time I will sing alone though I started singing at the early age of 12 years then I use to do backup for my father and I follow him to studio to record his song but for me to sing at function or church it makes me feel somehow but the courage came and I produce my first album for my dad. I took it as full time vocation in the year 2003 and ever since I have remained in music.

In a nutshell, are you saying you father inspired you more into gospel music?

Yes my late father helped my career because he lives an exemplary life, it will interest you to know that, my late father toke his music career as if he didn't sing, he was going to die the next moment. So I learnt a lot from him. He also taught me how to be a great minister of God and your songs must be evergreen. Evergreen in the sense, one will not sing this year and the song will fade with that year rather people should still be able to listen to it after many years even after the death of the singer. In sort, he is my role model because I learnt a lot from him and I have been following his footsteps.

Which of your album brought you to limelight and why?

I will say Aiyesoro that was released in Dec 2005 and a year after we shot the video, it was awesome and the recognition was great. So I will say both the audio and video of Aiiyesoro gave me that fame.

What inspired you to sing the song?

Aiiyesoro was a song that reflect on my late father, that how can a minister of God just vanish like that and looking at what had happen to us and happening around us, I realize that Aiyesoro oooo. But basically it based on circumstances surrounding my father’s mysterious disappearance.