Ludare Sabada oozes class, which has been honed over many years of managing global brands. Ludare keeps the Sabada family music legacy alive.
By Funke Awodiya
The moment he steps into the room, no matter how passive the audience may be, Ludare Sabada will lighten the mood. The juju maestro, who cut his teeth in music as a teenager, is multi-talented and on stage, he will get you up on your feet dancing, even when you seem held down by the world’s troubles. There is nothing that so excites him more than being on stage thrilling his fans with his Sabada brand of music.
I stumbled on the former Heineken boss at one of his live shows in Abeokuta, Ogun State, shortly before he mounted the stage. He was glad to see me because the last time we saw him was five years ago during tribute night in honour of his father, the Sabada King-Emperor Wale Olateju. Wale Olateju was a contemporary of the likes of Commander Ebenezer Obey, King Sunny Ade, and Dele Abiodun. Wondering why the fellow of the Nigerian National Institute of Marketing suddenly decided to make a detour and chose music, I quickly looked for a good spot backstage and there began the interview. Can we start with your childhood? I asked as I quickly positioned my recorder, anxious to download the inside story.
Growing up, and my first encounter with music
“I’m the eldest child of the late Sabada, Emperor Wale Olateju. I was born at a time my father was one of the household names in juju music. He was already a signed artiste with the foremost record label TYC, at that time under the leadership of Chief Bolarinwa Abioro. I grew up with tonnes of musicians (members of my father’s band) all around the house and I had the privilege of free tutorials on the guitar right from around age nine which was unknown to my father who wanted me to be a doctor or agriculturist.
All I learnt and know was without his permission. I went to school and had a thriving career with a multinational and music became the second or third stream of income. What gladdens my heart most is that I got my father’s blessing and he actually became my fan before his demise. He witnessed my show at King Sunny Ade’s 70th birthday at the Havens, Ikeja.
Ludare Sabada, and his stellar marketing exploits
The dark-skinned graduate of English, Ogun State University believes his penchant for brands, including his stellar career in the corporate world, has influenced his musical career. He said: “At Guinness Nigeria, I managed brands such as Gordon’s Spark, Foreign Extra Stout, and also worked on the Innovation pipeline. I later moved to the Heineken Group, where I managed ‘33’ Export larger bottle change, Fayrouz Premium Soft drink, Guilder and Star larger as a senior brand manager.
I also worked with some of the biggest advertising business groups in Nigeria, from LTC/J.Walter Thompson to the Troyka Group as Head of Marketing for the outdoor business unit (Optimum Exposures). Again, I managed brands and innovations for Consolidated Breweries, a subsidiary of Heineken International, worked as Senior Trade Marketing Manager, Strategic Programmes, Nigerian Breweries, before my first love, music beckoned.
Two sides of a coin and the impact of education on his music
Before finally pitching his tent with music, Oludare was the career guy, but Ludare persona takes over after work on Friday. The two personalities, he said, may overlap at some point in terms of reasonableness, but there is a conscious effort to differentiate the two. No doubt, the mode of dressing was definitely different for the two. He believes the impact of education, beyond playing music, should be viewed from the perspective of being able to decipher and ability to reason independently. He added that education gives an all-round intellectual consciousness, which helps the decision-making process. “Whether you play music or not, education makes you view situations from different viewpoints,” he added.
Music runs in our blood
Ludare affirms that he is not the only musician in the family. “I have a younger brother who is a talented bassist! I remember buying him a box guitar. He learnt so fast and then specialised in the bass guitar. He plays for churches and contemporary bands. Other involvement in music with the family could be at the management level.”
Funke Awodiya is a medical sociologist and creative writer based in Lagos.
Ayodelé is a Lagos-based journalist and the Content and Editorial Coordinator at Meiza. All around the megacity, I am steering diverse lifestyle magazine audiences with ingenious hacks and insights that spur fast, informed decisions in their busy lives.
