Sensational singer John Ighodaro, better known as Johnny Drille, has opened up about the challenges he faced while trying to land a record deal early in his career.
The “Wait For Me” crooner revealed that two major record labels showed interest in signing him but wanted him to modify his sound. However, he refused to compromise his style and chose to remain authentic to his music.
Johnny Drille shared that Mavin Records boss Don Jazzy took a huge gamble by signing him, noting that the decision was driven by passion rather than profit.
Speaking during a recent episode of the CreativTea Podcast, he said:
“People could never had imagined that a Mavin Records under Don Jazzy would sign an alternative artist like myself. It was weird for a lot of people.
There were two other major labels in Nigeria that wanted to sign me but the conversation was always around, ‘How do we change your sound? How do we make it faster? How do we make it danceable?’
However, when I met Don Jazzy, there were no conversations like that. He was just really a fan of the music…that was a big risk to take, but he pulled it off.”
Johnny Drille rose to fame after participating in Project Fame West Africa Season 6 in 2013. His debut single, “Wait For Me,” was released in 2015. He joined Mavin Records in 2017 and dropped his first album, “Before We Fall Asleep,” in 2021.