‘I’m an accidental musician’ – Singer Timi Dakolo opens up

Renowned Nigerian artist Timi Dakolo has opened up about his path to becoming a professional musician, revealing that music initially started as a hobby rather than a career ambition.  

During a recent appearance on the On The Record podcast, the singer of the iconic song “Great Nation” shared that his career-defining moment came in 2007 when he won the first season of Idols West Africa.

The victory marked a turning point, propelling him to pursue music professionally and establish himself as one of Nigeria’s most celebrated voices.

“I still see myself as an accidental musician. Yeah, I used to sing in choir. I used to just like that I sang. The first idea of music was during morning devotion.

“Then, we started singing street songs. We used to have notebooks where we write songs and they were girls to impress.

So music was not something I thought I would do professionally. It was after Idols that I decided to do music professionally.

“I said to myself, ‘Okay, we are here. Sometimes you meet your destiny on the road you take to avoid it.”

Additionally, Timi Dakolo shared the story of how he met his wife of 12 years, Busola Dakolo.

In a recent interview with Pulse, Timi revealed that he first met his wife at church, where they developed a friendship that eventually blossomed into a romantic relationship.a

The artist, known for his hit “Iyawo Mi,” also mentioned that at the time, he was driving the car he had won from a music talent competition. It is worth noting that Timi Dakolo was the winner of the inaugural season of Idols West Africa in 2007. The vehicle he received from the show was a Picanto, which he used to transport Busola, who was then his girlfriend.

At one point, Busola requested that the 43-year-old refrain from parking in front of her Zenith Bank office, as it caused her embarrassment.