Cobhams Asuquo: My Blindness is a Gift and I Love My Life So Much

Even Though I Can’t See My Wife I Know When She Makes Her Hair

Timorous, he falters into the recording studio. As a teen just out of secondary school his picturesque mind is colourful. With juvenile hands, his dexterous fingers caress the keyboard exuding the spontaneity of a guru. The artful boy produces a sonorous sound. Soulful, beautiful and wonderful, he keeps a boisterous studio quiet. His music is irresistible; its flow, unstoppable. His blinking hardly opened eyes shine like twinkling stars in midnight sky. As the years roll by, he gets better at what he’s always known how to do best: to play music, to write and to produce songs. He’s not a magician, though he’s got a magical touch to his works whether he’s singing, writing or producing songs. His life’s story reels on reality made out of impossibility. Award-winning and sought after home and abroad, Cobhams Asuquo is a humble legend in Nigeria. Born blind, he commands respect rather than seek pity. Talented, he has succeeded in polishing the talents of others. The Chief Executive Officer of CAMP (Cobhams Asuquo Music Production) in this interview with Oge Ezeliora talks about his love of music, ingenuity, his escapades and how he feels the beauty of the love of his life

You are arguably Nigeria’s number one music producer; why did you choose music?
(Laughs) Yeah, my life is counting and if I am not into it, then I am wasting my time. Is what I know how best to do. This is my passion and this is me. I feel like I am doing what I love to do. I am fortunate doing what I am doing because if you are not into something and that is what you are doing, it is a waste of time. I don’t know if it is the same for everybody because there are a lot of bankers or people who do other businesses, who would rather do music. I like music and I’m doing it. I don’t take it for granted.

Do you do anything outside of music?
Yes, I do a few things outside of music. I love to, or rather I should say I get to speak to people – it’s the most unnerving thing I do because I run away from it up until I get to do it. I never wanted to do it. As a matter of fact, one of my most widely circulated speeches was given at Tedtalk, and I was going to cancel the appointment a few days before the event. I prayed I would miss the flight. I’m just generally nervous before I give a speech, but for some weird reason it turned out well. So, yes, I get to speak. I can’t say with boldness that I love to speak. But what I do know is that if I don’t speak, I regret it because I realise that I have a lot to say, and I might have missed the opportunity to say it. But afterwards, I’m happy because I realise there is a lot of truth in what I say; I can be expressive. I will never think of myself as a motivational speaker, no. It’s a very overrated title. I have a thing for real estate. I also have a thing for radio. I am not doing much of that right now, but I actually was with Rhythm 93.7 for a short while as an on-air-personality.

When exactly this love for music start and what inspired you?
It started as a child. I don’t remember (exactly) when but I had always known that I love music. I have been in and out of choir and I never really sang solo because singing was never my thing. And when I joined the choir, it was as an organist or something else and I only sang when it was necessary. God is the source of my inspiration. He inspires me through the things and people around me. I could wake up in the morning and the inspiration to write a song hits me and I get right to it. I would probably grab the closest recording device near me like my phone and put down my ideas.

You have a good voice; why don’t you sing often?
Thanks. I do sing but not all the time. I can express myself with my voice. Whether it is good or not, all I know is that I can sing even better than (some) other musicians.

How does it feel settling down as a married man?
It is relief, joy and happiness; because for marriage, one may never really know how beautiful it is until one gets into it. For me, it has been amazing and beautiful. It is such a rewarding experience, especially when married to the right person. I found strength, support, hope and just the reason to be grateful for being married. I have a fantastic wife and I try as much as possible to be a fantastic husband to her and a wonderful dad to my son. My wife deserves the best and so much love. The truth is that in marriage even if the other person doesn’t give as much, they still deserve to be loved because it’s a commitment to be kept for the rest of one’s life. How much more when you get this much goodness! It’s been good and made me more responsible.

How did you know she was the right person?
I guess you just know. You have to be sensitive and look out for certain elements. We had been friends for about a decade even though we only started dating few years ago. I guess throughout that period of friendship it was a good enough time for us to take in who we are. I know and also have many good people, but she is just an exceptional, amazing person.

What makes her extraordinary?
The love in her heart isn’t just for one person (me). She loves people. She isn’t just kind to me; she’s kind to all. She is a straightforward, honest person. I think the fact that she cares about people in general is a major attraction. Often, people judge love by how it is shown to them. It’s easy to love me, but how easy can you love the people around me? I am a people’s person and she is such an amazing person who hasn’t just accepted me but the people around me also. She loves God and people. Everything else we can work along the way, because once there is love for God, people and humility, it is easy to take to correction and want to be a better person.
Do you in anyway feel unworthy of her?
Sometimes I do. When she quit her job in one of the leading telecommunication companies in the country, I just thought she had made a major sacrifice. I know I deserve good things as a human being, but sometimes when I look at her, her person and the things she had done, it is nothing short of amazing and I am grateful to God. She is my world.

Let’s talk about family life. How are you coping?
I think family life is beautiful, and it is an amazing place to be because I am inspired by its daily affairs. It is an opportunity to give, to be responsible, to be loved and cared for, and I get a lot of that. So, I would say that family life is beautiful and it gets better as the days go by.

Does your wife stay with you most of the time?
My wife and I work together in the same business – Cobhams Asuquo Music Productions – where she acts as our business head after she resigned her appointment in a telecommunication company. It has been an amazing experience just getting to relate with her on a different front rather than the home; just getting to bounce ideas and helping the company grow. It brings even more value to the table as far as the two of us are concerned.

Do you do normal romantic stuff?
(Yes) Of course! I am a die-hard romantic man and I love my wife very much because affection is a language any woman would respond to. It is something any man should be proud to give. So, I am affectionate, caring and loving to the best of my ability.

Before you married, were there women seeking your attention?
I don’t know. But I would say yes, why not? There were people who sought my attention and that is not to say I didn’t seek someone’s attention, too. That was how I met my wife. I think it happened both ways.

Were there times you were turned down?
I grew up a very adventurous individual. In my younger days, I sought attention and got it. But as I grew older and understood the importance of seeking and getting attention, I decided to seek attention in a more strategic, specific and critical way. Some worked and some didn’t as with everybody else.

If you don’t see your wife, how do you appreciate her beauty?
First of all, I think we need to look past the misconception that beauty is only outward. A person is not just beautiful because she looks beautiful. There are a lot of people who look beautiful but who are troubled inside. And the truth is that by the time you deal with their drama, the facial beauty would mean nothing to you after all. I was and I am still attracted to her because of her inward beauty even that now she is my wife. And obviously, within the bounds of marriage there is a certain level of contact and exposure of one to another we are permitted; which helps me even more to appreciate her outward beauty. Because touch is an amazing thing, and there is so much you can appreciate. There is so much outward beauty you can appreciate with sight that touch gives you a better sense of. So, I appreciate my wife because I am the closest person to her. I am close enough to know when she has just made her hair or when her hair is not combed; close enough to know how she smells and how she feels. I think what is more important even to a woman is being close and appreciative enough to know how they feel. I think there are a lot of things more important than outward beauty even though outward beauty is important. It is not whether my wife wears a smile or a frown, but I can connect with her to know whether inwardly she is happy or sad because looks can be deceptive.

Who are your competitors?
My major competition is myself. I try to raise my own bar; break my own record and even when other people are satisfied with it and I realise it is not my best I still want to give it more.

You talk like a motivational speaker?
No, I am just sharing what is on my mind. That is how I look at life and who I think I am. Those are some of the thoughts that define me.

You talked about making mistakes; what are those mistakes?
I don’t know of any human being who doesn’t make mistakes. What I learnt from a piece of advice I got way back: ‘Throw away your old bank statements; keep your old love letters.’ And what that means to me is that you should learn lessons that are not your best from your past and throw them away, while you keep to the good things that continually inspire you. So, I don’t walk around carrying my bag of mistakes. I recognise and take responsibilities for them. And with the lesson learnt, it makes me a better person as I move on.

How would you describe your career?
I started out just doing this for fun but now it is paying my bills. From my early days with Faze and the group, Maintain, before they split up, these are some of the people that took the risk of having me work with them. I remember some key moments like the first time I actually sat down to make music at New Wave Production (CharlyBoy’s studio). The experience was simply amazing. Although I had been in the studio before, I found myself doing what I had always dreamt of doing and I was just about 16 then. I continued afterwards, making music and meeting people. I was introduced to Faze by his brother, who was my senior in secondary school (King’s College) and later I met Maintain’s manager in the studio. They took a chance with me and it just began to happen from there. It literally exploded.

What did you mean by ‘they took a chance working with me’?
That is, they didn’t have to because I was just a young kid who just strolled out of secondary school. I was a rookie who went in and out of the studio to work on commercials, jingles and other kinds of stuff. If they didn’t believe in me and took the chance to work with me, I don’t know if anyone would have known me right now. And it is something I don’t take for granted.

At some point you were studying Law but later delved into music. Why?
I like Law and I am fascinated by its academics and practice. But I guess music has a better grip as far as my lifestyle and direction is concerned. But there is no telling whether or not I might take Law seriously later. Music had always been there and I think it was time for me to face facts and ask myself if I was ready to be do litigation in wig and gown or not when I got to my third year in the university. I think I just realised that I couldn’t go back; it didn’t feel right in any case. I needed to find my life. I needed to find my joy and the person I had always been. I had been performing from my primary school days; doing all kinds of things. So, after I wrote 15 letters to God and I signed each one of them Cobhams Asuquo God, as I felt, ‘If I am your son, I might as well bear it as my last name.’ So after a while I made up my mind that I was not going back. I went back to school to give out my stuff. I went to my room, gave out all of my stuff and didn’t go back.

Did your parents support your decision?
Yes, my mother (well, both my parents actually) and it was scary for me. My parents trust me to always be responsible and always make sensible decisions. When people have that level of trust in you, it behoves you to live up to their expectations. And for a young guy who also wanted to enjoy life, I had to grow up quickly and become responsible and actually live up to their expectations and make them proud up to that point. The general assumption was if this was the path I had chosen to take, I would do them proud as well. I think that was it, but it also kept me in check. So I lived with the reminder to be responsible, and to make something out of my decision. Failure as a final result was not an option, so I had to do everything I could to make sense of this path I had chosen to follow. My parents believed that I would make success of my life even if I chose to be a plumber.

What was your parents’ reaction then?
I have the most amazing family ever and they have always believed in me. My mother always said to me, ‘I know you will become someone great in life.’ So, for her, I was on the path of becoming that great person she had always imagined. Also, I had an interesting academic record. So when I opted for music, they knew it was out of passion and not because I was failing as far as academics were concerned. I guessed they had seen me going in that direction and were just waiting to see me come around myself. They gave their support so long I felt it was the right decision for me. They literally threw their weight behind me and that is why I am where I am today. I am a product of love; I grew up in a family with lots of love. We didn’t have a lot of money but we had a lot of love and pride in ourselves as a family. We often described ourselves as a family jokingly as members of the Asuquan Empire or something stupid like that. And then the God side of my mother began to manifest as I grew older, and then my father’s responsibility for his family and his generosity. A lot of things: my father’s love for me, my mother’s love for me, my brothers’ love for me., I grew up Catholic and went to Catholic schools, and have always been a person of faith even though I had to find my way from trying to understand Catholicism as a young boy. I believe it helped me build a foundation where I am aware of whom I am.

Do you sometimes feel limited because of your visual impairment?
I don’t feel limited in anyway because I have great people around me; (people) who are very encouraging. In whatever might appear as a limitation, I believe there is always a way. Whatever I might not be able to do, just knowing and having the kind of people I have around me gives me the power to surmount those hurdles.

How did you learn music production?
I literally stumbled on it. I had always imagined there would be an interface where one person would be able to sit down and create all these different instruments, store them and have them played back. And I discovered years back after that thought had crossed my mind that there are keyboards that could help one to do that. I had thought about it even though I hadn’t experienced it, and I didn’t know it existed. So when I found keyboards that could do it, it was like a dream come true. So, it was very easy for me to enter into my element, because I had already seen it in my mind’s eye.
You have become the most expensive brand, yet you get good patronage. How do you achieve that?
I think I have always been expensive anyway. I don’t think I am cheap because I don’t do cheap work. At the end of the day, money is just an element for representing value. What is important is the value I bring to whatever it is that I do. And because I give my best it’s worth something. And when translated into money, it becomes whatever figure you hear.
How many staff do you have?
I have about 10.

How did you become blind?
I was born blind.

Did you or your parents try to do something about it?
I am sure they did. I am sure also that with time realising there is so much potential that could happen with me regardless, I am sure they must have eased on trying.

What were your challenges at that time and what did you hope you were going to be?
I belong to a school of thought that believes in throwing away your old bank statements and keeping your old love letters. I grew up as a normal child and did everything I was big and bad enough to do; from jumping steps to rolling tyres on the streets to playing all kinds of games with my friends; beating my friends up and allowing myself to be beaten up a couple of times. I think I lived a fairly normal life and I don’t think my blindness got in the way at all for it to be considered a challenge. If there was one thing I didn’t do, there were probably ten substitutes that I could do, and in life there is always something for whatever reason a person can’t do. For instance, I am sure you don’t play golf? If you don’t play golf and I don’t then we both don’t miss it. So, in general, it is not a question of whether you are blind or not, but a question of interest. I think I can do the things I have interest in doing. And that just about makes life complete.

You once said that blindness is your gift, why do you think so?
I think so because I learnt a lot from it; because it shaped who I am. I think so because sometimes it takes something as startling as blindness to find yourself and find meaning. I don’t know who I would have been if I was not blind. A ton of sighted people have done amazing things with their lives. I just feel that not being able to see has this amazing side to it. It gives you perspective. As I have said, it left me with fewer options than everyone else, and so I had to make use of the options I have. When something transforms your life radically like that, you can see it as a blessing or a curse. Whatever you see it as is what it will yield to you. And for me I see it as a gift, and I think that is self-evident.

Are you happy with your life?
I am ecstatic. I love my life so much. I look at my life sometimes and I’m amazed. I would love to be me. And it doesn’t mean that I’m satisfied with who I am. But I am happy to have come this far and where I am going (which is a better place.) I know I am not where I used to be. I have so many things to be thankful for. I am one of those people who wound up on the right side of life and I don’t take it for granted.

If a young guy just starting out in music walked up to you and asked for advice, what would you tell him?
To do amazing things, you need to have something that makes you stand out – talent. Some people say talent is not enough. But talent is important; whether for music or anything else. Talent is not skill; skill is important but you need to have the predisposition for it to be able do the thing and understand how it comes together. That is when you can acquire skill quickly and make sense. In the words of my friend, Banky W, if what you want is a quick-fix or money that will come quickly; if you don’t have the energy for long-term hustle, or delayed gratification, please don’t do music because it will shake you and you will go through the wringer. But if you have the energy for that stuff, go for it. If you have passion also, go for it. It requires dreaming, working to achieve your dreams, and believing that your dream will come true. And of course, stick around people that have gone down your road. They will help you get there faster