Life Through the Eyes of TOBI

After given the incredible opportunity to interview the artist TOBI, it feels like I have a very good look into who he is; not only as a singer but as a person.

He talked a lot about his childhood, his interests, and what his music means to him. However, one of the most interesting parts of this artist is his outlook on life. Most influential artists of our time don’t get where they are without something to say. If you look at Childish Gambino, his music is so popular because of the meaning behind his lyrics, especially “This Is America” where he talks about the corruptness and evil in our society. Although this artist does have a similar sound to Childish Gambino, TOBI talks more about being a positive influence in people’s lives. He likes to think of himself as an idealist and pictures a brighter future for future generations. He wants to reach people that have similar views and inspire people to be positive influences on other people. He wants to be relatable, someone who is a light in their community. 

TOBI moved to Canada when he was 8 years old from his home in Nigeria. This move was a culture shock for TOBI, and he had a lot of trouble adjusting. When asked how he coped with this change, he referred to his father. His father told him when he was a kid that the best way to cope with this change was to take the best parts of who he was in Nigeria and add that to the best parts of who he is in Canada. He attributes a lot of his music to this change in culture and even goes so far as to say that this difficult experience helped him grow. He explained that a lot of his music is about “transforming painful experiences into your own growth”, specifically the song “Made Me Everything”, which is a motto he plans to live by. 

If TOBI’s positive outlook on life hasn’t convinced you to listen to this inspiring artist, maybe his interests will. Are there any Cowboy fans reading this? Yeah, you read that correctly, TOBI is a Cowboys fan. He also is a huge Celine Dion fan and talked a lot about how she impacted his music. As for his dream collab, he said that it would have to be Kendrick Lamar, especially because he believed his voice would mix very well with Kendrick Lamar’s sound. This artist is bound to go to great lengths and plans to make a difference while paving his road to fame. Make sure to check out the new artist TOBI, and take a page out of his book and be a light in your community. TOBI is counting on you to be that positive change for our future.