Tony Osarumwense, otherwise known as Frace Frose, is a budding maestro whose music is making waves and receiving rave reviews in Nigeria and around the world. Frace Frose hails from Benin City, Edo State. He’s gone from fixing phones to studying art, to playing music in church, to pursuing academics abroad. In this interview with Bill Okonedo, Edward Oseghe and Emmanuel Ogunsede, he speaks of his life, works, hopes and vision. Excerpts:
Tell us about yourself.
My name is Tony Osarumwense Fred and my music name is Frace Frose. I’m from Benin City, I was born and raised in Benin City. I am 22 years old. I was born on September 18, 2001. Music is not just what I love doing, music is a dream I had growing up as a kid, but being able to perfect that vision at this present age is not just a blessing to me but I’m very grateful for this gift.
When was the first time you became acquainted with music, when was the first time you played music and where? Tell us your first attraction that you can recall.
It started in church, Christ Embassy, to be precise. Then in church, we were given the platform to showcase our talent, and having practices every time, and also seeing some of the top stars in our church performing on the stage, ministering and all that, I just like, if I rehearse more, I could do what they were doing, and I could be up there some day.
Doing my thing and also praying to God, and with unstopped rehearsals, I was given a platform to perform in church and showcase my talent. And from there, l was performing every Sunday.
What were you doing in church on Sundays, what was your role?
I attended the Teens Church. Every Sunday our Pastor wants me to be upstage to minister while the Church gives offerings. It was a privilege in my career.
What is your notion about the opportunities, the attitude of Pastor Chris Oyakhilome’s Church, Christ Embassy, and the opportunities it throws up for the youths in the arts?
It’s a good one because there are most places we would want to perform, say you have a talent or anything, you are free to perform. Christ Embassy welcomes you, they want you to express yourself and do your thing. Christ Embassy gave me the privilege to showcase my talent.
What’s the genre of your music called?
I make Afrobeats.
Do you have an album?
Yes, I have an album, the album I released on the 12th of January, the title of the album is GHDMW, which means, “God Has Done Me Well”. I named the album by my Benin name, Osarumwense which means God Has Done Me Well.
Now are you a gospel artist?
I wouldn’t place myself as a secular artist. I would place myself in a position and say that I make good music.
Where do you live?
Like I said earlier, I was born and brought up here in Benin City, Benin is my home, but I currently reside in Lagos.
Tell us a bit about your album, the concept for the album, the music, the marketing, how it’s received, and what kind of acceptance, how do you find the framework that handles music in Nigeria?
When I dropped my album GHDMW, I was overseas. A month after my music started trending in Nigeria, I started getting a lot of calls and messages from people; saying I needed to return home because my music was doing very well here. I started making plans, and finally, I came home and the Lord has been massive. I’m not going to lie, seeing everywhere I go, people sing my song and they love art, and love music in general. It’s a huge blessing and I’m grateful for it.
What is your deployment of social media and new technologies in your marketing, and what kind of feedback have you got?
I promote my music on TikTok and Instagram, I use Facebook, and it’s been great because through those platforms, I can reach more people in different parts of the world and any continent. On the internet nowadays it is quite easier to get more audience because once you post, millions of people are viewing the craft.
Which track is your favourite, and which has been best received?
Talking about my album, there are four tracks in one album, namely Gyrate, Jollof, Pretty Girls, and Reborn. All four tracks are good, but the particular track I believed to be the hit track is not the track people love the most. The one that was trending that brought me out was the one I never expected surprisingly.
What’s the name of the track?
The name is Jollof
The one that you preferred?
The one I preferred was Gyrate.
Can you tell us a bit about Jollof and a bit about Gyrate?
“Jollof” as a song, for the chorus I said, “Bottom pot na bottom, say bring the bottom of Jollof”. I used jollof, the bottom of jollof, because when you scrape the bottom of a pot of rice, our normal Naija rice, the bottom is the sweetest. Children are crazy about it. The bottom is the sweetest, people could relate to it.
As for “Gyrate”, I’m just trying to talk about my life story and the place I worked before, I worked at Ugbighoko Quarters, Upper Ekehuan Road, here in Benin City, Edo State. I used to repair phones. I talked about my story in that song. That song in particular means a lot to me, and I’m so grateful to God that people can relate to the story, especially people who know where I’m coming from.
Do you have followers, what is your reach, how do you impart to the youths?
Through my music and my art in general, I try to show people and let people know ‘just be yourself’, because in society, no matter what you do, everyone has always had an option, everybody is always going to talk about everything you do, either good or bad. I’m trying to let people know “just be yourself”, and forget about what people are saying, with time everybody for sure is going adjust. When I came out at first, a lot of people judged me by my looks, how I dressed, and how I presented myself. Surprisingly, now people say, “I like your style, you’re very different”. My art is letting people know ‘Just Be You’.
What’s your notion about God, destiny, and the economy? Like someone spends a lifetime going to university and becomes a professor and someone is repairing phones and tries his hands at music, and in one year, he has more financial standing than the professor who seems so serious and so purposeful.
I understand. Everybody’s destiny is different. In one of my tracks I said, “Because it worked for me doesn’t mean everything will work for you”. For me, l come from a home where our parents don’t support your dreams. The normal African setting is you have to go to school, face your studies, and become someone good in the future by their standards. That’s the normal standard. But it is for parents to have a conversation with their children so they will know their children’s vision, because most times your vision can be different from that of your child.
For example, when I started making music, my mom supported me, but my dad was like, “You have to play football”. I didn’t see myself ever being in a field playing football, but I have loved music because, at a very young age, my mom would always take me to church auditions to perform. I had that support from her alone and it has brought me this far. Parents should discuss with their children, to know what they love.
Edo State tends to be at the centre of the art, and culture, all of which is artistic. How can we move this forward?
There are talents here in Edo State. When I attended the Rema concert I performed. I saw a lot of artists, a lot of creative people, and I was like wow! People like these are here in this City?
If the government organises more events like that in Benin City, you’ll get to realise there are a lot of gems and diamonds here in Benin because we are so many here, I’m not going to lie we’re so many.
What was the show like? What was it like from your observation, standing outside of yourself, taking yourself out of yourself and watching it from a point of audience, and what was it like as a participant, and then what was it like as a son of this City?
It was great! First, being an audience in the show; the show was amazing because there was no boring moment, the energy was just on fire. While being an artist performing on that day, I would say it was amazing because coming up on stage and seeing thousands of people and a lot of people know my song, I would say that’s the biggest stage I’ve ever performed, and it was an amazing platform, and it helped my music career.
I’m very grateful for that event and the privilege to be upstage. As for the concert itself, like I said, there should be more shows in Benin City, it will help, because there are so many talented people here in Benin City.
How do you get on stage and face that entire crowd and do your thing, what does it take?
When I perform, I don’t look into the eyes of the audience, because most times it brings distraction, so I look above their heads and do my thing.
Someone is thinking of a university of performing art in Benin City. Do you think that is attractive, do you think it will help in any way, do you think it is relevant, do you think it will sell, and do you think it will deliver any value?
For sure, 100 percent, it will. I attended Auchi Polytechnic, and apart from performing in Church, where I schooled, in Auchi Polytechnic, they gave me the opportunity. They accepted me and my music. For the first time I performed at Auchi Polytechnic and saw the reaction from the audience, at that point, I knew this music was my thing because seeing everybody like “You make music, I love this sound, and the sound is amazing and all that.” The school accepted me and they gave me so many platforms to perform. When we have things like cultural day, jersey day, and activities in school. The school allowed me to perform, and it has been great.
Tell us more about your academic pursuit, at Auchi Polytechnique.
I entered Auchi Polytechnic in 2018, I did my ND there, ND 1 and ND 2, I graduated with ND, and I studied General Art and Industrial Design. I draw and I paint, next, I furthered my educational pursuit overseas.
Tell us about your artwork.
I own a fashion brand like the T-shirt I’m putting on now, it is from my brand, the name is “WIFF” which means “Who Is Frace Frose”?, and my clothing brand is based on our Benin Culture in general. All the products I make are basically for promoting our culture; the hoodies, and the T-shirts, I have everything expressing our heritage. Being a Bini boy, both parents from Benin City, I was born and raised here, I’m letting the world know this is me, this is where I’m from, this is my heritage, this is my culture.
What is your relationship with Rema?
Rema and I attended Ighile Group of Schools here in Benin City; he was my senior in school. We were in the same church, Christ Embassy Erediauwa, Benin City. We were in the same music group, “Seven Dimension”.
Psychotropic drugs are quite common in Nigeria, and generally, around the world but this is our country, this is our town. What’s your message for the youths, do they need it, what does it do for them? What can they apply their attention and energies to?
I would never recommend anyone to go into such an act, because it’s not helpful, the repercussions are bad. I understand a lot of influence in this generation and everybody wants to be that guy that does everything but the plain truth is, none of that is helpful. It destroys you as a person. Just stay normal, stay clean.
Where do you live?
I live in Ukraine. Currently, I’m in Lagos, Nigeria.
What is it like living in Ukraine, with the war?
Things are happening there but it’s been God all through.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
In five years, I see myself at the top. I know I will sell out the next concert in Benin, not just this stadium, but the biggest in Benin. I know I will sell out this place in a few years.
What’s your notion about the give-back concept? There’s this concept about, you come from someplace, you’ve been successful and you perhaps want to give back?
Whatever place I find myself tomorrow, whatever place I find myself in the next two or three years, I will always come to my roots and give back to that place. I will never forget my heritage, because I’m from Benin City, and I’ll never change that fact, because this is who I am. Like Rema said, “You can take the boy out of Benin, but you cannot take Benin out of the boy”. I’m originally from Benin and will take my culture anywhere I go.
Is there any message you would like to pass across?
I am so grateful for all the encouragement. I’m also happy that the government loves art, the youths, the things we are doing, and Governor Godwin Obaseki’s support for things like this, giving us a platform to showcase talents.