Well-known Ghanaian artiste Trigmatic has narrated how he closely escaped signing a record deal with a UK-based label at the early stage of his career.
As claimed by him, while the deal promised enchantment, consultations disclosed it would have cost him ownership of the masters to his debut album, Permanent Stains.
Talking to Kwame Dadzie on Joy FM’s Showbiz A to Z, Trigmatic said that some record label deals can rein an artiste’s creativity and career growth. But, he stressed that it is up to artistes to strictly consider their options before making such dedication.
Trigmatic described that his interest in the label grew due to their repeated visits to Ghana.
“I had an offer. They actually flew me to check their studios in the UK. I will never forget. And at the time, My Life was big. Before they tried to sign me, I was chasing them because they had a globally renowned artiste and were always coming to Ghana,” he noted.
“I wanted to connect with their A&R, who also worked with Julian Marley. Then eventually, I released My Life. When they came again the following year with a big artiste to perform in Ghana, I happened to be headlining that event. The A&R was shocked at how much I had grown within a year and wanted to revisit the earlier conversation about signing me,” he recollected.
He said that when he visited their office in the UK, they displayed their luxurious cars and state-of-the-art studios.
“They later sent a contract, and I remember I had just met my lawyer. If I didn’t have a lawyer at the time, I would have signed it immediately because I was having issues with my former manager, Godfred. The label had one of the biggest female musicians in the world and a globally recognized male artiste of Ghanaian origin. So I was convinced that if I joined them, my international career would skyrocket,” he said.
“That’s when he pointed out the loopholes in the contract—the duration, the restrictions, and some conditions I would have had to endure,” he mentioned.
“But now, when I look back at some of the artistes who signed with that label, I realize that sometimes we shouldn’t rush. It’s not always about the glamour,” he noted.
“Would I have still been there after 10 or 15 years? The same way they shelved other artistes, I’m sure they would have done the same to me. Looking at how they’ve moved on to different artistes over the years, I know I made the right decision,” he added.
The Aduawa hitmaker addressed that the deal might have had advantages, especially in distribution, but questioned whether he would have lasted on the label.
This year, he is celebrating 15 years since officially stepping into the music industry. He has also published a book on leadership titled A Lion’s Aide.
With five albums to his credit, he is known for songs such as Mefri Ghana, Where We Dey Go, My Jolley, Agyei, and Gye Nyame.
Source: Chaleradio.com
