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Low media support hindering growth of rock music - Singer
Better support from media houses especially, radio stations in particular will help propel the growth of rock music, Clay submits.
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Her reason is based on the stance that some people in positions such as radio houses expect a token in return for playing songs by rock artistes. She thinks this factor has slowed the process of their growth and also made it difficult for her contemporaries to reach a wider audience.
"The media is one of the problems because they refused to take this thing that we are selling. They refused to take it and help push it. From the media point-of-view, there is no enough support. Nah!," the singer told Pulse News in an interview held in October.
She went on to challenge the idea that her brand of music is considered not lucrative due to its lean audience, a reason why some media establishment have only slightly supported it. Just like Indie Folk artiste, Cill, one of the revelations in the year 2017, told Pulse in an interview, Clay is of the opinion that they cannot fully make such an assertion if they have not actively tried to grow the Rock & Alternative Music genre.
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According to the 'Cheap happiness' songster, the annual rock music festival, Rocktoberfest, can acquire a large crowd if it receives a wide support from the press. Unlike radio schedulers, the platform has helped expand her brand, offering the opportunity to connect with an audience who take delight in her work.
The 2017 edition held at the Freedom Park, Lagos, gave her an opportunity to reconnect with them since dropping the "Roadless Travelled" EP. She rebuilt a relationship that appeared smeared based on the notion that she was becoming too versatile and alienating herself from hard rock, what seemed like the core of her craft at a time.
Despite only getting an average amount of airplay on Nigerian radio stations, Clay has managed to get the attention of the Parking Lot Grass, a rock band based in Kenya who sought her out from the East African country just to score a collaboration with her. The song went on enjoy massive attention and is considered the biggest track released by the group according to the singer.
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This experience has created in her a desire to begin the year 2018, on a strong note. She is considering embarking on more collaborative projects with musicians from other countries as well as perform at international music festivals.
"I hope to grow more internationally, I am working on it for now. To do stuffs outside Nigeria, to collab with people from other places.
"I want to do stuffs with producers outside... errr... Collab with artistes from outside, do an international festival," she revealed concerning her plans for the future.
Clay has an optimism that musicians of the Rock & Alternative Music genre can soon begin to get more attention from music executives. The February 2017, signing of Johnny Drille, by Mavin Records' label owner, Don Jazzy, was a reason for this sense of hope.
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Together with other artistes exploring the category, the singer has improved the attention for the genre, allowing it bear a shade of brightness as opposed to what obtained in recent years.
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