Popular Nigerian singer-songwriter, Johnny Drille, has opened up about the tough choices he faced at the start of his music career — and how Don Jazzy’s faith in him changed everything.
Speaking on a recent episode of the CreativTea Podcast, the Wait For Me hitmaker reflected on the early days when two major record labels approached him with deals that came at a cost — they wanted him to abandon his unique sound for a more commercial, dance-driven style.
“They wanted me to change my sound, make it faster, make it something people could dance to,” Johnny Drille recalled. “But that’s not who I am as an artist. I didn’t want to lose myself just to fit in.”
While many in the industry doubted that a label as big as Mavin Records would take a chance on an alternative artist, Don Jazzy surprised everyone. Johnny Drille said the renowned producer and Mavin CEO didn’t see him as a commercial bet — he simply loved his music.
“Don Jazzy was genuinely a fan,” Drille said. “He didn’t try to change me or my sound. That was a big risk, but he believed in me, and that made all the difference.”
Johnny Drille first came into the spotlight after participating in Project Fame West Africa in 2013. His soulful debut single, Wait For Me, released in 2015, earned him widespread acclaim for his distinct style. Two years later, he joined Mavin Records and went on to release his debut album, Before We Fall Asleep, in 2021.
Since then, the singer has become one of Nigeria’s most respected voices in alternative music — proof that staying true to one’s art can still pay off in a commercial-driven industry.