By IYABO AINA and KEHINDE AJOSE

S ince Tomiwa Lashe, called Tom Lash, dropped the video, ‘  Road to Ghana’ where he featured Ghanaian girls twerking their big butts suggestively, issues have been trailing him, especially on why he featured Ghanaians instead of Nigerians. But Tom Lash has his reasons. In this encounter with our reporters, Tom Lash throws more light on ‘Trip to Ghana’, the conflicts between his belief and the type of music he does:

How has it been like?I’ll be very honest. It’s been very challenging because it has not been the easiest journey to take. But you know life generally, you have to work hard to be the best in anything you want to be and everything you want to do.

So, I’ve just been trying to survive by looking up to God and I am where I am now and still looking to get to a greater height. But I know I’ve put in a lot of work which has made me to come this far.

How much work have you put in so far?

Well, I’ve dropped a couple of singles. I started with Got it in you. That was my very first song in 2011 and it was an inspirational song. In 2012, I was still trying to put myself together and then I did a hip-hop song in 2013. I will say it was unconventional and I wasn’t expecting becoming a super star with that kind of song especially in Nigeria where it’s all about party and dance. The song was titled Fire Brand.

After that, I did something commercial as we all know, that in this new generation the entertainment industry will always expect you to do something commercial so I followed that up with Road to Ghana which was inspired by my trip to Ghana in 2014. But just before that, I did something which was based on the situation of the country last year about the Chibok girls’ abduction and Boko-Haram Insurgency. It was a song titled Say No and it was after Road to Ghana which I took further by shooting the video.

So basically, that’s what the journey has been like from 2011 to 2015. But still, I have quite a number of songs I haven’t released. I am not the kind of person that rushes to put songs out, I like taking my time.

Why music?

I will say music chose me, because I am a petroleum and gas engineer by training. I actually studied it in school and I finished with upper credit at the University of Lagos in 2010.So, it’s not as if I rushed into music just for the fame or money. It was a sort of turn-around for me. It was like an encounter with God.

Even when I recorded my first song ever I wasn’t even thinking about doing it full-time but along the line I realized I was not only good at it, but that I actually loved music, and that’s just the story. Also, there was a time I realized that I wasn’t happy with what I was doing and when I tried music I realized that I was actually good at it and loved it and at that point in time I actually prayed to God about it.

How do you mean, an encounter with God?

Yes, basically because I am a spiritual person. I’m not trying to prove I am a holy person but I really take God seriously. You could see me dancing with girls, going crazy and doing all that, but deep down inside I always get down on my knees to beg God to guide and forgive my sins.

But why are you not doing gospel music?

I am not trying to sound hypocritical, but I don’t think I would make it as a gospel artiste because I am a secular artiste naturally.

As a godly person who does secular music, how far you can go in doing secular music and the usual ‘things’ associated with it?

We are all sinners and I do secular music because that’s where I find comfort and I actually enjoy it because I express myself very freely. I can do gospel music as well because I have featured in a song with a gospel artiste before. But whenever I do my secular songs I always go back to God to say I am sorry if I’ve committed any sin. We are in the music business not just to enjoy and explore our hearts but also to be successful. I am not going to pretend that I am into music only for the love of it; I am into it for the money too.

These days, most artistes do songs that have almost the same lyrics. Are you planning to go the same way, or are you going to be different?

Actually, that is what the people want to hear. They want to hear artistes sing about boobs and butts but if you listen to my songs very well my kind of music is different from that.

I first started with inspirational songs, followed by a hip-hop song and commercial which basically addresses topical issues. So, I will say that my music is not just about boobs and butts alone but I mix it. When you listen to my songs you will encounter the full artiste in me . But for the purpose of selling records you just have to say what people want to hear. But if you want to be a successful artiste you must learn to do commercial music.

What makes you unique?

Without trying to sound pompous, I think am a very versatile artiste, which means you can listen to me on different records and be able to know my songs from my voice.

What is the story behind your recent song, Road to Ghana?

You have to look closely for you to get the storyline, because the video is a blend of storytelling and shake-body part. And the sex appeal was intentional because that’s what people want to watch.

Why did you feature Ghanaian girls instead of Nigerian girls in your video?

First, the video was shot in Ghana which explains why the girls are Ghanaians. Both Nigerian girls and Ghana girls are amazing girls but an average Ghanaian girl has a very good backside, good-looking than an average Nigerian. Also, Ghanaian girls are generally more accessible which means they don’t pretend like Nigerian girls. So generally I will say Ghanaian girls are less materialistic.

While on set, how do you separate emotion from work, with the flock of girls around?

You just have to be professional when you are doing anything. And the secret to overcoming your emotion is knowing how to draw the line. It is applicable not only in the entertainment industry but in every profession. You must be able to learn how to be focused.

Any female celebrities crush?

I love a lot of female artistes but the one I really love is Lola Rae; reason being that I like her physical appearance and personality. I like cute girls generally.