After honing her craft hyping at every stage that cared enough in neighbouring Ibadan, M.I.A moved to Lagos, where her talent sprung into limelight. She’s performed on some of the country’s biggest stages, including the Block Party Radio stages, as well as signature concerts by leading alcoholic beverage brands such as Guinness, Smirnoff, among others. And while the scene continues to be male-dominated, M.I.
Then, the challenges I faced earlier was to get a stage that would put me on and also pay me. It’s kind of hard when you’re starting to get people to pay you, even if it’s the smallest money. And I was new to Ibadan so nobody knew me; getting people to recognize me and want to pay me for my services was quite hard.I remember when I got to Ibadan and I just met one person in the entertainment industry from Instagram called Paul Alasere. I went to see him at the radio station he worked and.
Sometimes, I cried myself to sleep; because why am I working two jobs and yet I do not have any money? How I dealt with it was, I started my career living in my parents’ place. I didn’t move out immediately. I was still with my parents. Then, for events, my preparation starts a whole week before the event itself. So, because my voice is my main tool, whether it’s on the radio or on the stage, I have to protect it at all times.