An interview with Ade Fabola

An interview with Ade Fabola

What inspired the name of the band? What are your influences?

It’s my name – Ade Fabola. Fun fact, Ade is a fairly common name in West Africa and it means “Crown”

My music inspiration has come in a few different forms over the years. Growing up, I remember there was a lot of Reggae music around, as well as lots of western pop and West African highlife music.

Then I came upon Bob Dylan’s music; Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright might just be the most influential for me. Everything from the storytelling to the instrumentation left a mark, I often say that’s probably where my interest in fingerpicking came from. My fingerpicking style is also heavily influenced by Tallest Man on Earth and Passenger, so they always come to mind when I think about my influences.

How do you approach songwriting? Are there any themes that you are keen to explore when you start off?

Music is all around us, we live and breathe it everyday. The thing is I’m always writing, sometimes writing for writing sake (to process my thoughts), and other times writing purposefully with a view to share it with the wider world. Inspiration often strikes when I’m overwhelmed by an emotion or a thought, for instance love, heartbreak or socio-political injustice. It also strikes when I come across good music (maybe a live performance or a new record) that moves me so much. When this happens I try to immerse myself in a headspace that’ll allow me to put lyrics and melodies together. Sometimes I start a song by noodling around with melodies on a guitar, and then I come up with lyrics based on what’s burning in my heart. Other times I take some words I’ve written and come up with suitable sounding melodies based on the vibes the song is headed in. Sometimes everything comes rushing altogether, all at once. When that happens, I have no choice but to drop everything and give in to the music.  In terms of themes, I care a lot about gratitude, love and well-being in society. You’ll find that these themes are prevalent in my music.

How do you approach songwriting? Are there any themes that you are keen to explore when you start off?

Music is all around us, we live and breathe it everyday. The thing is I’m always writing, sometimes writing for writing sake (to process my thoughts), and other times writing purposefully with a view to share it with the wider world. Inspiration often strikes when I’m overwhelmed by an emotion or a thought, for instance love, heartbreak or socio-political injustice. It also strikes when I come across good music (maybe a live performance or a new record) that moves me so much. When this happens I try to immerse myself in a headspace that’ll allow me to put lyrics and melodies together. Sometimes I start a song by noodling around with melodies on a guitar, and then I come up with lyrics based on what’s burning in my heart. Other times I take some words I’ve written and come up with suitable sounding melodies based on the vibes the song is headed in. Sometimes everything comes rushing altogether, all at once. When that happens, I have no choice but to drop everything and give in to the music.  In terms of themes, I care a lot about gratitude, love and well-being in society. You’ll find that these themes are prevalent in my music.

Why do you write the sort of music that you do?

I like warm, gentle-sounding music, just something to do with my nature I guess. This has probably influenced my style and choice of primary instrument at the moment – fingerpicking on nylon string guitars. I love folk as a tool for story-telling and melodic music just makes me feel good. That said, I’m always open to borrowing elements from other genres, it’s all music at the end of the day. I tend to sprinkle a bit of Jazz, Blues and World music on my tunes, and I try to bring the Soul with my voice.

How do you decide what songs to perform live and how do you transpose them into that live setting?

I always gravitate towards the recent material when I’m picking a set list for a show. I also consider any requests I’ve received from friends, family and/or fans that will be coming to the show, as well as some of the songs that have become “favourites” over the years.

In terms of how I transpose them into that live setting, I tend to just go with the flow. Some songs work better in cozy, intimate settings while others are more suited to foot-stomping, dancing around gigs. It also depends on the “essence” of the show; sometimes you want the easy listening material – the love songs and happy tunes, other times you feel the gig could do with some lyric-heavy material.

How do you decide what songs to perform live and how do you transpose them into that live setting?

I always gravitate towards the recent material when I’m picking a set list for a show. I also consider any requests I’ve received from friends, family and/or fans that will be coming to the show, as well as some of the songs that have become “favourites” over the years.

In terms of how I transpose them into that live setting, I tend to just go with the flow. Some songs work better in cozy, intimate settings while others are more suited to foot-stomping, dancing around gigs. It also depends on the “essence” of the show; sometimes you want the easy listening material – the love songs and happy tunes, other times you feel the gig could do with some lyric-heavy material.

What plans do you have for the future?

To make and release more music, build my following, and have fun in the process. I wrote a lot in 2020 and was fortunate to record a bunch of songs which will be coming out this year. Something Good is just the start, the first of those songs, so there’s a lot more coming later in the year. I’ve been writing away in lockdown and I’m looking forward to when we can get back in the studio to record more. When things get better, it would be nice to go out and play these songs live, maybe even go on tour when the logistics allow, but for now I’m focused on making music and building my online following.