Olasupo About How He Taught Himself to Play the Keyboard, Built a Career As a Musician, Producer and Singer, and Why He Believes Disability

Could you take us through your childhood journey? I’m from Ogun State, and I went to the School for the Blind for my primary education along Ajao Road, Surulere, Lagos State. That’s Pacelli, and after that, I attended King’s College.

During my time at King’s College, I began to understand the reality of the country: nobody is coming to help you. Before then, I had started playing music. I started playing the drums at the age of five.

After I lost my sight, I was in the School for the Blind, but there was nobody to teach me the keyboard, so I started learning the keyboard by myself. Most of the people staying with me at home were people who were seeing a blind person for the first time. I had great listening skills for music, and I loved music; music has always been a passion.

It’s either music or nothing for me right from the beginning. At the age of nine, I was playing the drums; even people who were much older than me always marvelled at how I was able to attain such a height. I didn’t learn from anybody.

My grandfather and my father used to play the local conga. My uncle used to play the drums. His name is Adebayo Ajibola, popularly known as Holy Malam.

He’s a comedian, and I used to call him a drum god because he is very good. My elder and younger brothers also play the drums. How did you lose your sight?

The visual impairment happened as I grew older. I lost my sight at the age of 10. I had been using glasses at some point, but I had to stop. I had to start wearing different glasses for different purposes.

I remember that at some point, because of my low vision, I used glasses, and most of the time, I was harassed by people trying to take advantage of me. My glasses, at the end of the day, were always my fighting tool. Then I had eye injuries too.

There was a time I fell, hitting my eyes on the ground. One day, I just woke up and lost my vision. How did that experience shape the person you eventually became?

For me, I think it’s another world; a sweet world that people don’t really understand. People just say, “He doesn’t see” without knowing that that’s as far as they know. Blindness, I feel, is in the mind.

Being a blind person is quite interesting because you become a mystery for everybody to study. Everything you do amuses people. Sometimes, I’m the one going out, but people are the ones panicking.

I always ask those panicking because I went out, What’s happening? I know that nothing is going to happen to me. But I understand the fact that people feel they can see, but I cannot.

They always feel that I cannot see what they are seeing. But it is so funny that if something happens and people start to run, they might be running in the wrong direction, but when I decide to move, I might be moving in the right direction. How are you able to do that?

I just feel like God doesn’t take everything from people. He gives you one thing to replace another. Even people who have all five senses can’t do anything without relying on their sight.

I have some people whom I teach the keyboard and who can see. I noticed that most of them, if they are not looking at my hands, are not able to play what I ask them to play by sound. So, for visually challenged people, I feel it is a great privilege that God has given us, that we can use our ears, nose and hands to define a lot of things, such as the level at which I can listen to sound.

I have a music studio where I produce music. I do a lot of music jobs—everything that has to do with music. I play drums and keyboard; I sing, do music production, direct songs and also write.