In a recent appearance on the popular Onua Showtime with McBrown, Bu Thiam, Vice President of Columbia Records, has revealed why he signed Ghanaian Afrobeats singer and songwriter, OliveTheBoy to the label.
Speaking passionately about the importance of giving African artists a platform on the global stage, Bu Thiam revealed that he was also on a mission to support African talent and praised OliveTheBoy for his exceptional potential.
According to him, his two essential goals were first to ensure that Africans can achieve success on an international stage, and second, to recognise the responsibility he bears as one of the foremost African executives in America.
“I feel I have the responsibility as one of the first and biggest executives in America and being African; it is important for me to reach back and give opportunities to brothers like OliveTheBoy,” Bu Thiam stated.
He also emphasized that many new talents find themselves in unfavourable situations with labels that may not fully understand their culture or music.
This, he argued, can hinder the growth and potential of these artistes
“A lot of times if I am being honest the new artistes and partners are a little bit inexperienced so a lot of they do bad deals and kind of just take the opportunities with anybody instead of working with someone that understands the culture,” he pointed out.
However, Bu Thiam expressed his admiration for OliveTheBoy’s choice to collaborate with Full Circle, a management agency that recognized the rising star’s potential and understood the African music landscape.
“I have to give a lot of respect to Full Circle and Loop Music because they had so many options but chose to work with someone who is from Africa,” he said.
His praise for the Good Sin singer’s talent was unequivocal, describing him as “a star” when it comes to music.