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“As long as I am living, if Liberian music is like a house, I will have a room in it. And I want my room to look good and be comfortable,” TeddyRide, AKA “The boy to love to”, replied when asked, where he sees himself in the rapidly growing Liberian music industry.
In an interview with MusicLiberia.com, the “Sugar Daddy” hitmaker seemed upbeat and excited about 2019.
Referring to himself as one of the greatest in the Liberian Music Industry, TeddyRide wants his fans to expect more “good work” in 2019.
He hinted that he will soon be releasing some songs, videos, and will be touring locally and internationally soon.
Sounding excited, the Hipco Dancehall artist added that his tour will stop in Australia, South Korea, China, and other places to be announced at the appropriate time.
Describing 2018 as a tough year for obvious reasons, – at the MTN Liberia Music Awards late last year, TeddyRide was one of the many artists with multiple nominations, but surprisingly went home empty-handed.
TeddyRide was nominated for Male Artist of the Year and his “Sugar Daddy,” Album of the Year. When asked about the snub, the artist replied “awards don’t mean much for me now, I only care about my fans right now. I will need awards later to show myself but focusing on it right now will affect my work…. If I merit an award, good, they will give it to me. All I am focused on right now is putting in good work, because I am here to stay in the music industry for a long time.”
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The artist said 2018 was frustrating because even though people were dancing to songs from his Sugar Daddy Album, he didn’t receive any award. “But then again, I do it for the fans, not the bloggers. They have never made me make good music, it’s the fans that do.”, he said.
TeddyRide who entered Liberian music industry in 2014, reflecting on his time in the industry, expressed that he is happy to be apart of this generation of Liberian music artists. He said: “when we first started, it was challenging.” But building on his successes from the previous years, he is glad to be a part of the Hipco generation taking Liberian music global.
When asked how 2019 will be different than previous years, the “Totoleto” maker responded, “I will continue doing good work but now, my songs will be going global, they will be on all the international and local platforms……. also, this year, I am having a big international collaboration coming up with an African dancehall heavyweight. This year will be different.”
The Hipco dancehall artist was reluctant to release the name of the artist he will be collaborating with, but he said it will be a heavyweight in the Afrobeat industry.
TeddyRide however, said that he will be releasing some new songs for his fans to vibe to until he releases his album.
When asked what his biggest challenge is as he fights for a spot among this new generation of Liberia artists with the goal of taking Liberian music global, the talented artist responded: “promotions as an independent artist is tough. I don’t want to go into a deal under pressure either. But in Liberia, if you don’t push yourself, no one will push you. And in 2019, I want to push my music global…. All eyes are on the music industry right now, so I must do good work.”
2019 is shaping up to be an interesting year in the Liberian Music Industry. As You know you can only get all the latest news and interviews with your favorite Liberian artist on MusicLiberia.com.
