ADIIA Wants to Do It All

The past decade has showcased that most artists can’t just be one thing anymore; you’re so 2000 and late if you aren’t a multi-hyphenate. ADIIA embodies that spirit and takes it to another level. She doesn’t just want to make hits, she wants to make the world better while she does it. 

In a video of her Flower Music Festival performance, ADIIA performs some of her original songs. She is finally releasing her singles after years of posting covers on social media. Many of those videos were produced as part of her training at Berklee College of Music. Training that she turned down to appease her father’s wishes. “When I told my parents I wanted to be a musician, the first thing my dad said is ‘you’re going to school to be an accountant’…actually, I applied to Berklee College of Music my high school year, I got in, but I decided to defer it so I [could] fulfill my dad's fantasy,” she recalls. 

Born in New Jersey, raised in Cote d’Ivoire until she was eight, the Nigerian singer counts her immigrant experience as influencing everything she does in her everyday life. This could be why she hasn’t taken a standard path with her career. She’s done the pageant circuit, modeling, and acting, all standard things in the industry. Where she stands out is her experience playing American football. 

After auditioning for the Legends Football League—formerly the Lingerie Football League—she made the Baltimore team. During her sophomore and junior years of college, ADIIA would take the bus trip from Boston to Baltimore every other weekend to play football. The league is known for its players wearing lingerie instead of the usual uniforms. She believed being a part of the team would help boost her following. It seemed to have worked for Ogum Chijindu, a member of the reality television series Basketball Wives, and former member of the LFL. Chijindu went viral after making a tackle then twerking on her opponent’s head — something that the league seems to not penalize.

When ADIIA was done with that league, she joined the Women’s Football Alliance as a linebacker. The league is “more like the real thing, no skimpy clothes, the full outfit.” While the league might be a little more serious, the singer noted the controversy with pay. The players are expected to pay to play and have to provide their own insurance, which is one of the reasons she decided to leave the organization. Having always been interested in sports, playing football wasn’t her first experience in athletics. The fitness enthusiast ran cross country and track and field in high school. Although her athletic background helps with the physical demands of being an entertainer, she still pushes herself. Besides trying to maintain an “image” and look good, she has to keep her stamina up to dance and sing. “Working out for football is not the same as for entertaining…I workout and sing at the same time with a personal trainer,” she explains. 

As she has begins to perform more, she'll need that training to impress audiences. She currently has a few singles out, including "Make Up Your Mind" and "Connect". The latter is an afrobeat dance record that blends her African heritage and pop influences. Her style used to be more of “house pop…South African music is more along that vibe.” But it was important for her to "add [her] culture into it," and she acknowledged that the "afrobeat wave is picking up now, people are more aware of afrobeat and the history." Artists like Wizkid, Tiwa Savage, and Burna Boy are recognition and award nominations in the U.S., but afrobeat still appears to be a way for American artists to tap into a trend, rather than a true breakthrough in the U.S. scene. 

Hoping her “music will be heard bigger than Texas,” ADIIA is planning to connect with people in the land where afrobeat is always on top. Earlier this year she went back to Nigeria after a decade hiatus, “to put [herself] into the Nigerian scene” and “immerse [herself] in the culture.” Her mother is from a village and her father is from Lago. She spent most of her time in the bustling city, with a trip to a Fela Kuti landmark. Kuti, who’s life was turned into a Broadway musical, influenced everyone from The Roots and Yasiin Bey, to Vampire Weekend and Paul McCartney. If she has it her way, she’ll also leave a mark.

First, she’ll have to reach more people. “Some of these festivals want you to have a certain number of fans and listens,” the multi-instrumentalist reveals; implying that she’s not at the level that she wants to be. Right now, she’s “focusing on Connect and a few songs after,” and is considering putting out an EP. She’s tested out an acoustic version of the single that she believes her last audience enjoyed and is working on a remix with Chicago rapper Sayee OTX. In a period where the number of followers and likes you have can get you a spot on some festival lineups, ADIIA continues to work on her craft while keeping that in mind.  

If she has it her way, her success in the music industry will assist in another one of her passions. As fitness has been an integral part of her life and career, she’d like to instill that love for fitness in the young kids looking up to her. While giving back to the community has always been important to her, entering pageants changed the way she saw philanthropy. The pageants she entered were “big on having a platform to back up your title…[it] sparked something in me to use my voice to help other people”.  She used to work for the YMCA, and currently works for Be a Champion, an organization that provides food to schools in need. Along with her aspirations for her music career, she hopes to start a non-profit to help children and kids. Big stars tend to run away from the role model title, but ADIIA is running towards it.