Timaya Reflects on How Music Has Changed: “It’s Way Easier Now”
Veteran artist Timaya has opened up about how the music scene has evolved, and he’s not sugarcoating it—breaking into the industry today is a completely different ballgame compared to when he started out.
Speaking on the Afrobeats Intelligence podcast with Joey Akan, Timaya got candid about the rise of tech, the power of social media, and how things have gotten a whole lot simpler for today’s rising stars.
“When we were starting out, it wasn’t this easy,” he said. “Now you can literally sit in your room, record a track, throw it on TikTok, and boom—your name’s out there.”
He explained how back in the day, everything from recording to getting airtime on radio involved jumping through countless hoops. Just getting one song heard could feel like an uphill battle. Now? A smartphone, a beat, and a little internet data might be all you need.
Timaya also shared how adapting to the current wave hasn’t always been easy for him. Posting online, staying active on social platforms—it’s not second nature to him, and he admits it can be draining.
“I’m from a different time,” he said with a laugh. “These days you just need one good track and a phone. But for us? We had to hustle just to get studio time, then go knock on radio doors. It wasn’t this instant.”
Still, even with all the changes, Timaya isn’t bitter—he actually thinks it’s great that young talents now have more control and fewer barriers. But the shift from street hustle to social media hustle? That part, he says, takes some getting used to.
“It’s the business,” he added. “Even if it’s stressful sometimes, I’ve got to show up for it.”
