This Is Home Too: The Beginning
The beginning of the same journey after a moment of rest
Aduke
6/8/20262 min read
It's been a while since I sat down to write.
Not because there wasn't anything to say, but because life happened. Planning happened. Rehearsals happened. Late nights happened. Building happened.
And now, somehow, the first edition of This Is Home Too is behind us.
Or perhaps more accurately, it has only just begun.
For months, this show lived in my mind. It existed as ideas scribbled in notebooks, voice notes, conversations, prayers, and countless moments of doubt and excitement. Then one evening, all those pieces came together in one room filled with people.
One thing this experience reminded me of is that doing anything meaningful alone is unrealistic.
We often celebrate individuals, but behind every great moment is a team of people who believe.
I found that in X, who has now become my Music Director. He worked tirelessly to bring things together. From putting the band together, to ensuring we had an incredible sound company, to constantly making sure I wasn't carrying the weight of everything alone. His belief in the vision made a difference.
The room itself was special.
We had legends in attendance. The legendary FOKN Bois were in the room. Seyi Solagbade, someone I grew up watching and admiring, was there too.
Then there was Chika—my friend and a brilliant wordsmith—who opened the show and introduced me in a way that made me feel truly seen.
Throughout the evening, I had the feeling that many people were seeing a different side of me.
Not the organiser.
Not the marketer.
Not the entrepreneur.
Just Aduke.
The artist.
The storyteller.
The musician.
What surprised me most was how deeply I felt the words.
Some of the spoken-word pieces,
I've written them. I've rehearsed them. I've lived with them.
Yet standing on that stage, I felt their emotions more intensely than I ever had before.
Maybe it was the intimacy of the room.
Maybe it was the honesty of the audience.
Maybe it was because I finally allowed myself to fully be present.
The responses, the laughter, the reactions, the silence in the right moments, the joy on people's faces—it gave me everything I needed.
It reminded me why I do this.
It is an honour to make people feel.
More than anything, the night left me feeling aligned.
Certain.
Convinced.
For a long time, I've wrestled with different versions of myself and different paths I could take. But standing on that stage, I was reminded once again that music is not simply something I do.
It is my path.
My calling.
My future.
I don't need to become someone else. I simply need to keep believing, keep evolving, keep creating, and keep working smarter.
Now comes the important part.
The work! Because if This Is Home Too was the beginning of a chapter, the next pages still need to be written.
There is new music coming.
A new single is on the way.
There are more stages to step onto, more audiences to connect with, and more stories to tell.
People often describe the music industry as brutal.
Maybe it is.
But fear isn't the emotion I feel.
I feel ready.
I feel hungry.
I feel certain.
This belongs to me, and I intend to claim my place in it.
Thank you to everyone who attended, supported, encouraged, shared, prayed, purchased a ticket, sent a message, or simply believed.
You helped make a room feel like home.
And this is only the first edition.
We're just getting started.
