I live in Dublin so if I’m gigging in Cork I’ll be up at 10am. I’m such a mammy, so I’ll get the outfits ready, make food for everyone, get the set list and itinerary ready, make sure everyone has petrol in their cars.
There is nothing worse than being on the road and realising that I’ve forgotten something like the flower I use in my performance.
I’m Christian, and go to church every Sunday when I can, so the first thing I do is my daily devotional. I’ll use an app on my phone to read the Bible and pray.
We’ll arrive in Cork around 1pm, go to the hotel and then get something to eat. I’ll usually have a big lunch and then a banana or something about four hours before a gig.
If I wasn’t gigging my favourite dinner would be a battered burger, a curry cheese chip and some onion rings – it’s so bad it’s good!
We’ll head to the green room and then to sound check for 6pm, go back to the green room for a while and then get on with the show.
There’s always such a great buzz around the city during Cork Jazz.
You’re guaranteed a good time, the line-up is always really good and the staff are really lovely and want the best for the artists and audiences.
We’ll run through the show, hug it out and say a prayer.
The rest of the band are not really religious, but, because it’s what I like to do, they respect that.
We started it a few years ago and now if I forget they’ll say ‘Are we not going to pray?’
It’s part of the pre-gig ritual.
No matter how small the stage is, I see myself playing Madison Square Gardens and want to give the audience the very best show.
I love singing but I also love performing – it’s my passion. As soon as I get on that stage it’s like a light being turned on.
It’s my job to make people happy and to put on a great show – so I have to deliver.
Growing up as Nigerian we are told to always work, keep going and provide. My mam has six children, is still working two jobs and is always there for us.
All my Nigerian friends are go-getters. It can be a curse too because I find it hard to switch off.
I had to take control of my own life at a young age. Survival mode was turned on then and hasn’t been turned off since.
I’ve always been determined – when I have a goal I go for it.
My headline shows are two hours long with three outfit changes. I’ll tell my stylist Vivian Udo the kind of design I’m looking for and she will come back with drawings.
Her sister-in-law is a tailor in Nigeria – she’ll come back with some fabric ideas for us and then she’ll make the designs for me. I’m so excited for the outfits I have coming for the Jazz.
After the show I’ll really feel it – both physically and mentally. Some of my songs are about my own stories and traumas and people relate to that so I love to keep some energy to talk to my fans after the show.
I’m very mindful of my voice so I don’t want to talk much after that. After the gig, I’ll go eat the greasiest food I can get my hands on and then I’ll just want to go to bed.
I’m not really a drinker because it’s expensive but it’s also not great for my voice. Once there’s a pint or two involved there’s a lot of shouting – which is really bad vocally.
I find it hard to sleep after a gig. I’ll go home or back to the hotel, take off my costume and makeup, get into my pyjamas and then analyse the photos and videos of the gig taken by family and friends.
I used to be very critical of myself but I’m not too bad now though sometimes I do surprise myself at the things I say to the audience and the way the show can go.
I might watch a Netflix series to calm my brain – I love a reality show. is my favourite show at the moment. Recently I’ve started reading more.
I’m currently reading Lizzie Damilola Blackburn’s ‘Yinka, Where is Your Huzband?’ It’s a romcom about a Nigerian girl whose mother is looking for a husband for her – which is very typically Nigerian.
- Tosin Bankole is the founder of Toshín – a vibrant six-piece band who have opened for Macy Gray, Corrine Bailey Rae and Kurt Elling. Toshín play Live At St. Luke’s on October 27 as part of The Guinness Cork Jazz Festival. Tickets available at guinnesscorkjazz.com
