Abu Dhabi: Despite having a slightly torrid time making it to the World of Music, Art and Dance (Womad) Abu Dhabi 2010 because of the recent Icelandic volcano eruption, Femi Kuti was the epitome of calmness as he charmingly answered questions just before he was set to perform on the festival's opening night.
"It was a bit hectic getting here as we were in Germany when the volcano erupted so we had to drive all the way from Berlin to Frankfurt and then our first flight was cancelled!
"That was stressful until we managed to catch another flight and arrive to Abu Dhabi," Femi said, laughing.
"My sister came a few weeks before and wouldn't stop raving about the city…I would have been very disappointed if I had not been able to come… but I'm glad that we made it. Abu Dhabi is a lovely place and the people are so friendly here," he added, smiling.
The Grammy-nominated Nigerian musician, who has been hailed as an undisputed genius of Nigerian Afro-beat for combining Jazz, Funk and modern R&B, which along with his saxophone, has become his signature stamp on the musical world.
His band, The Positive Force, has helped him bring his message to countries around the world, including sharp social commentaries on the politics of their homeland.
"You know, when I first started out, I wasn't anxious to collaborate with anyone. That's true! But then the US market opened up for me and I found myself walking with many artists," he said.
"So I began to think that collaborations might not be such a bad idea after all," he added, laughing.
"At the moment, I'm trying to work out a time to go into a studio and collaborate with Alicia Keyes but either her management or I are busy so we haven't been able to set a date yet, which is too bad… hopefully we will be able to work out everything soon."
"This is my first time playing in Abu Dhabi and if all goes well, I would definitely love to come back and perform one day," he said, smiling.
