Celebrity showbiz personality, Dayo Adeneye, popularly known as D1, of the famous music label, Kennis Music and Primetime Entertainment Africa, is an entertainment mogul who revived�Nigerian music industry and took it to a whole new level.

In a recent interview with Kate Ani of Tribune, Dayo opened up�about his luxurious life style.

Excerpts:

Your foray into the entertainment business, how did it all start?

It was during my graduate studies. I was living in Los Angeles (United States), Hollywood, to be precise, and everything around me was entertainment. Los Angeles is known as the entertainment capital of the world. All my neighbours were musicians. It was either you ran into Eddie Murphy in the grocery store or Samuel L Jackson at the side walk�and so on.

I saw the impact the celebrities had in their community. I felt like, ‘Hey! This is a way of contributing my own quota to nation building back home in Nigeria’.

Then I got the chance (through) Chief Dr Raymond Dokpesi. He came to Los Angeles and offered me and Kenny Ogungbe an opportunity to help start Nigeria’s first private radio station, RayPower. I took it with both hands and said ‘Wow! This is the opportunity that I have been looking for.’ And since then, we never looked back.

You are known for being fashionable and some people envy your luxurious lifestyle

I have always been fashionable right from when I was young. I like good clothes. I like to stand apart from the crowd.

I don’t like to dress loud, but to stand out. I don’t like blending with the crowd, which kind of influences my dressing.

Where do you shop for your wears?

Erm….Let’s see. Most of my shirts, I get them in London, England and the United States. For my native wears, of course, Nigeria. I am not so much a brand freak, but the thing I am particular about is shoes. I love shoes. My favourites are Prada, Gucci and Louis Vuitton.

What is the most expensive fashionable item you have in your wardrobe?

Probably my wrist watch, Rolex

How much did you get it?

You don’t want me to tell you that, do you? (laughs)

Can you buy a N284 million bottle of champagne by designer Alexander Amosu?

(Laughs) I really don’t think so. There is a lot of hunger and poverty out there in the world; that kind of money can be put to better use. It can be used to help poor people than to be spent on a bottle of champagne.

Being a very stylish and good-looking showbiz mogul, how do you cope with advances from women?

(laughs) How do I cope with that? Erm…, to be honest with you, I take everything in strides.

I met Eddy Murphy some years ago, and I usually see him in social circles and clubs mingling with his female fans. I asked him how he copes with that and being a married man. He said �People will chase you when you run away from them, so why not stop and say ‘hello’?”

Michael Jackson then was reclusive and ran away from people and they chased after him.

Eddy Murphy’s theory also applies to me. If you say ‘hello’, I will respond back and when I notice that it is going beyond the level that I want it to go, I pull away from it.

I appreciate my fans, male and female; I treat them with dignity and respect, but I make it very clear to them that ‘look, I am a married man; we can’t have more than a ‘hello’ friendship’. And it seems to work for me.

How rich is D1?

I am very blessed. I don’t count material things as riches.

I count my health, my family, the glorious sunshine and sunset that I witness in good health. Those are the things I consider as my wealth.

The fact that I am able to work, play with my children, be a good husband to my wife, and travel whenever I want to � that is my wealth

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