I was paid with a bottle of drink for movie soundtrack – Stanley Okorie

Legendary Nollywood soundtrack star and singer, Stanley Okorie has revealed that he was paid with a bottle of Sprite for the first movie soundtrack he sang.

He disclosed this while featuring as a guest on the latest episode of the Osikoya Speaks audiovisual podcast hosted by Wonu Osikoya.

The veteran said when he came into the movie industry, Nollywood was underfunded.

Okorie said, “The first soundtrack I ever did, guess what I was paid? I was paid a bottle of Spirit. And it was three songs. And I didn’t drink the Spirit alone, I drank it with one guy called JT Tom West. So, it was still half payment even with the bottle of Sprite.

“The guy [filmmaker] said he was even doing me a favour. I just did. In fact, one of the times I saw him, he told me that they didn’t use the music again. A month after, I watched the film and it was the music.

“So, I went to meet him with JT Tom West who is late now, and he said okay, he will connect us with somebody who will give me a job. And the very first job I got payment for was a film called ‘Compromise’, and from that, other films followed.

“The next film I got big pay for was a film called ‘Evil Genius’. That was my statement of ‘I don come’. There wasn’t money until much later when I started charging [filmmakers].”