have different types of songs. I just like to sing what my
emotions is telling me to do at the time.'
She's been tagged the next best music diva from Nigeria.
Has she got what it takes to rock our socks? You might
think she's having it easy but Seyi Shay says she's working
the ropes just like any other artiste gunning for the top spot.
In this exclusive interview with Nigerian Entertainment
Today, the rising star details her journey into music, how
the Nigerian music scene seems pretty different from
where's she's coming from, her current relationship with
former managers Flytime Entertainment and how she feels
she stands out from any other female RnB singer in the
country.
How would you describe your journey back home?
I left the UK early last year to come and explore the
endless possibilities that this fertile nation has in store for
me as regards music. When my former girl-band dissolved,
I knew that I wanted to continue doing music, I packed my
bags and flew back to Nigeria where my parents are from.
It hasn't always been so easy but thank God that I met
some really great people that shared my vision and they put
me on. They gave me a platform and the tool to work with
and to continue doing what I love to do. I started recording
songs and doing shows and put the songs out and people
just started to take to it. Over the past year I have had
really good experiences and some terrible ones too. I have
done so many shows for free, I can't even count. And
finally I'm starting to get paid for my shows now. The
transition from the UK to US and to Nigeria was a blessed
one, I can't lie because it could have been worse or harder.
I had good support-Sound Sultan, Flytime, they stood by
me and gave me what I needed to get this far.
Can you describe the difference between the industry in
the UK/US and that in Nigeria?
There is a big difference between the industry in Europe
and in the US with the one here in Nigeria. It is so
disorganized out here. There is no real strategy nor
structure. You just try your luck, if it makes people dance,
then you have a hit, whereas out there it is very much more
strategized. A really rubbish song has to really be pushed
very well for it to blow and exceed the popularity of a song
that's really good. Here in Nigeria, people appreciate good
music a lot more than out there, but it would help though if
we had in Nigeria more strategy, more engines, ideas and
more brand building so that we can compete with the
Americans, Europeans and Asians on a music level and
bring home Grammys.
When you arrived on the scene, a lot of people were
concerned that you didn't really start from the bottom
of the food chain like everyone else. Do you think that it
has been easier for you being that you had a lot of
support from a platform that gave you the right push?
I started from the bottom. I started singing over ten years
ago. I have slept in the studios countless days and nights. I
have worked as a waitress, receptionist and other odd jobs.
Just because I was raised in London people didn't really
get to see that side of my life. In a way, you can say I had it
better than a lot of people back home, and that's because of
the territory I was raised in. At the same time,
my 'sufferation' is different and it's not like I didn't suffer
at all. I have had doors shut at my face. I have worked and
struggled and hustled too.
Coming back to Nigeria, what has been your most
terrible experience?
My most terrible experience in Nigeria is getting to a show
where I'm supposed to perform and being told that I'm no
more performing after I have changed into my costume
because all the big stars have taken all the slots and time.
That was really heartbreaking for me. At the end of day, I
have put my work in and done hundreds of free shows. All
this is after me having an album on an international level
and me touring with Beyonce. After all of that, then I have
to come back to Nigeria and start all over again. At the
same time, I need to pay my dues, so I did that. I have been
hustling for many years, so I didn't just start.
What influences your style of music?
I'm a lover of Soul, RnB, Reggae and Afrobeat. If you fuse
all of these sounds together, you might end up with what I
like to call Afro-pop. I feel that is the kind of sound I do-
Afro pop, popular African music. I don't actually limit
myself or my sound. I have different types of songs. I just
like to sing what my emotions is telling me to do at the
time.
How do you feel being always compared to Tiwa
Savage?
I think the comparison between me and Tiwa Savage is
actually dying a natural death.
Are you guys friends?
Yes, we are friends.
Have you guys actually sat down to talk about the
comparisons?
Hmmm…have we spoken about that yet? We don't really
have time. We are both really busy. If we talk about
anything, it's more me asking her for advice or her inviting
me to an event or occasion. But we just talk more about
ourselves. We don't talk about anything or anybody and
that's when we can because we are very busy people.
Back to the comparisons, it's dying a natural death. We are
both from London. We both spent time in the US and we
both came back to Nigeria. We both encountered the same
people that helped us in our careers. So, naturally you are
going to have that comparison. Now I have rebranded
myself, not because of the comparisons, but because it was
time for me to shift from my comfort zone into challenging
myself more. We have new pictures and new music now. I
don't imagine Tiwa singing the kind of music I sing and I
can't imagine me singing the kind of music she sings from
what I have heard on her album. We are just different like
that. As time goes on, people will see that.
A lot of people feel that when it comes to female artistes,
there's the 'Big 3'-Tiwa Savage, Waje and Omawumi.
Out of the hundreds of other female artistes out there,
do you think you are the next one to join the 'Big 3'?
I was very honoured when Omawumi asked me to join
Tiwa, Waje and herself on stage at her concert. I felt like
she saw something in me. The way the three of them
accepted me into their trinity was humbling. But am I the
next one or am I going to join the trinity to make a
foursome? I don't even feel like them being called the 'Big
3' is right. I feel that they are all individuals and they
should be seen that way. At the end of the day, most people
know those three names the most and I get that, but I don't
think they would like to be seen as the 'Big 3'. I don't want
to be cast under that umbrella. I just want to be my own
person and hopefully influence people in a positive way in
my own right.
You come across as Soulful singer, but now you are in
the studio and doing stuffs like 'Irawo' and others. Do
you think it is the Nigerian sound that has affected the
way you sound right now?
Yes it was the Nigerian sound that actually influenced my
moving to Nigeria. Before I moved back to Nigeria, I had
the opportunity to either go to Los Angeles and sign a
record deal or come to Nigeria. Most people told me I was
crazy for not going to Los Angeles. I have done that and I
know how hard it is. Trust me, the pool is bigger which
means there's more fish and sharks in the sea. I did it for
four years. Actually, the ground is more fertile in Nigeria.
We could do more out here as artistes and I want to be part
of that revolution that takes Nigeria and African music into
the rest of the world. I feel that I have so much to offer
because of the training and practice I have had for so many
years since I was a child. I can tell you that my album will
be a mixture of Soul, RnB, Afropop and Westernised pop.
It's my album so it can be a combination of anything I like
and I'm sure people will be able to identify with it.
Do you write your songs?
I do write my own songs but also Harrisong, Del B and
other people help. Del B is the one that wrote 'Killing Me
Softly' with Timaya. I adore Timaya, everybody knows
that because he's just like the best. KCEE and I are from
the same production camp that's why the collaboration with
him. Vector helped with the remix of 'Irawo'. Whoever I
sing with or work with, I always write with them, but the
person that has helped me write songs the most, the person
I always go to first for lyrical input is Sound Sultan.
Could you shed light on your relationship with Flytime?
Flytime and Seyi Shay are no longer working together in
the capacity that I was working with them when I first came
to Nigeria. They gave me some tools that I needed and have
used to get this far. Without those tools I wouldn't be here
doing the things I'm doing. I'm eternally grateful to
Flytime. That's what they do. They promote artistes and
they have done a good job with me I think. We are not
going to continue our relationship in that capacity. I'm not
a Flytime artiste anymore and they are not my record label.
You seem to come up as a very fashionable person. Who
are your favourite designers?
I like and I wear a lot of CLAN. I love Grey to Mini Lee.
These are Nigerian designs I'm talking about. Toju Foyeh,
I started with her and I think she is elegant and classic. Her
finishing is so perfect. I also love Deola Sagoe.
When you are not in the studio or on stage, how do you
hangout?
When I'm not doing music, I'm cooking, I'm cleaning my
house because it is very therapeutic. I like to go shopping
too.
Via: Thenet
No comments:
Post a Comment