A couple of years ago, Deborah Oluwaseyi Joshua aka Seyi Shay
became the lead singer for the now defunct pop girl group, From Above,
which had a recording deal with Sony/Columbia and was managed by Mathew
Knowles’ Music World Entertainment, a company owned by Beyonce’s father.
In November 2013, the British-born Nigerian singer/songwriter signed an
endorsement deal with telecommunications company, Etisalat. After successfully releasing a couple of singles including Irawo, Ragga Ragga, Chairman, and Murda,featuring Patoranking and Sheydee, Seyi Shay is now working on her debut album.
In this chat with Entertainer, she talks about her career, heartbreak, and celebrity crush among other issues. Excerpts:
What project are you currently working on?
I
am working on my album so there will not be much noise coming from me
for the next couple of months. I hope to release it by the end of this
year or the beginning of 2015. I am working with very talented
producers and writers; people are really coming together to make sure
that Seyi Shay gets her sound right. We are about to go to Kenya to
shoot a TV series and I have just dropped another single. So many
exciting things are happening and I give God all the praises.
What inspired the single?
Dr.
Fabs produced this great beat and wanted me to come over to the Star
Boy house to listen to it. So off I went and it turned out very nice. I
saw Shaydee chilling out with friends, so I invited him aboard. At the
end of the session, I wasn’t really down with the song, so I left it in
the studio for like two or three months. Shaydee and Dr. Fabs kept
calling me even though I told them that I didn’t like the song.
Eventually, I went back and we invited Patoranking over, and within 10
minutes, he knocked it out. I also called Sound Sultan because he is
very talented and he is also one of my mentors. He told me that the song
was not strong enough so he rewrote my verse. In fact, different people
wrote the song. Even Vector the Viper was in the studio and added his
own ideas, so I think the song was inspired by collaborative efforts.
How did you meet Patoranking and what cemented the chemistry between you and him?
It
is the new school thing; I like to include people like Waje and Yemi
Alade because we are all coming from the same generation. What helped Murda was
the fact that Patoranking is fresh and Seyi Shay is fresh. I that song
and for me, Patoranking is one of the most talented artistes we have
right now while Shaydee has the best voice; I wanted real talent on the
song. just wanted fresh and talented people on
We understand you just returned from the Caribbean, how was the trip?
Wow!
We went to the 25th Caribbean Musical Festival. This year, they had
people like Beanie Man, Kelly Rowland and a lot of dance hall reggae
artistes performing. It was a nice trip for us because we went as
ambassadors of Nigeria. The aim was to build a bridge between Caribbean
and Afro music.
So, how was the experience there?
We
went to the Island of Benkek, met the Prime Minister and we spoke to
him on how we would like to be ambassadors of African music in the
Caribbean. We also spoke to some radio stations on how we would build
bridges between Afro and Caribbean music, because I discovered that in
their clubs and restaurants, they played a lot of Iyanya and PSquare,
and most of the local people didn’t even know that Iyanya, PSquare and
Davido are Nigerians. It was very interesting to see that these people
love and download our songs without knowing who we are. So, that was why
we had to tell them that we are Africans and most especially,
Nigerians.
Who are your influences?
Growing
up, I was greatly influenced by Western musicians like Michael Jackson,
Destinys’ Child, Madonna, Mina Simony, Brandy, Esther Wivi and the
likes. When I became a musician and started taking music seriously, I
began listening to a wider range of music. I did more of Bob Marley
because while growing up in London, I was exposed to reggae and dance
hall music which has its own culture. I was born in North London and
that is where the Jamaican reggae dance hall and the likes started.
Prior to that, I had been listening to a lot of Chris Brown and
Beyonce.
Who do you look up to in the Nigerian music scene?
I
have no choice but to listen to the likes of King Sunny Ade, Shina
Peters, Onyeka Onwenu and Ebenezer Obey. As a child, I started listening
to all these musicians because of my mum. I had no choice but to listen
and grow up with Afrobeat because it was my mum’s kind of music, but
when I became more independent, I started listening to Michael Jackson
and Madonna.
Have you ever done a song based on heartbreak?
Yes, I have done one. It is called No Vacancy but it isn’t out yet.
What was your experience in that relationship?
The guy wasn’t feeling the same way as I was feeling, but I only discovered that after a while.
Did he cheat on you?
Yes.
How did it happen?
I don’t know how it happened but it was very heart breaking.
If the guy comes back and beg for forgiveness, would you take him back?
No, I wouldn’t take him back.
Did you catch him red handed with another woman?
Yes.
What were your major challenges while coming up?
My
major challenge was being female. Most of the shows were for guys;
there weren’t enough females that could compete with the guys. So, my
challenge was to make people see me because I knew that my stage
performance would make the difference. I just had to maximize that area
and rehearse for a year with my dancers so that whenever the opportunity
came up we would put up a good show.
Did some people try to discourage you when you started?
When
I started performing in Nigeria I never got applause, but thank God I
never got booed either. Initially, people didn’t know who I was and what
I was up to.
What kept you going?
Flytime
Promotions kept me going. They kept putting me on big platforms and
shows. I even discouraged myself sometimes saying that I couldn’t do it
because people weren’t going to clap and all that, but they told me to
hang on because the more I performed, the more people would see and
appreciate me. At a stage, I started getting positive results and a lot
of shows started coming my way.
What has changed about Seyi Shay?
To
be honest with you, I can definitely say people know my songs now. When
I sang Irawo recently, a lot of people waved their hands as if it were a
praise and worship song because it has such a strong message. I even
see some people cry when I sing it because it speaks to them personally.
I can definitely say that Murda, my
new song, has caught a lot of people’s attention. I did that song in
Ibadan and people were screaming. That was the best thing that has
happened to me this year. After that, I went to Warri and Port Harcourt.
So, it is just a matter of being patient and finding the right song,
because once you find the right song, you don’t have to do much, you
will just perform and everyone will follow your vibe.
What was the naughtiest thing you did growing up?
I
pecked my high school crush, Oke. He was so intelligent and everybody
wanted to be his friend. So, he said to me one day that if I wanted to
be his girl friend, I had to peck him and I pecked him! Everyone was
screaming as I gave him the peck, and I ended up being his girlfriend.
Who is your celebrity crush?
I
have a crush on Idris Elba. He is a Hollywood actor but he is actually
a Nigerian; he is British Nigerian. He is in lots of Hollywood movies
and last year, he was in Nigeria for a contest, and it was like my dream
had come true. I didn’t get to see him, but one day, I will.
What would you do with Idris Elba behind closed doors?
That’s for me and Idris Elba only.
You didn’t speak much about your dad, why?
That
is because I don’t have a close relationship with him but he is cool. I
have fathers; I never grew up with my biological dad.
Is it because he married another woman or had other kids?
Yes, but I am not keeping away from him; we even talk on the phone every day.
When last did you see him?
I saw him earlier this year.
When are you planning to settle down?
I
want to settle down one day. I feel that I have another four years of
real hard work to establish myself and get my feet firmly in place; and
make the foundation for my passion stronger. When my feet are firmly
planted I think I will be ready for my own family.
Are you seeing someone right now?
Yes. I will tell you when he puts a ring on my finger; I can’t say anything now in case we break up.
Could you marry someone from the music industry?
I
wouldn’t mind marrying someone from the industry; it doesn’t matter
your profession; what matters is hard work and a good heart.
Could you describe your ideal man?
Idris
Elba is my ideal man. Mere looking at him and you could decipher Seyi
Shey’s ideal man. I am saying this with a big sorry to my boyfriend.
You sound like you have had it easy all your life. Can you tell us about something that has brought you close to tears lately?
Nothing has been smooth. My mum died at a young age, I didn’t grow up with my dad, and my lover and I broke up!
Tell us about your most terrible experience?
That was the death of my mum.
How did this happen?
She
had high blood pressure and it caused some complications that led to an
operation in her brain. It was so sensitive; she didn’t make it.
How did you feel when the news was broken to you?
I was devastated.
source : sun news
Comments
Post a Comment
Thanks for commenting