Afropop singer, Seyi Shay, tells JAYNE AUGOYE about her career and rumoured rivalry with Tiwa Savage
Oluwaseyi Joshua, aka. Seyi Shay, returned to Nigeria and hit the local music scene after From Above, an all-female group that she belonged to, broke up in 2013. The singer, who started singing at 6, considers herself fortunate to have been mentored by fellow artiste, Sound Sultan. Today, having recorded a number hit songs such as Irawo, Ragga Ragga and, most recently, Murda ft patoranking & shaydee the future looks bright for her career.
When E-Punch met the artiste, who struggled for a while to create an identity for herself, during a recent event, she was clearly excited about the attention that Murda had received within a short time of being released into the market.
Apart from breaking into the mainstream music scene in record time, Seyi was recently appointed Ambassador of Barcadi Breezer shortly after her deal with Etisalat expired.
Oozing self-confidence, she speaks with our correspondent about her achievements, especially her new identity.
She says, “I was controlled in a way that didn’t really suit me. I was reserved instead of just being free and liberated. Instead of being the usual tomboy that I am, I was dressing like an old mama youngy, Mama Saro. Really, that is not me. But it is what I’m trying to represent with my brand.
“I think the hardest thing is finding your identity. It took me two years to come up with Murda. Murda recently knocked Dorobucci off the top spot on the Naija Top 20 list. I never imagined having a song that would do that to a Don Jazzy song. But it happened. It took two years to achieve this, but it happened. This means that my dual identity in that video and song are obvious. Music fans have begun to identify with me.”
Last year, the media was awash with stories of a silent rivalry and ‘beef’ between Seyi Shay and Tiwa Savage. Although they were reported to have moved beyond that level, she insists that there is no basis for comparison between the Marvin Records first lady and herself.
She says, “I think people can see the difference between us now. The reason I don’t see Tiwa as a rival is because I know who I am. I know that I’m very much a fun-loving person. I’m still the woman of the world that many people know. I really don’t care about the things that are not going to affect me in a positive way. If it’s not going to affect me in a positive way, I don’t focus on it or think about it.
“The difference is that I am deeper into the ragga stuff than she is. She portrays herself as somebody that is a cautious RnB artist, which she is. But I see myself as a commercial and carefree spirit. I don’t know her to that extent, so I can’t really speak about her. But I feel that Murda is my vibe and her vibe is her vibe.”
Having spent the better part of her life in the United Kingdom and performed alongside a number of world class artistes, it appears the singer is not satisfied with the standard of live performances in Nigeria.
“Nobody knows how hard it is to perform on stage. Unless you’re a musician that really takes care of your artistry, you won’t realise it is difficult. A lot of people go onstage and mime. They don’t really care about the reaction or feelings of members of the audience as long as they’re getting paid. But I care. I really care. I want my sound and lighting to be perfect because I’m coming from a professional background. It is really frustrating to think that nobody knows how to sound-engineer a live production. But we’ll get there,” she says.
Seyi’s Murda may have earned her rave reviews, no doubt, but it took a lot of effort from close friends and associates to convince her to record the song.
“Initially I didn’t like the song because it was too different from everything else that was out there. It took me three or four months to come back to the studio to finish it. With the success of this song, it is evident that people want something different. Hopefully, I can continue to give them something different all the time,” she says.
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