Nigerian high-life singer, Chinedu Okoli, popularly known as Flavour N’abania, has shared a story of his journey to stardom, recounting how he was once asked to leave the stage during a performance for P-Square, a popular Nigerian music duo.
Flavour narrated how he began his music career as a choir conductor and drummer in the church.
“They saw how dedicated I was and introduced me to a man who owned a music company and trained young boys. Luckily for me, the day I went there, they were having rehearsals. It was the first time I saw proper music set up. I joined the band and served there for 13 years. I developed more with the band, and I later became the band leader.”
Flavour
“At that point, I wasn’t thinking about being Flavour or being on the spot. I never thought about all that. My dream was just about playing at events and things like that,” Flavour added.
He explained that he later left the band and transitioned to playing at shows and events, where he honed his skills and built a fan base.
According to him, things became hard for him when he left the band and went into the streets, adding that he was in a good space before.
“Like a street musician hustling, I went to different joints to play. I could sing so many songs; I had like 5,000 songs I could sing and play to entertain people.
“We play from 8 pm until 3 am, but then I see these artists; they play for like 30 minutes, and everybody is happy, clapping for them and hailing them. And I’m wondering, ‘What is going on? Are we not the same artists?’”
Flavour
However, he stated that his encounter with P-Square served as a turning point in his career.
He recounted how he was asked to leave the stage for the duo artists.
“I remember one day with P-Sqaure when they just came out with “Temptation.’ They were promoting a show around and the promoters brought them to the spot at City Centre in Enugu. With that spot, I already built fans; everybody was there every weekend. No matter what was going on in Enugu, my spot was always packed.
“So the promoters brought P-Square while I was playing, and immediately P-Square came; the manager just said, ‘Hello, off that thing.’ I switched off, passed the microphone, and went to sit. Then when Paul of P-Sqaure picked up the microphone and just said, ‘This na temptation’ everywhere scattered.”
Flavour
According to him, this experience sparked a realization in him that he needed to create his own unique sound and transition from being a mere musician to an artiste.
Flavour added, “So I was like, It’s the same music these people are doing. I’ve been with you, and you never shouted like this. I was so cold; I was just watching. When they left, the manager just told me to carry on.”
“So I decided to change from a music man to an artiste, and that was the difficult part of it because I thought it was going to be easy. I could play, I could sing, but to create your own sound, where are you going to start from? The best way to go about it was to start afresh.”
Flavour
Singer Speaks on His Journey in The Industry
Flavour N’abania shared his experiences navigating the early stages of his music career.
He discussed his progression from performing for local audiences to expanding his reach.
Flavour recalled taking a bold step by travelling to Lagos, where he recorded his first song and collaborated with Nigerian rapper Mr. Raw.
He returned to Enugu, sharing the song with others, and noticed its positive reception. He then printed and sold multiple copies of the CD, gaining momentum in his career.
Flavour also acknowledged the valuable lessons he learned from Mr. Raw about becoming a successful artist.
In other news, Flavour and Odumeje stirred reactions as they engaged in worship session.
The duo known for their hit track, ‘Umu Jesus’ were spotted in the studio.
They subsequently initiated a worship session with Flavour playing the piano.
Odumeje and Flavour sang a few gospel songs with the former injecting short sermons during worship.
Odumeje urged people to love God and do his will.
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