Rave of the moment artiste, Seyi Shay, tells ADEMOLA OLONILUA why she loves Nigerian designers. She also talks about the death of her mother and recent endorsement with Bacardi Breezer
Did you expect your recent song, Murda, to be such a commercial success?
No, I did not know it would be this big. I was surprised that it became a success and everybody loves it.
How has the public reception being towards you since you released the song?
It has been great. I love it; everywhere I go people sing it to me and sometimes when I am performing at shows, people stand up screaming. Even when I am on the road, some fans will wind down their car windows and start screaming and singing the song.
How did the song come about?
Actually, Dokta Frabz, Shaydee and I were in the studio early this year and we decided to do a song together. There was a beat and Shaydee just started singing the chorus and I started replying him. Eventually, we decided to leave the song exactly the way it was. We called Patoranking to feature on the song because we felt that it had a dancehall vibe. That was how the song was made and if you ask me what inspired the song, the question would have to be directed to Shaydee because he conceptualised it. I wanted my verse to be quite fresh and have some feeling of nostalgia and that was why I put the Joni Michelle lyric and melody in the beginning and I also wanted to remind people of what it meant to have someone to love and falling in love generally.
You recently got endorsed by Bacardi Breezer, as a young lady what do you do with your money?
I pay my tithe; I put some people in my family through school. I also save because I want to get married soon and that is it.
Some people think when a lady is too rich, it is difficult to find true love. Do you subscribe to that school of thought?
Yes I feel so. I don’t feel like I have so much money; I feel like for my age, I am on my way there. I am just praying and hoping that the person I marry is somebody that is just as successful as I am but if not, is able to support me in my career.
Are you currently in a relationship?
I am working on a relationship right now.
What do you mean by that?
It is because it is a grey area. We have known ourselves for about two years but because of our work, we keep falling in and out of the relationship. It is work in progress, so I can say that I already have a love interest.
Artistes normally nurse the fear that once they are married, their value drops. Is that true?
I am not married yet and I am not planning to get married this year. I don’t think so; I think it depends on the person the artiste is married to. If the artiste’s spouse is somebody that likes staying in the background and you don’t have to flaunt it around that you are married and both parties have an understanding, then they are fine. I think it depends on how you handle it and sell yourself basically.
Are you the only musician in your family?
Professionally, yes I am. I started singing with my mother in the choir when I was about five years old. When I got older, I started singing in the choir in school; from there, I went on tour to Japan with my school choir. When I came back, I decided that I wanted to be a singer for the rest of my life because the experience was so exhilarating. I was amazed at the number of people that were letting out cheers for a gospel choir. I imagined the whole crowd giving only me. I took the G.C.S.E, and from college I studied music business management. So, everything about me has been music.
And your parents allowed you to choose music as a career?
My mother did not have a problem with it but my father did not really know what I was up to because my parents divorced while I was growing up. My father has always been based in Nigeria although he often travelled abroad to see us. He has re-married with children now while my mother died in 2006. Her last words to me were: ‘You would end up in Nigeria.’ I felt it was not going to happen because I did not have any reason to come back to Nigeria. Look at me now, I am here in Nigeria and I am doing well.
How did you feel when your mother died especially now that you have attained a level of stardom without her witnessing it?
I went through a lot of counselling after she died because I felt really guilty that she had passed on at such a young age. I felt that maybe my rebellious nature caused it or that we, the kids, were giving her too much problem. I also felt very cheated because I felt she should not have passed on at a time when I was about to embark on a huge journey in life. After she died, I signed up with Mathew Knowles, Beyonce’s father and I was with him for approximately four years. I went on tour with Beyonce in 2010 supporting her and I started a reality television show on MTV also with Mathew Knowles and the crew. I just felt that she should have been alive to see all the things I have achieved. Then coming down to Nigeria, our hometown and she not being there, after she had said that this was where I would end up was more heartbreaking. But I feel that she is still watching and her essence is everywhere. Every time I look into the mirror, it is as if I see her.
What is your favourite colour?
People say red suits me a lot because I have worn red on several occasions in the past and they said red suits me a lot. So, when the Bacardi Breezer crew chose me to represent red and their watermelon brand, I felt it was great. I wear red very often.
What is your opinion about Nigerian designers?
I love Nigerian designers more than any other designers in the world and I say that truthfully because we are more experimental. Although sometimes the fashion does not look great but sometimes it looks really beautiful. The designers I have been working with when I got here have been so experimental and innovative. I love the print material most especially and if you look at America and Europe now, everybody is wearing Ankara but we do it better.
One would have thought that being based in London for so long you would prefer foreign brands and designer clothes…
I patronise Nigerian designers because I have worn virtually all the big foreign brands, but I feel I can be myself in clothes made by Nigerian designers and my stylist is really awesome; we are going with the ‘rude boy’ look from the 70s. It is like a reggae tradition that started in the 70s in London where you wear socks with cut jeans and cap. I like that because it mixes well with where I am from and where I am now. Nigerian designers have more innovation, they are more creative and playful and I would always patronise Nigerian designers anywhere I go in the world.
What is your fashion weakness?
Caps; I love them because I am a bit lazy when it comes to my hair. I wear caps everywhere I go and I have a lot of them in different shades, shapes and sizes. The more I realised I had to do my hair because I am a lady the more I had to buy caps.
How many caps do you own?
I have about 60 hats and my favourite is my snapback that has Shay in front of it. I just got that one. It is new and I got it in Houston.
Then how do you cope with high heels?
I hate them but I always have to wear them. I have high heels in my car for back-up because being Seyi Shay you might never know someone might just call all of a sudden requesting my presence at a particular event and if I have to go, no matter what I am wearing, a pair of high heels always complements a lady. Although I hate them, they are my must-have always.
What accessories do you like wearing?
Apart from my hat that would be rings.
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