Oluwas Seyi Deborah Joshua known as Seyi
Shay in the music terrain left a promising Sony
in the world starting from Nigeria. Born and
raised by Nigerian parents in London UK , Seyi
began performing at the age of six. Known for
her amazingly vocal strength and stage craft,
she has shared the stage with some of
Nigeria’s biggest music stars as well as
international acts like Rick Ross , Chris Brown.
e.t.c.
Her latest single, ‘Chairman’ featuring Kcee had
over seven hundred thousand downloads on
one platform in over a week. The stylish
songstress who was formerly a member of the
girl group ‘From Above’ that toured with
Beyonce in 2009/2010, speaks on how she’s
married to her music, why she left Flytime
Music, what her greatest fear is, and why she
doesn’t read comments on blogs.
How did music begin for you?
My interest in music started from my very
young age. I remember being five years old
living in a house full of different musical
influences. My mum was a chorister in
choir , my brother was a radio and club DJ, my
sister use to compose songs for TV.I
remember my interest in music started
growing from there .I was in my secondary
school choir, and a community choir outside
of school.
My choir went to Japan at a time, and I was
the youngest member . I was given the
opportunity to perform as the lead
vocalist .The response from the choir in Japan
was so high that i said ‘If it‘s like this now,
imagine what it can be in the future’. So I
decided to come back to London and tell my
mum about my interest in music.
She supported me but she wanted me to finish
school .I continued my education but I studied
music at A levels college . I went to the
university where I studied music business
management .So it’s always been music for me
really. I understand the business side of music
too, so I can
read through my own contracts, do my own
deals, and know what is good for me and
what is bad for me.
How has your music business knowledge
helped you in your music career?
Fast forward some years later am in Nigeria
now, am not signed to any record label, am
not part of any camp or any team . I do have
my own team, a team I employed .I carefully
selected the people that I wanted to manage
me, I checked out their credentials and what
they do. I selected my own road manager,
manager, my own producers, my own PR .I
told them what I wanted i.e. website, branding,
logos, the kind of PR I wanted and they went
out and they sourced everything .That kind of
decision can only come from a knowledge of
what it takes in the music industry to become
a brand or a success.
Why did you leave Flytime Music?
In the beginning I was with Flytime as an
independent artiste that Flytime will be
promoting, because Flytime promotes that is
what they do. So I joined them with the
intention of being promoted by them solely,
but I was still in control of sourcing my own
management, my own production, sourcing
my own PR and so on and so forth. They did a
really great job of putting me on different
platforms and shows.
The reason our working relationship ended is
because I did not have the team that I have
now, then. That is my road management, my
management, my team , my engine .I didn’t
have that. So I spoke to Flytime this is what I
need, this is what I want, that I would like to
be my own brand, .So how do you feel about
that? And they said:’ Fine we will still support
you, we will still promote you, we will still go
out and source things for you .
If you want to do things your own way, you
are free to do that.’ It’s not that we don’t have
a relationship any more; we still do .But we
don’t work together as
record company and artiste. I think that is
the general misconception people didn’t
actually understand.
So what defines your style of music?
I don’t like to pigeonhole myself .I don’t like to
say that this is the kind of demographic I
belong to, I don’t like to give my age either,
because of prejudice. And the same thing
applies to music, I don’t like to say am R n b ,
am soul, of course by nature I am a soulful
artiste in person. The music that comes out of
me , comes out of my camp is mainly
whatever it is that is inspiring us at that
present time.’
Chairman ‘ featuring Kcee which is one of my
latest singles was inspired by the fact that
Kcee was in the studio and my producer Del B
had already composed the music, and it
sounded like what a Kcee or a flavour could
have flowed on. So we were inspired by
that .We said we need one of this tracks .So I
jumped on the mic and I just started singing,
and then Kcee jumped on the mic and he did
his thing that was after asking him to join me.
That’s how that came about. ’Irawo ‘ was
inspired by a particular mood I was in at a
time. I felt that at that time everybody needed
to be encouraged , just to let everybody know
that there is enough space in the sky for all of
these stars that we see .In our industry, if you
are a star, and I am star let us just shine
together and shine bright .So there are
different inspirations.
‘Killing me softly’ was written and produced by
Del B.As soon as he played it to me, I knew
that it was something that I needed to have.
He played it to me and said this is what I made
do you like it? and I said yes. I have always
been interested in Timaya, he is the king of the
dance floor. Just like everybody else in Nigeria
will agree that he can make you dance.
Because ‘Killing me softly’ is a mid tempo
song, I wanted it to have some ginger and at
that time Del B played me something that he
and Timaya had done, and I asked him if he
could get Timaya to come on my own song
and he said yes .I remember asking and
begging for a few weeks he complied.
Eventually he came to the studio and I trapped
him. I took his car keys and told him :’You are
not leaving the studio until you do my song’
and he did it because he wanted to go home .
He got on the mic and did his freestyle .That
is how ‘Killing me softly’ came about.
Why did you relocate to Nigeria?
I moved to Nigeria because the time I had
spent with my former girl group” From Above”
that was managed by Matthew Knowles
Beyonce’s dad had come to an end. We
amicably broke up. Some of the girls didn’t
want to be in the group anymore .I was the
only one that really wanted to do the music.
Sound Sultan was in London that year, he
heard some of my demos and said:’ You are
really good why don’t you come and try this
out in Nigeria” .
I had an opportunity to go to the New York
that year and continued being managed by
Matthew Knowles and sign a record deal with
Sony, but after like a week of fasting and
prayer the answer was so clear because just
after that, Flytime Music called and said:”
Sound Sultan has spoke highly of you, this is
what we would like to do with you. Why not
try and break into the rest of the world from
Africa?, and do something different”. I am a
believer in evolution, revolution, and change.
I like to set trends. I said lord! after the
fasting and prayer and I got a call from
Flytime Music , it’s not a coincidence.
How has it been penetrating the music
industry in Nigeria?
It’s not easy because there are so many
female artistes and female artistes really don’t
have that recognition , that power that male
artiste do yet .But hopefully, it will change
soon. It’s not been easy but thank God I
have been blessed enough to bring something
a bit different to the table which is my
performances on stage. It’s been bumpy, I
have had to do so many shows for free, had to
fight for my voice to be heard .People think I
just came and just started doing this. It’s
because I am a proactive person .I get up and
do what I have to do.
With the influx of female artistes in Nigeria,
what stands you out?
I don’t know if I can answer that question .I
think the public are the only ones that can
answer that question .I am a female and I sing
and perform and I record and write songs, My
intention is to go into the world prosper and
multiply the music and all kinds of
entertainment related things. What sets me
apart from the other females?
I don’t know if it will be fair for me to say,
because I don’t know what the other females
are like really. Musically, I feel like I always try
and go into different sounds and styles of
music, because I think that most females just
stick to that one sound that they know is good
for them. For me, I do different types of
music .At the moment, Nigeria has only heard
the afro-pop of me, but very soon they will
hear the western , R n B, soul contemporary
work part of me to .Because that is really
where I come from
Whose advice has been instrumental to your
career?
First of all, my mum before she died she said
don’t let any man stop you or hold you back
from your dreams. And by ‘Man’ she meant
Men .Matthew Knowles, my former manager,
he used to say things like: ’Practice makes
permanent’ and he used to put us through
extensive training –dancing, choreography,
vocal classes and so on and so forth. He taught
me the importance of tenacity , and faking it
until you make it .
If it hurts just keep going until you’ve
arrived .Sound Sultan taught me and told me
to make sure I know and identify who my real
family are in the industry. That way you will
never get lost. He always tells me that I need
to always remember God and pay my tithe and
also sing from my heart not what everybody
else is singing so that I will be a seasoned long
standing artiste not just come and go.
What was your growing up like and how has it
helped to shape your music career?
I grew up with two elder brothers and one
older sister .I am the youngest and by the
time I was born , my mother raised us as a
single parent .My dad was back in Nigeria, she
worked two three jobs, at the same time in the
U.K to make sure she could provide everything
I needed .Very much grounded in the church, I
had everything I needed and had a lot of love
around me .But I felt like a single child a lot
because I happen to be the last born and
between myself and my brother before me
were nine years so I felt like a single child a
lot.
But thank God for my mum she is strong and
hardworking .She exercised tenacity .The way I
was raised with a single mother that worked so
well and worked so hard helped me to
understand how important it is to work well
not just hard but work well. For the fact that
she ran a good race, it inspires me to run the
good race too. I am clearly somebody that
works very hard, that comes from my mum
and it helped me to be grounded because I
wasn’t born into a wealthy home .I was born
into a humble modest home. No matter how
many people know my name or know my song,
I am just an ordinary girl trying to reach out
to every other ordinary girl.
What are your favorite qualities in a man?
He has to be funny, he has to be handsome,
and he has to be intelligent.
What do you consider your greatest
achievement?
I haven’t achieved my greatest yet, but so far
I have done some pretty amazing things like I
have toured with Beyonce in 2009/2010 in her
‘I am” tour, I have won some pretty cool
awards so far, City people, Next rated
Silverbird awards, I have performed on the Big
Brother Africa stage in front of over hundreds
of thousands of people across Africa and the
world. I have shared the stage with some of
the world’s biggest superstars and am in my
middle twenties and I can say that. I am a
Nigerian black girl like how many of us can
really say that? I have done some pretty cool
things but God has done some pretty cool
things for me.
What is that one thing people hardly know
about you?
People don’t really know that I am still finding
myself not only as a girl, but as an artiste. I
think that am leaving this experience with my
fans and they are helping me identify who I
really am. Sometimes we have to look in the
eyes of others, to see our own reflection. I feel
that that is what is happening with me right
now. I am looking at the eyes of my fans, I
am reading their comments, their appraisals,
their critique and am taking it onboard .It’s a
great time to be alive, and it’s a great time to
have so many people appreciate what you do.
For example my song ‘Chairman’ featuring
Kcee has reached 700,00 downloads on one
platform in over a week .I feel like people are
listening now and so the people that
downloaded the song are showing some
interest whether it’s in me, the song, Kcee,
whatever .The fact is they have shown an
interest so my duty is to become bigger. So
people don’t know that about me that I haven’t
really found myself. Also people don’t know
that I will choose Amala and Ewedu ,Gbegiri
and Fresh fish over any food on this planet.
They also don’t know that I crave to be in love
with someone. That’s it.
How do you handle stardom?
It’s pretty cool, fine. Like I will go into
Shoprite or Ikeja shopping mall and hear my
song playing and some people look at me ,
some people come up to me saying :’Can I
have a picture?’I like it am enjoying it.
How about the downside of stardom?
I don’t pay attention to negativity. I don’t read
comments on blogs .I only read the comments
of my fans on Twitter, Instargram because they
are the ones that are important to me. I read
the blogs but I don’t read the comments on
the blogs. They can be very negative at times;
in order to prevent yourself from being hurt
you just avoid that. There hasn’t been much
negative stories written about me basically and
that’s just God’s grace. I try to behave myself
as much as I could.
What do you consider your greatest fear?
My greatest fear would be the feeling of not
wanting to do music anymore.Are you in a
relationship?
I am not in a relationship at the moment.
Marriage for me is definitely in the plan. It’s
in my three years plan. So between now and
the next three years I hope to get married. At
the moment, I am married to my team-J
management and married to music basically.
