Away from his sensual music videos and suggestive waist
movements, contemporary Nigerian highlife artiste, Flavour Na’biana,
cuts a different picture when you meet him in person.
Flavour says he is able to switch between the two different
personalities in him. The singer, who started out playing drums and
guitar in his local church, describes himself as a modest artiste.
“If
you watch my videos, listen to my songs and then meet me one-on-one,
you will be disappointed. When I am on stage, I am Flavour but off the
stage, I am simply Chinedu Okoli (his real name). Away from the show
business, my daily routine is simple. After doing my morning chores, I
am either off to the studio, busy playing pool or play station or simply
chilling with my colleagues. I am not a party animal.”
It is
only a week to his 29th birthday party scheduled to, according to him,
take place at a five star-hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, but
Flavour is already in high spirits. Having transformed from a young lad
who is best described as a ‘local champion’ in Enugu State, to one of
the most sought-after Nigerian artistes, the singer describes his rise
and achievements in less than three years as surreal.
“I feel
humbled and blessed, because of the love and appreciation I get from my
fans. Well, when I started I wanted fame so much but now sometimes, I
wish I could do some things without people noticing me. One of my
career's highpoints was when I shot a video in Paris, France with Fally
Ipupa because it simply shows how far I have come. I am constantly
overwhelmed, such that I find it hard to explain.”
In October, he
officially launched his third studio album, Blessed, and opened his
latest business venture, 2 Nite Klub Lounge, in Enugu. With the club, he
has joined the growing number of Nigerian stars diversifying into other
areas.
He says, “It is a part management deal I have with a
friend and big brother Frank Obasi, the CEO of Toscana Hotel, Enugu. It
feels good because it is something I had always wanted to do. It has
always been my personal aspiration to own a night club. It is a joint
venture with Obasi and it is located in his hotel premises. I am not
going to leave music because it is skin deep. “
In recent times,
Twitter has afforded a number of Nigerian stars the opportunity to
engage in self-aggrandisement and communicate with fans. However,
Flavour sort of received an endorsement from American super star, Keri
Hilson, last month when the latter tweeted, “Now playing Ashawo Remix by
Flavour. I love this song. I have no idea what he is saying, I just
love the song. “It came as a surprise to his followers.
Confirming
the post, the singer, who is barely active on social networks, says,
“Yes, at first I thought it was one of those media stunts, but when it
was verified, I felt appreciated and humbled, not just for my music but
for African music and how far we have come. It shows that music is a
universal language and I plan to collaborate with her on a song when she
comes to Nigeria over the weekend. I am yet to decide if it is going to
be a new track or one of my old hits.”
Commenting on the new
trend of collaborations between Nigerian singers and foreign artistes,
he says, “It is really good to collaborate but it’s better when there is
a good chemistry between both artistes so, I advise people not to rush
into collaborations because of fame but for the music.”
Like
other artistes, the decision to do music is one that is often met with
stiff opposition from parents or guardians. For Flavour, it was a tough
call convincing his mother to support his decision. According to him,
his mother was in support of his musical career during his days in the
church. But a meeting later with a music label executive which he
regarded as a blessing ironically strained the relationship between him
and his mother.
“It all started when the resident pastor at his
church introduced him to a friend, Chris Ordor, the CEO of SoundCity
Communications, who had just started a musical company aimed at training
young musicians on the rudiments of music and nurturing them all the
way to a professional level. Shortly after in 1996, I was invited to
join the company on an educational scholarship to study music at the
University of Nsukka. But my mum will not hear of that because she had a
brother who had earlier failed in his music career but I understood her
fears.
‘‘In 2001, when the label moved to Port Harcourt, I found
it hard shuttling between Enugu and Port-Harcourt, as a result I had to
prematurely terminate my scholarship due to my mother’s refusal to
allow me move to the Garden City,” he explains. Today, the story has
changed because his mother is now his greatest fan
No comments:
Post a Comment