Esegine Allen a.k.a
Orezi or 'That ghen ghen guy' hit the airwaves with his hit single, Rihanna.
Now with up to 100 singles in his kitty bag including the track, YouGarrit and Shoki, he talks about his music career, relationship and more!
See excerpts from the interview with Punch below and share your thoughts:
Tell us about your
background
My name is Orezi.
Orezi means, one who is destined to be great. It is an Isoko name. I am the first child of my parents and I have
four lovely siblings. My family is
close-knit and my parents are loving and supportive. I was born in Ibadan when
my parents were based there. When I was two years old, the family relocated to
Lagos. My family members are my greatest
fans and biggest critics. I respect
their views because I know that they will never lie to me. My secondary school was in the east. I am a
graduate of Urban and Regional planning from the University of Lagos.
How long have you
been singing?
Professionally, I have been singing since 2009. But I have always been a music lover right
from the university. I recorded a song
during my 300 level. After I graduated from the university, I decided to
embrace a career in music and the first person I sang with was Dr. Fabz.
How are you faring in
the music business?
Before now, I used to think I deserve more since I have put
in a lot of work and I have the best videos out there. Although I know people who came after me who
are more famous than me, I still believe God’s time is the best. The music industry in Nigeria has reached a
point where everyone has a destination.
As long as one does not allow the fame of others to be a source of
concern, one will excel. Sometimes, I feel depressed when I think I have been
around for a while and I am yet to get to where I am supposed to get to.
What are you working
on currently?
I have a new song titled Shoki. I am working on the concept
of the video. I am trying to make it global.
Is your genre strictly hip hop or do you
sometimes diversify?
My music cuts across all genres. In Nigeria, we don’t really have a genre of
music that all the artistes are adopting. If I had my way, after this album, I
will drop an all-reggae album because reggae is my best music. My biggest song has been dancehall, but
because I need to satisfy the Nigerian audience, I have concentrated more on
Afrobeat. I can do any kind of sound.
Do you have a full
album out?
No, but the demand for an album has been increasing daily
and I am going to drop an album very soon. I have always had songs that could
make an album. At the moment, we have close to 100 recorded songs. A large percentage of music lovers are tuned
to Orezi at the moment and that is a sign for me to drop an album.
What satisfaction do
you get from your art?
It is a growing process. Each single I drop is always better
than the last one. From ‘Booty bounce’ to ‘Rihanna’ and ‘YouGarrit’, the
acceptance has been very encouraging.
‘Rihanna’ is my biggest song, judging from awards, acceptance and U-Tube
views it has received. It fetched me three awards and I am hoping to win more.
Do you think making an album is going to be
more financially rewarding than producing singles?
In Nigeria, artistes
do not make money from albums. This is
due to the fact that it involves making arrangement with marketers for a pay
off or percentage of proceeds from the album sales. Most Nigerian artistes usually settle for
pay off which may not exceed N5m at
most. An album cost more than N5m to
produce. But albums increase acceptance,
popularity and fan base, which is where the money comes from.
Are you planning to
work with your degree?
I intend to practice. I am trying to be famous because I
think it will help me in future. I don’t intend to stay too long with music
though. If I have three albums, I will switch to music production and
promotion.
What would make you
fall in love with a lady?
Apart from the fact that she has to be pretty, I also watch
out for good character. If the character is good, I may not care about the
looks. I may not even marry a pretty
woman because my mother says a pretty woman belongs to more than one man.
So your girlfriend is not pretty?
I don’t have a girlfriend
Why?
I have a lot of female friends but I don’t have a
girlfriend. I wish I had. The thing
about relationships is that you need someone who understands you and who will
always be around you. It is sweeter than
being with different women. I am the kind of person who always wants to be
around people I love. I grew up in a very affectionate family and I know how to
give affection.
Describe your style
I like fashion a lot. I like to be flashy and to be spotted
in the crowd. I don’t like following trends because my style speaks volumes of
my personality.
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