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It goes without saying that Seyi Shay has become a household name in the Nigerian Music Industry. In an industry that is predominantly male-dominated, she has managed to break that bias and carve a niche for herself.
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Born in the UK, Seyi Shay started her music career at 15 years old when she became a member of her school choir. From then on, it has been a steady rise. She got her first record deal with Sir George Martin; the producer of the legendary band, The Beatles. Then she became the lead singer of the British Pop/R&B girl band, ‘From Above.’ ’The group was signed to Sony/Columbia under the management of Matthew Knowles. The group went on to support Beyoncé on her 2011 IAM tour and also starred in a 7 episode reality show with MTV called BREAKING FROM ABOVE.
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She moves to Nigeria in 2012 after the disbandment of her group and began releasing singles. ‘Irawo’, ‘Killin Me Softly’ ft Timaya, ‘Chairman’ and ‘Ragga Ragga.’ With these songs, she gained mainstream popularity with her amazing vocals, style and confidence. Her stock continued to rise as she released Murda in 2014 featuring Patoranking and Shaydee. She subsequently released her debut album, ‘Seyi or Shay‘, a 19- track album that featured songs like Right now and Killing me softly.
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In 2018 she released Electric Package EP Vol. 1, a 6-track Ep that featured collaborations with the likes of King Promise, Vanessa Mdee, and Kiss Daniel.
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Asides from the music, Seyi has featured in movies like LARA and THE BEAT. She’s also a judge on TV reality show, “Nigerian Idol”.
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All of her experiences provided the foundation the release of her album, Big Girl in December 2021. A 12-track album, Big Girl is the perfect blend of Hip hop, Afrobeat and R&B that is balanced by introspective lyricism and raw personality.
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According to her, the inspiration for this album stems from her rise to stardom, lessons, and meditations along the way, and finding inner peace. She added that the Big Girl album can also be seen as a metaphor for the growth that women pass through to become who they are. “This album captures growth in friendship, romance, career, and everything that makes a woman who she is,” said Seyi. “In Big Girl, I was not afraid to express all the emotions of fear, courage, joy, sadness, and pain that have led to my growth and evolution as an artiste and in my personal journey.”
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This album which featured Wande Coal, Simi, Yemi Alade & BackRoad Gee, explores themes of self-love, sexuality, and empowerment through a prism of Afro-infused production and flourishes of the groovy 90’s nostalgia that connects with the listeners and evokes euphoria as she carries them through her journey. She leaves no stone unturned, speaking on self-love, breakups, broken friendships, and realized dreams.
