This week’s episode of #WithChude explored the professional and personal life of popular Nigerian singer-songwriter Deborah Oluwaseyi Joshua, popularly known as Seyi Shay. In this episode, she describes her journey into Nigeria’s music industry, relationship with music legend, Sound Sultan as well as viral fight with Tiwa Savage.

Highlighting her career growth in her discussion with the host, Chude Jideonwo, the singer spoke of how Sound Sultan played a vital role in her career.

“When I met Sound Sultan in 2011, 2012, it was in the recording studio of a producer called Doc Def. Sultan and I just instantly hit it off there and then. He asked me what I was doing with my career. I told him about my girl band, that we had just broken up. And he said, ‘you know what? I’m going to get you a deal. I’m going to get you an investor for you to come to Nigeria and do your music in Nigeria because afrobeat is really taking off. “ That is it oh”, she said.

Sound Sultan made good on his promise and linked her up with Cecil Hammond of Flytime Promotions, a big promotional company that hosts the biggest concerts in Nigeria. This move catapulted Seyi Shay’s career as a musician and gained her an impressive following.

Talking more about her career Seyi Shay disclosed that after attaining stardom she tried diversifying her sound but her fans did not approve of her deviation from the original sound they knew.

“I have spent years listening to my fans. They think I don’t listen to them but I do. I have spent years listening to what they want from me. I have heard the moans and groans of some real hardcore fans. And I have seen where they have been disappointed and what hurt them and what they look forward to and like to hear”, she said.

Seyi Shay retraced her steps and re-embraced the sound that made her fans fall in love with her in the first place which birthed a project so exceptional that it left even the singer-songwriter amazed. In her words, “I could have never come up with such genius last year. It’s like the old and the new me merged together. You know, soundwise, it’s probably what people really want to hear from me.”

Earlier this year, Seyi Shay had a viral fallout with fellow singer-songwriter Tiwa Savage. The fight was the climax of two years of bad blood and rifts, the most damaging being Seyi Shay’s remarks about Tiwa in her cover of Kizz Daniel’s hit song F**k You.

Seyi Shay revealed that the fight would have been devastating if she had not put in the work towards finding her centre and growing her career. In her words, “If I didn’t do all of that work, it would have been a very different outcome. If I had not spent a good couple of years, finding my centre, my peace, bringing myself up to a different vibration, praying and fasting, sitting my ass in the studio and pouring out my heart, trust me the outcome would have been very different.”

Though she tried reaching out to Tiwa after the fight, she didn’t get any positive feedback which she described as a shock to her.

Seyi Shay continues to keep her peace while making music her fans love. “When you have elevated and when you have set your vibrations high, no matter what comes your way there is always peace in your heart, in your mind and the bigger picture is always ahead of you”, she concluded.

Watch the video below:

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CU23lmvjZvH/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

#WithChude is a special series of targeted multimedia conversations and investigations focused on narratives that enable and strengthen the mind, heart, and spirit.

All past and new episodes of #WithChude premiere on Saturdays at 7 am on watch.withchude.com. You can also watch the show every Saturday on Channels TV at 1 pm, with reruns every Sunday on Wazobia TV Channel 98 at 5 pm, every Tuesday on Rave Tv at 5 pm, every Wednesday on Pop Central Station DSTV Channel 189 at 8 pm, and every Thursday on EbonyLife TV StarTimes Channel 189/191 at 7:30 pm.

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