-Premieres Obianuju video
Last year, he released his debut nine-tracker entitled, Anywhere Belle Face, which won him critical reviews. Last weekend, the urban Afropop act known as Selassie (Richie Okonkwo) premiered the visuals for the lead single, Obianuju off the album at Ceci Plaza, Satellite Town, Lagos.
The event, which featured a couple of artistes including Baba Dee of Naija Ninja fame, witnessed the act performing songs from the album. Speaking on the occasion, Selassie said: “We are here to premiere the first video from my album, Obianuju. We hit Youtube on March 12 and we are hitting TV stations shortly. I decided to do a love song for my female fans that have been supportive to my career. I always tell my fellow musicians that, as a musician, without women you are nobody. Women are our biggest fans. I am releasing it to showcase my love for my female fans, so it is a song that comes from the heart. I have been getting very positive reviews since the trailer hit the Internet two weeks ago.”
Commenting on his challenges as a singer, Selassie stated: “It’s been wonderful. I hear people sing my songs word for word and I am blown away! However, there are challenges. The biggest problem is the total lack of structures. Electricity supply is epileptic. Recording music is stress. At a point, I had to put the entire project on hold. Sometimes it could be nightmarish.
“And then there is the issue of money. I am lucky I have patrons who have been throwing their weights behind me. Getting support as an up and coming artiste is not really easy. Distribution opportunities are also lacking. You have a great song but getting it out there is a massive challenge, and sadly, in Nigeria, many of our bank cards are not accepted, so you can’t sell your music on iTunes and that means you can’t get money for your works; so you have to rely on shows only.”