I have never dated a Nigerian –Yemisi Odegbami

Popularly known as May7even, Yemisi Odegbami is the first child of football legend, Segun Odegbami. She tells Saturday Beats about her music career.

How did you get the stage name May7even?

I gave myself the stage name May7even because it is my birthday and the most special day in my life. Number 7 was my father, Segun Odegbami’s jersey number and when my mother conceived me; my father hoped that I would be born on the seventh. Ironically, my younger sister was born on the seventh as well. It is just a special number in my family. It is a lucky number, a holy number that is next to God. It is a number of perfection and when I was choosing my stage name, I wanted everybody to remember my birthday and celebrate with me all over the world till the day I die.

Your father is a legendary footballer and you decided to make music your career, how did your father take the news?

I have always been passionate about music since I was about three years old, I think they knew I would do music but hoped I would opt for something else. They knew I had the talent but did not believe I would make it a career till I shot my first music video. They saw the video and were very impressed. I shot another video and that was when my father knew that it was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Since then, my father has been my number one fan and my mother has always been my supporter.

What other challenges did you face?

My parents wanted me to go to school which I wanted but I did not want to study something that I would not use as a career. I studied Building Surveying and Architecture and I did not really want to become one as I grew older. I also faced some financial challenges because I was living in London with my mother who was raising three of us as my father is always based in Nigeria. There was a time we were having some troubles in our family and we were not communicating as well as we are now and that kept me in a situation where I did not have money so I had to train myself through school.

At what point did you infuse afrobeat into your sound?

I came to Nigeria in 2006 and met with a young man called Wale Akinboboye. He has a cultural group. He is a creative genius and I started training with his group for about a year, dancing from 6am till about 6pm. It was strictly traditional dance. It made me fall in love the more with our culture. When I got back to the UK, anytime I performed on stage I would wear big African beads and walk on bare feet, something that was strange to them. I looked like an R ‘n’ B singer but everything else about me was different and unique. I began to listen to Fela a lot. In 2009 I released a song, ‘Bo aso lara mi’. I decided to release the song like a bombshell. I knew it would get people’s attention and it would cause a stir. I spent over £30,000 for the video and as at then I was an architect. I made sure I had good jobs so that I could have money to chase my dreams.

I learnt you said you influenced the likes of Tiwa Savage and Waje?

I did not say that, I don’t even know Waje. I was asked if I was threatened by them and I asked why I should be. There is enough room for everybody and I know when I started. When I started, there was no template for me to follow but I can say there was a template for Tiwa because she is my friend. We were in school together in London and we have been singing together but she stopped singing to go and write. She came to London and told me that she wanted to go back to music and come back to Nigeria. I advised her that she would be successful if she stayed back fully in Nigeria. I told her if she didn’t stay back like I didn’t, she would be on and off in the music scene in Nigeria. She came to Nigeria and shot the video for ‘Kele Kele Love’ just to test the waters. She then came to meet me in my house in London to show me the video. That was how I explained it but they said I said I influenced her.

Are you in a relationship?

I am not married so I am single. I don’t have a lover right now. I was seeing somebody but my move to Nigeria affected the relationship a lot. I am an old school lady who believes in marriage so if that is not in the picture then it is a no go area for me. I don’t see the point in getting into a relationship with somebody if there is no intention to potentially get married to the person.

Was it a situation whereby you had to choose between moving to Nigeria to pursue your career and your love life?

No, things just became difficult because of the long distance but I still love him a lot.

So if someone walks up to you here in Nigeria, are you open for a relationship?

Who knows, anything can happen but I have never dated a Nigerian in my life. It just never happened, I got into my first relationship when I was 15 years old and we were together until I met my last boyfriend who is from Ghana. My father wants me to date a Nigerian.

How does your father feel now that you have moved to Nigeria?

That is all he ever wanted, he is so happy about it. He has been asking me to come for over 15 years and now that I am here, he is very happy.