After he won the Big Brother Naija, BBNaija, season 2 in 2017, Michael Efe Ejeba, popularly known as Efe Money, delved into music.
Though many doubted his talent in music, Efe didn’t give up, as he continued chasing his dream in music…CLICK TO READ THE FULL NEWS HERE▶▶
Today, his resilience and hard work has paid off, having been making waves beyond the shores of this country as one of the rising Afrobeats stars. In this engaging encounter, he reflects on his musical journey and why he created “Une Bounce” , which is a fusion of Urhobo traditional sounds and Afrobeat in his new EP.
My Musical Journey.
How I gradually made in-road into the Nigerian music space after people had earlier doubted my talent in music was to just stay consistent in doing what I know how to do best, which is to make music and ignore all the naysayers.
Inspiration To Make Smash Hits
I developed more interest in my culture as I grew older and it led me to be inspired by the rich sound and melodies of my people, the Urhobo.
Growing up, my dad used to play some Urhobo traditional music on cassettes and CDs at home. Now that I’m grown up and attending weddings, burials and other social functions in my hometown, I felt a sense of nostalgia listening to those local sounds. It dawned on me to question why this unique and rich sound wasn’t on the global stage. So I decided to fuse it with contemporary sounds and share it with the world.
Why I introduced ‘Une Bounce’
The reason for creating this sound I call “Une Bounce” is to introduce the world to the rich traditional music of Urhobo people that has been under the radar for a long time. Another reason is to bridge the social gap between the young and the old Urhobo people through music.
How People Are Receiving This Brand Of Music.
The reception has been amazing since I dropped the first single “Money Talk” in October 2023. I got calls and videos of people vibing and dancing to the song from all over the world. It inspired me to drop an EP of five tracks to further explore the sound which I titled “Une Bounce.”
Urhobo singers are embracing the genre and I’m excited about it because a lot still needs to be done to take Urhobo music to the next level but I can not do it alone.
Releasing My Debut Album In 2024.
Unfortunately, my team and I have decided to move the release of my debut album to 2025. This is due to circumstances beyond our control.
Collaborating With Some A-list Artistes Lately
There are more to come, keep your fingers crossed. Shout out to Vector for featuring me on “No Apologies”. That was a smash hit in the rap industry. My music is gaining global acceptance.
Fusion of Urhobo, Hausa and English In My Next Projects
This is because music is an expression of myself and my life experience. Growing up in Jos influenced me a lot. Being Urhobo also shaped my personality.
My Greatest Challenges
I’ve always been into full time music since 2010 when I first stepped into a studio and I’ve not stopped or taken a break. As an independent artist, the greatest challenge is finance because music is capital intensive and more budget is needed for promotion and marketing in this day and age.
Music Acts I Would Like To Work With
Quite a lot, but I’ll prefer not to mention their names. Shout out to King Enakpodia for taking the hook in Money Talk, Otacha and Solo Kings for being part of the Une Bounce EP… CLICK TO READ THE FULL NEWS HERE▶▶
[Vanguard]
