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| Fred Okri |
Fred Okri, son of popular artiste, Mike
Okri, tells ‘Nonye Ben-Nwankwo why he got into music and why he is also
known as Young Okri
Why did you choose Young Okiri as your stage name?
I have been answering that name since I
was in school. It didn’t have anything to do with my father. It wasn’t
because I wanted people to identify me as Mike Okiri’s son. It was just a
name I chose for myself and it has come to stay.
How far did you go in school?
I finished my university degree. I
studied Business Administration at the Ogun State University. But I am
fully into music now. I am going to drop my singles later in the year. I
want to do a remix with Tuface on one of my songs titled My Lover. I chose Tuface because he is the right person suitable for the song.
Some people might think you got into music because of your father.
No, it wasn’t because of that. I have
been singing for a long time but I decided to leave it and go back to
school. I have been in entertainment for so many years. I am into movies
as well.
But your face is not popular on TV.
No, I am not an actor but an editor. I have been editing Nigerian movies for a long time. I edited Child and Sibling, Love Line and so many other movies.
So how do you combine the movies and music?
I have a studio and I have people that work for me. I just focus more on my music than movies.
Music industry in Nigeria is already saturated with talented artistes, how do you hope to penetrate?
I am coming out with singles that would
sweep everybody off their feet. More so, my CD is triangular, it is
different from the regular CD we have. I just want to change the face of
music in Nigeria. My Lover is reggae dancehall music and I tell you, it
is a great song.
Have you thought of collaborating with your father?
Oh yes, we have thought of that but it
can’t be now, maybe in future. Even though he is my father, I wouldn’t
want to ride on his shoulders. Known artistes have been doing stuffs
with their children but I really want to do my own thing, at least for
now. I want to come out under my shadow before any other thing.
But your father’s name must have opened one or two doors for you…
His name has opened doors not only for
me but for the entire family. But I cannot always depend on his name
alone, I want to carve my own niche and make my name as well just as my
father did.
How did you become a singer?
I actually worked for my father. I was
his co manager and I did most of his rehearsals arrangement and PR
stuffs. But when he came back from the US finally, he told me that I
should be his manager fully and I agreed but I reminded him that I also
wanted to pursue my musical career and he said it was okay with him.
Why weren’t you with your father all the time he was in the US?
I was there for some time but I would
always come back because of the things I was doing here. It wouldn’t be
proper for me to leave my work and stay in the US. Even at that, I
prefer staying in Nigeria than in the US.
Don’t you want to work with your certificate?
Your purpose in life is really what
matters most and not because of the course you studied. Your talent
should speak for you. I discovered that I have the talent for music. I
discovered that I have the talent to manage people. I also discovered
that I could edit movies so I have to put these talents into good use.
Even before now, I was a back-up singer for some artistes. I am not in
music because of my father, it is just because I can sing and I want my
talent to put food on the table for me.
Were there times you didn’t like the fact that your father was a musician?
No, I liked what he was doing. In fact, I was in all his music videos. He featured me in Rhumba Dance and all the videos.
But music could have taken him away from home most times, did you like the fact that he was always not at home?
I was so excited that my father was
going places. It was what everybody wished for. My father was popular.
Even at that, my mother loved what my father was doing. She is a very
understanding person. I look at her and I pray to God to give me
somebody like her. She doesn’t listen to gossip and she is a very
patient woman. She understood that my father needed to work in order to
put food on the table. As for me, I am not always at home as well. I go
from one place to the other all the time.
Does your girlfriend understand that you have to be out of the house all the time?
I just broke up with my girlfriend. I don’t have anybody now.
So why did you break up with her?
She didn’t understand that this is my
business. She wanted me to be around her at all times. She said I am too
busy for her and wouldn’t want somebody like me to be her man. So we
had to move on. I am single for now. I want to watch for a while before I
know what to do. The girls of our generation are not the same as those
of the old generation. I have to wait a little while before I consider
what to do.
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