onto the music scene in 2013. Known for his hit,
Bubugaga, 2kay has performed with artistes such as
May7ven and Moelogo.
In 2012, he started a charity event where he goes to
the waterside in Port Harcourt to give food stuff to
the elderly and school kits to the kids. He also
performs for free for the waterside community as his
way of giving back.
Our reporter, Michael Abimboye, sat down with him
for a rare chat.
PT: Who is Mr 2kay?
Mr. 2Kay: 2kay is a simple guy, sometimes stubborn.
He is loveable, friendly. I came about the name when
I started my music career but with Mr 2 Kool. After a
while, when I got signed to Grafton Records, I had to
change my name. So I changed it to 2k. You know 2k
is a popular word on the street which means 2,000.
So, it's like I'm here to stay forever like right now we
are in 2015, next year we go to 2016, so you will
always have my name on your lips.
PT: How did you get into music?
Mr. 2Kay: I had a rough upbringing. When I say
rough, I mean I wasn't born with a silver spoon, so I
had to make money for myself. I grew up with my
mum, and she was a petty trader at some point and
sometimes I had to leave school to help hawk on the
streets of Bonny Island. The only way I could keep
myself company was to sing. From there, I moved to
secondary school where I was in the children's choir
and was still singing to a few friends and people kept
saying you have a good voice. Then, I was singing
other people's songs but at a point in time I began to
write my own songs while I was at Community
Secondary School, Bonny. Some friends began to
encourage me to go to the studio to record and they
put money together to support me. So, that was the
beginning of it for me.
PT: What's your music genre?
Mr. 2Kay: Afro pop; so, I do everything that is
popular. I'm very versatile and I can do any kind of
music. So, you can't say I'm doing a particular kind of
music.
PT: You recently collaborated with Cynthia Morgan
and Seyi Shay on the remix of your song Bad Girl
Special. Why these artistes?
Mr. 2Kay: You are talking about rising powerful
female singers. You have Seyi Shay on the pop and
R&B side. Then you have Cynthia Morgan on the
reggae and pop as well and having these two
together is a great thing. Cynthia is my 'G,' very close
friend and Seyi Shay as well. We recorded the remix
at Square Ville (PSquare's mansion in Omole, Lagos)
and it was actually supposed to be Cynthia Morgan
and Eva but Eva wasn't actually forthcoming and I
couldn't wait, so I had to call Seyi Shay and she came
to my rescue. When I called her, I told her I need you.
Earlier, I was supposed to do a song with her in the
UK but it didn't work out. But when I sent her this
song, it was her kind of song and she jumped on it.
While recording with her, she was fun to be with and
she's an amazing person.
PT: What are you working on currently?
Mr. 2Kay: I'm working on a few things right now.
Working on the official release of Bad Girl remix in
the UK and working on more songs as I am thinking
of dropping an album this year, hopefully, and a
couple of shows in and outside Nigeria.
PT: What do we expect from your album?
Mr. 2Kay: Different genre of songs, songs that people
haven't heard and the ones they have heard but will
come as a bonus. And production, I'm working with
the guy that produced Timaya's Sanko. He actually
produced my first single back then in Port Harcourt.
PT: You are yet to collaborate with artistes from your
region, South South, like Timaya, Duncan Mighty;
why is that?
Mr. 2Kay: I have done a song with Duncan Mighty. I
have also done a song with Timaya but both songs
are not out yet. The song with Timaya is ready and we
are looking at shooting the video in the UK. We are
just waiting for the right time to push it out.
PT: Describe your relationship with your label.
Mr. 2Kay: Our relationship goes beyond business.
The label CEO is from my home town so it is more
like a father and son relationship. I call him my father
and I can't quit the label on a sad or bad note.
Obviously, I will leave some day, but I will remain
affiliated to the label
PT: How would you describe the Nigerian music
scene?
Mr. 2Kay: I feel the industry is growing rapidly and it
will surely get better in a matter of years. It wasn't
like this before so you know it has grown in the last
couple of years, particularly on the international
scene.
PT: If it wasn't music, what would you be doing?
Mr. 2Kay: I'm from Rivers State; from a town called
Bonny Island and I have actually worked with the
NLNG before so I know I will be somewhere in the oil
industry.
PT: From Port Harcourt to Lagos, how has the music
journey been so far?
Mr. 2Kay: It feels good to me if you ask me. It's been
two years now that I have moved to Lagos but not
really stable in Lagos because I have been shuttling
the UK, Lagos. It's not easy to be frank because I left
my comfort zone to another area where I'm trying to
get my ground and get myself together and I have
had to work. So far so good, I'm doing great.
PT: So far, you have not been involved in scandal
what's the secret?
Mr. 2Kay: I think it has to do with my upbringing and
my management also because they have been able to
actually train me to the way I react in public, talk.
When I got signed to Grafton, I went through
something called Grafton Academy in Port Harcourt.
It took like close to a year for me to go through that,
for them to actually work on my mindset because
from my background and where I was coming from,
you know, it's all violence and violence but I won't say
I'm a violent person. You know, in some areas
violence is the order of the day and you have to get
what you want by violence and sometimes not
violence.
Source: Premium Times
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