From the pedals of a piano to the studio – CKay has emerged from Nigeria and is gaining global applause.
Born Chukwuka Ekweani, CKay was raised with a musical background. He learned piano from his father, who was also a choirmaster at the church they attended. The singer-songwriter then progressed as a young musician when he formed Cre8tive Music with friends. The band would then go on to perform in and around Kaduna, Nigeria. CKay then left home for Lagos – which was not an easy decision, “my parents… never really saw music as a very stable career. I had to make the decision to either chase my dreams or regret them and spend the rest of my life thinking ‘what if’’, says CKay.
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Breaking out the ‘Container’
In Lagos, the young musician made ends meet as a producer. His big break came when he signed to the Chocolate City record label. Under it, he released his first single ‘Nkechi Turn Up’ in 2016 followed by the EP #WTFiCKay in 2017.
It wasn’t until the release of the dance tune ‘Container’ in 2018, that he would gain the attention of musicians and fans alike, “Container was not even a sound. I’ve always been making love songs from the time, that was the music that got me signed in the first place… I think Container was an attempt to experiment. ‘Cos I like to try stuff out in the studio depending on my mood and I made that song; I was not even trying to make a song I was just having fun… I wasn’t really singing, I was just vibing but it dropped and was such a huge record. I mean, it’s so crazy cos the song didn’t have the craziest marketing, just love on the streets,” the star says.
The power of ‘Love Nwantiti’
Love Nwantiti was first released in 2019. It then gained popularity on Tik Tok, where users included the beats in their videos. However, due to its popularity, people began claiming the song as their own. CKay took to the platform and uploaded an acoustic version of the hit, “… certain countries enjoyed the music a little too much and started to claim it was theirs. I appreciate the love, but, yeah, I had to go on TikTok again and set things straight”, said CKay.
Love Nwantiti has been popular worldwide – from Morocco to Portugal. It dominated streaming charts, becoming one of Spotify’s Global Viral 100. The popular has also brought exposure to African talent, garnering 956 million streams across platforms.
An emotional trajectory
CKay says that music helps him to express himself. He says that music and love guides him in discovering parts of himself. His upbringing and the leap of faith he took to follow his dreams – have paid off. CKay is set to release his debut album on September 23. The album is set to encompass his ’emotional trajectory’. Following its release, CKay will head to US and Europe on October 1.
Ckay is set to continue making new, amazing music for fans, both old and news, across the globe.
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