Omah Lay
Omah Lay | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Stanley Omah Didia |
| Born | May 19, 1997 Port Harcourt, Nigeria |
| Genres | Afrobeats |
| Years active | 2019–present |
| Labels | KeyQaad |
| Associated acts | |
Stanley Omah Didia (born May 19, 1997), known professionally as Omah Lay is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, and record producer. His debut single ‘You’ was released in 2020. He started off as a producer and songwriter in Port Harcourt and later made up his mind to take up singing too when he realized he didn’t get enough credit for the songs he helped create for others.[1] He then recorded and put out ‘Do Not Disturb’ and ‘Hello Brother’ in his hometown Port Harcourt [2] which earned him a record deal with KeyQaad—a new record label at the time.[3]
Early Life
Omah Lay was born in the city of Port Harcourt in Nigeria; he spent most of his teenage years at Marine Base[4]. Omah Lay is the grandson of the drummer of the late 70s Highlife sensation—Celestine Ukwu [5].
Career
Omah Lay started music as a teenager rapping in the streets of Marine Base as Lil King and later started learning how to produce music [6]. He made his mark first on the local music scene in early 2019 as a producer making a couple of records, but he thought he didn’t get the accolades and credit he deserved writing and producing those records; that was when he made up his mind to venture into singing.[7]. In 2019, he recorded and put out ‘Do Not Disturb’ and ‘Hello Brother’, and they both enjoyed airplay in his hometown radio stations [8]. He signed for the record label KeyQaad in July 2019 and left his hometown for the first time, moving to Lagos.
In January 2020, he teased his Instagram followers with a verse he had recorded; upon receiving positive feedback, he decided to make the song available for free as a teaser to his official single. The song was titled ‘Bad Influence’[9], which went on to garner millions of streams on Digital stores [10]. He then released his official single ‘You’ on February 14, 2020.[11] ‘You’ put him on some reputable lists of Freshmen to watch out for in 2020, like NotjustOk [12] and Native Mag [13]. The song got a mixed review from Pulse NG, who wrote that “the song lacked resonance,” though the same article went on to praise Omah Lay as a “master with everything associated with the song’s hook” [14].
On May 22, Omah Lay dropped his debut EP, which included the previously released ‘You’ and ‘Bad Influence’.[15]. The EP became the most streamed Afrobeat album on Digital stores like Audiomack [16], Deezer [17], and Apple Music [18] and went on to earn him Apple Music Favorite New Artiste of The Month of June in Africa [19]. On June 7, Omah Lay was interviewed on the then new Apple Music’s Africa Now Radio by Cuppy, where he spoke about the success of his new EP and music influences [20]. On Friday, July 3, he was picked as the debut star for Apple’s Africa Rising Campaign, which spotlights a talent in Africa and projects them all through the continent and internationally.
Artistry
Omah Lay describes his genre as ‘Afro Fusion’ and once had this to say about his music-making process: “I easily weave through Afro genres, but the vibe would always hit me first as Highlife. I guess it’s hugely due to my massive Highlife exposure growing up in a music family like mine.”[21]
Discography
EPs
Get Layd (2020)
- "Bad Influence"
- "Lo Lo"
- "You"
- "Damn"
- "Ye ye ye"
What Have We Done (2020)
- My Bebe
- Godly
- Damn (Remix) featuring 6lack
- Can't Relate
- Confession
Singles
- "Hello Brother" (2019)
- "Do Not Disturb" (2019)
As featured artiste
- "Tonight" (2020) by DJ Spinall
- Pami (2020) by DJ Tunez
- Infinity (2020) by Olamide
Controversy
In December 2020, Omah Lay alongside Tems was arrested in Uganda after performing in a show in the country. The Ugandan Police authority gave the reason for their arrest as that their show violated Covid-19 lockdown protocols. The artistes, on the other hand, felt they were set up.[22][23]
References
- ↑ Falola, Ifeoluwa. "Meet Omah Lay". Notjustok.
- ↑ Eggertson, Chris (July 2, 2020). "Apple Music Launches Africa Rising Artist Showcase with Debut Cover Star Omah Lay". Billboard.
- ↑ "Keyqaad's Omah Lay". Keyqaad. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Meet Omah Lay the brazen bad boy of Afrobeats". NaijaNewsAgency. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "NotjustOk Artiste Biography". NotjustOk.
- ↑ Eggertson, Chris. "Apple Music Launches Africa Rising Artist Showcase with Debut Cover Star Omah Lay". Billboard.
- ↑ Yire, Henry. ""I Don't Want To Be Pressured Into a Box" – Omah Lay". Tush Magazine. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
- ↑ Eggertson, Chris. "Apple music Africa rising artist showcase Omah lay". Billboard. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Apple Music Launches New Artist Discovery Program Africa Rising". Press Party.
- ↑ Courage, Onyema (June 3, 2020). "Wow! Omah Lay "Get Layd EP" is the number one Afrobeat album on audiomack". Novice2Star.
- ↑ Ade, Tomiwa (February 14, 2020). "Omah Lay - You". Tooxclusive. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Emmanuel, Esomnofu. "The 20 Artists To Watch In 2020". NotjustOk.
- ↑ "Fresh Meat: Best New Artistes of The Month (March)". Native. The Native Mag. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
- ↑ Alake, Motolani (February 19, 2020). "Omah Lay releases new single, 'You'". Pulse NG.
- ↑ Alake, Motolani (May 22, 2020). "Omah Lay releases new 5-track EP, 'Get Layd'". Pulse NG.
- ↑ Courage, Onyema (June 3, 2020). "Wow! Omah Lay "Get Layd EP" is the number one Afrobeat album on audiomack". Novice2Star.
- ↑ "Omah Lay Breaks Record, Bags The Most Streamed Artist On Deezer Nigeria". Novice2Star. June 1, 2020.
- ↑ Eggertson, Chris (July 2, 2020). "Apple Music Launches Africa Rising Artist Showcase with Debut Cover Star Omah Lay". Billboard.
- ↑ "Omah lay Apple favorite new artiste of the month". June 3, 2020. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Scaro, VJ (June 6, 2020). "Omah Lay joins Apple Music's Africa Now Radio With Cuppy This Sunday". Ameyaw Debrah.
- ↑ "Omah Lay Shines In 'You' Video". Accelerate TV. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
- ↑ https://www.bbc.com/pidgin/tori-55265376
- ↑ https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/12/nigerian-star-omah-lay-arrested-after-uganda-gig/
Reduced the peacock language (as instructed by a reviewer)
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