Uyi

Masthead Banner Made with MyBannerMaker.com! Click here to make your own!FROM PUNISHMENT TO PASSION: The Origins of Uyi a.k.a Original -------Growing up in the heart of Nigeria, Benin City, Edo state 25-year-old singer/songwriter Uyi Eguasa has always been surrounded by the sounds of music at an early age. Brought up in a home where his parents loved singing gospel and going to church, “I sometimes sat by the choir in church and wanted to be a part of it, but leaving for boarding school made that difficult to happen”. The influence of gospel music embedded itself into his mind and soul and laid the foundation of the phenomenon that is Original! “Music was always in my heart.” He was a big fan of music with big influences from African artists such as Fela, Majek Fashek, Victor Uwiafo, King Sunny Ade, Onyeka Onwenu and American artists Michael Jackson, R Kelly, Tupac, Notorious BIG, Jay Z, Puff Daddy, BoysIIMen, Barry White, Bob Marley, and many others. --------------------------------------------His transcendence from rejection to recognition of his gift began during his early childhood days. “My father always tried to make music as part of our lives. We were given piano lessons, an instrument I liked but I never took learning it seriously. Music was more of a chore because like most kids, playing with friends and watching their favorite TV shows were their favorite things to do.” Like most youth, Uyi did not take his lessons seriously and the benefits from learning the instrument weren’t a clear picture at a young age. While attending Igbinedion Education Center, a prestigious Nigerian boarding school, his talents were obvious to his peers. He would beat on the dining hall tables, his locker in his room with cutleries, and sing about whatever came to his mind with his friend Erharuyi. Often being called upon by senior classmates to sing and dance for them, this reminded Uyi of the piano lessons that his father required. “We sang about anything, a sort of freestyle. Once the seniors discovered that we could sing and dance, they would make us entertain them, which was more punishment! But once we started and saw the seniors cracking up and enjoying the performance, we had fun with it”. ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------- It wasn’t until Uyi moved to the United States in 1999, that he began to see music in a different way. He would sing to pass the time, staying with his Uncle in Chicago before he started South Suburban College, a two years institution. Scribbling his thoughts on to napkins and scrap pieces of paper and then tossing them into the trash became a norm. It wasn’t until his sister Eseosa, who he stayed with to finish up his Electrical Engineering degree at Purdue University, retrieved one of the many disregarded masterpieces that he even thought about keeping his lyrics. From that moment on he began keeping his songs in his high school graduation notebook. Having success with his first two singles “Come Ride with Me” and “So Hot So Fresh” selling close to a thousand copies made him realize the gift given to him by God. The thought of becoming a successful recording artist was starting to be a reality for the first time. This came with challenges since Uyi was brought up in a culture where education is how success is measured, not through talents, such as singing. So finding the right time, people and producers to work with as he continues his MBA in Finance at the University of Toledo was a challenge he has embraced in order to share his passion with the world. ------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------------------------------- Now with a unique personality, voice and undeniable passion, he is bringing the African (Motherland) sound with an American twist of R&B, Hip Hop and Soul to all his fans. The completion of Original’s first album is finally in the making working with the production team The Music Men (Banky W. and Tino) out of New York.“Motherland Sexy” is the first single to be released from this brilliant lineup of songs he wrote. The song is a masterpiece that you listen to and its brilliance can’t be ignored. “The one lesson that I have learned is that you can’t hide from your passion, its a gift inside of you and after so many years I have finally found mine and will follow my passion for music to wherever it takes me”. His first name in full “Uyioghosaoromwengbe” means the “Glory of God is upon me”, and he is ready to share that with the world. He says “My voice is a gift, my music is my passion and my upcoming album is sharing my gift with the world”. ------------------------------------------------------------ -----------------------------To leave comments, questions or to simply chat with the artist, Uyi may be contacted via email at [email protected] or through myspace.com/mruyi or subscribing to his blog "Uyi a.k.a Original" to express yourself
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