‘Ashawo’ singer burns up Africa
SAWA, sawa, sawa le le…’ You have no doubt heard those lyrics playing in town. They come from a Nigerian song that has taken over our airwaves.
By Joseph Ssemutooke
SAWA, sawa, sawa le le…’ You have no doubt heard those lyrics playing in town. They come from a Nigerian song that has taken over our airwaves.
The voice on the song whose real title is Nwa Baby Ashawo is known by the moniker Flavour Nabania. Nwa Baby, it turns out, is a new version of an old school Nigerian tune called Sawa Sawa Le originally done by Rex Lawson (1930 — 1971).
Flavour dropped the album that introduced him and immediately endeared him to the Nigerian audience in late 2008, and it is off that album (Nabania) that comes Nwa Baby.
Ironically, the song first conquered the airwaves in Ghana for about five months before it took over Nigeria.
In January, he inked a lucrative record deal with BadBeats, a US-based Nigerian entertainment company and subsidiary of Def Jam music (the company being the same that took to the US Nigerian singers like P-Square and 2face). Under Badbeats, he early this year shot two videos, My Woman Is Gone and Nwa Baby.
However, last month, Flava cancelled his deal with Badbeats, saying the company was exploiting him.
Born Chinedu Okoli, Flavour began his musical journey in 2002 when he was barely 19.
He joined a band in his home state of Enugu (in eastern Nigeria) as a drummer and went on to become a keyboardist. In 2004, he formed his own band and in no time he had become a household name in Enugu and environs.
Back home his music is known for often coming heavy on vulgarity. In fact Nwa Baby was banned on NBC on grounds of being immoral, with its last phrases being cut out by some radio stations in Nigeria.
Flavour writes all his songs, and he is also a producer.
SAWA, sawa, sawa le le…’ You have no doubt heard those lyrics playing in town. They come from a Nigerian song that has taken over our airwaves.
The voice on the song whose real title is Nwa Baby Ashawo is known by the moniker Flavour Nabania. Nwa Baby, it turns out, is a new version of an old school Nigerian tune called Sawa Sawa Le originally done by Rex Lawson (1930 — 1971).
Flavour dropped the album that introduced him and immediately endeared him to the Nigerian audience in late 2008, and it is off that album (Nabania) that comes Nwa Baby.
Ironically, the song first conquered the airwaves in Ghana for about five months before it took over Nigeria.
In January, he inked a lucrative record deal with BadBeats, a US-based Nigerian entertainment company and subsidiary of Def Jam music (the company being the same that took to the US Nigerian singers like P-Square and 2face). Under Badbeats, he early this year shot two videos, My Woman Is Gone and Nwa Baby.
However, last month, Flava cancelled his deal with Badbeats, saying the company was exploiting him.
Born Chinedu Okoli, Flavour began his musical journey in 2002 when he was barely 19.
He joined a band in his home state of Enugu (in eastern Nigeria) as a drummer and went on to become a keyboardist. In 2004, he formed his own band and in no time he had become a household name in Enugu and environs.
Back home his music is known for often coming heavy on vulgarity. In fact Nwa Baby was banned on NBC on grounds of being immoral, with its last phrases being cut out by some radio stations in Nigeria.
Flavour writes all his songs, and he is also a producer.