Ragga concept, my ticket to limelight – Dumebi

Born and bred in Lagos, Dumebi Nkechi Nwafor’s stage name is simply ‘Dumebi.’ The upcoming sensation in the music industry, is known for her songs ‘Selense’, ‘Kill Me Die’, and her latest collaboration with VTEK, titled, ‘Wassup.’ In this interview she talks about how she uses ‘Patois’ to distinguish herself, how she started singing and […]

Born and bred in Lagos, Dumebi Nkechi Nwafor’s stage name is simply ‘Dumebi.’ The upcoming sensation in the music industry, is known for her songs ‘Selense’, ‘Kill Me Die’, and her latest collaboration with VTEK, titled, ‘Wassup.’ In this interview she talks about how she uses ‘Patois’ to distinguish herself, how she started singing and more: Excerpts:    
Weekend Magazine: How did you start singing?
Dumebi Nkechi Nwafor: I have always had the passion for music, coupled with the fact that my mum was a music teacher. I joined the choir at the young age of eight, from then on the passion for singing grew and my mum encouraged me. When I was in Senior Secondary School in 2005, I started writing my own songs.
WM: Do you remember that first song?
Nwafor: I unfortunately didn’t get to record it. My knowledge of music then was still limited, and the songs were not suitable for recording. Then I listened to more of Whitney Houston and Maria Carey and wrote mine around their style of music. When I started recording after my university, I had to redefine my music. As much as I wanted to do music I also saw the importance of going to school and getting a degree, so after my National Youth Service in 2011 I recorded my first song titled ‘Selense,’ then ‘Filemi’ and ‘Kill Me Die’ in 2013.
WM: What inspired ‘Selense’?
Nwafor: The word ‘Selense’ is an eastern slang for ‘shakara’ (or swag), especially when a guy is wooing a girl. I remember then that my mum used to tease me about having too much ‘shakara.’ After I developed my style of music, I came up with ‘Selense’ because I realized that was the kind of music that would work here and decided to sing in a way Nigerians could relate with.
WM: What influenced your style of music?
Nwafor: I am versatile and can do any kind of music. Although there are some genres of music I have not tried to do before. But it’s all about having raw talent and channelling it into the genre of music you like. I don’t want to box myself. I am all about making music that people can relate with, talking about what people understand and experience. Also, songs that will make people move their bodies and forget their sorrow. This can translate to dancehall, pop, or patois, a recent genre I started doing and people think it is something really rough. ‘Kill Me Die’ is one of such songs that have a South African feel. When I wrote the song, I wanted it to be Rhythms and Blues, but when I got to the studio and met with the producer to record it, he asked me to play my previous songs. After he listened to them, he advised that instead of me switching from a fast song to something really slow, I should do something that would fall in-between, and that although it is nice as a slow song, it still has this feel that people can snap their fingers to. So that was how we changed it to a song that was a bit faster and more upbeat. People really like it because it has this old school feel and is unique. That was a milestone for me, especially because I was rated as one of the musicians to watch out for, something that upcoming musicians don’t easily get.
WM: How many producers have you worked with?
Nwafor: I have worked with four producers on five songs, some of which are not out yet. The thing with music is finding someone who understands you as an artist and your kind of music. VTEK is my latest producer.
WM: You recently did a collaboration, ‘Wassup,’ with VTEK, how did that come about?
Nwafor: I collaborated with him in a song I classify as patois. My journey right now is about discovering myself. I never knew I could do patois. It was something I picked interest in, I did it because I wanted something unique and it came out well. I have dedicated myself and put all my energy into my career as an artist and my style of music, and that was what I did with patois. Patois is unique, not very common here in Nigeria and is appreciated worldwide. I can perform in different nations because it is a style of music that cuts across all tribes, countries and continents. It makes my music more diverse, although I am still not restricting myself to reggae or patois. But basically when you hear me sing it will be a blend of patois and hip hop.
WM: What other collaborations do you look forward to?
Nwafor: I would love to collaborate with Lady Patra and Shabba Ranks, two great raggae legends, including Rihanna. If Whitney Houston was still here, she would be at the top of that list. Rihanna too would be somewhere there. Here in Nigeria, there are a whole lot of awesome artistes out there.
WM: You have not released an album yet. Do you have any in the pipeline?
Nwafor:  I have songs that haven’t been released yet, I just got signed last year, so my project has officially begun, and gradually my singles will be released before an album. My songs might come out this year, but a video of one of them will definitely be released.
WM: What influences your lyrics?
Nwafor: I get inspiration from basically anything. In ‘Wassup,’ it was a man working up to a girl and trying to woo her. People sing about anything, the subject matter is what is common and something that people can relate with – so I can sing about love, the vision of the country, or something that sends a message to people. Songs are inspired by different things, it could be a past experience or because you want to make people dance.
WM: What challenges have you faced so far in the industry?
Dumebi: It has its challenges. One that’s peculiar to everyone is, its financial demands. A lot has to be invested in, from studio sessions to video shoots, promotions, publicity, even down to performing free at shows and events. You only begin to get your money back after you have achieved a certain level of success and popularity, so it’s almost a gamble because you spend hoping to get it back in the long run. Another, particularly faced by females in the industry is, when people get too judgmental and critical about us. A very popular belief is that women in entertainment are loose or have low moral standards, which is very untrue because being a female artiste doesn’t make you irresponsible. However, more people are beginning to understand this.
WM: Where do you see yourself in the near future?
Dumebi: I see myself touring the world, winning awards, having international collaborations and owning my music label.