We’ll never break up – Shiikane

Weekend Magazine: Can you tell us how your band came about?Shiikane: We are sisters from Delta State, Asaba, Umuagu Quarters. Shay and Annamay are twins and Kay is our baby sister. We have always been creative from  young age. I and Annamay started singing together then our mom suggested Kay joins the band too. Though […]

Weekend Magazine: Can you tell us how your band came about?
Shiikane: We are sisters from Delta State, Asaba, Umuagu Quarters. Shay and Annamay are twins and Kay is our baby sister. We have always been creative from  young age. I and Annamay started singing together then our mom suggested Kay joins the band too. Though our mother was only concerned that we complete our studies, she always supported our choice to do music even whilst still in school. Once we finished she gave us her full blessing.
WM: You are Nigerians but started your band in the UK. Tell us about this?
Kay: We were born and raised in London but started coming back to Nigeria after our mother died in 2008. Her sudden death at 52 made us want to be closer to our roots. So we started coming home more often and we are planning to relocate this year.
WM: What are the challenges you face as a band in the UK and here in Nigeria?
Kay: In the UK the afro-beat scene is growing but it is not as big as it is in Africa. There are plenty challenges in the UK because the scene is not yet mature. The main challenge is Black music in UK doesn’t have its own platform. Even R & B music doesn’t get the same respect or attention as pop music talkless of afro-beat. This is the main reason we decided to focus on our home, Nigeria. In Nigeria we have faced a few challenges. The main one is faced by all the females in the industry and that is it’s male-dominated. The ladies are outnumbered. In any major event it’s rare to see females on line-up, maybe Tiwa, Yemi Alade and Seyi Shay and the other 20 acts will be men. So, it can be a bit of a struggle as a female to be taken seriously, but as time goes on things are changing and more and more females are coming up.
WM: How did you come up with the curious name, Shiikane?
Kay: The name came up as an amalgamation of our names. Shay, Kay and Annamay. We use two ‘Is’ to spell SHiiKANE to represent the physical and spiritual eye. It’s important to go through life you know there is also a spiritual side to everything.
WM:  As a band how would you define your sound or kind of music?
Kay: We don’t really define our sound. We are multi-talented and we are inspired by many genres. Our music is multi-faceted and has influences like reggae, pop, rock and afro-beat.
WM: Who are your musical influences in Europe and Nigeria?
Kay: We are not really influenced by European music except Coldplay and the Beatles. Rather, we are influenced by African and particularly Nigerian artistes. In Nigeria we are influenced by most artistes. But right now we’d say Waje, Tiwa, Omowunmi, Wizkid, Phyno and precisely D’ija. We love the old school too like Chief Steven Osita Osadebe and Fela.
WM: You are on tour at the moment, how is that going?
Kay: It is going very well. Nigeria has been very receptive and has embraced us. The music scene is very vibrant here and we have been blessed to perform on stages alongside many artistes we admire. Nigeria has potentials when it comes to music and so we are glad we came here.
WM: Who writes the songs, is it a collective or individual thing?
Kay: We write our songs collectively. Usually, one of us has an idea and we come together and build on it. It is not always a smooth process because we don’t always agree. But at the end of the day we have to do what is necessary for the good of ourselves and our music.
WM: Where do you get inspiration for the lyrics?
Kay: We are inspired by true life events, relationships and hardships. But sometimes our songs are just feel good party songs to make people dance, dance and dance and forget their worries.
WM: What exactly are your recording plans for the near future?
Kay: We are currently working on some big collaborations with Nigerian and South African artistes. We are excited about 2015. It is going to be a year for Nigerian musicians.  Our last single ‘SABI’ featured the amazing Oritse Femi, which was a huge blessing and success. We have lots more collaborations planned for 2015 which we cannot divulge the details yet, but we are very excited about the Nigerian collaborations Shiikane have in store.
WM: Most bands don’t seem to last long in the music industry as the members all go solo. How optimistic are you about remaining as a group?
Kay: We are sisters and have a strong bond. We are stronger united and we know that. The problem with a lot of bands is they allow ego to get in the way or they allow one member to be in front and lead. We decided a long time ago that we won’t do that. We each have our strong points and equally bring something important to the group. Blood is thicker than water so we will stick together no matter what.
WM: One of Rihanna’s video directors worked on yours as well…
Kay: It was a great experience and huge learning curve to work with such an experienced director on our first music video for the single ‘Baboon dey chop.’ We flew to LA for the video shoot and spent two days on the project.
WM: You recently visited Nigeria. What did you enjoy most while here?
Kay: We spent 50 per cent of our time in Nigeria building our brand as Nigerian artistes; by July 2015 we will be moving permanently in Nigeria. We enjoyed the food and the hustling mindset of our fellow Nigerians; it is very inspiring and makes us work harder.