I have moved from being a nobody to being somebody – Roy, 1st Runner-Up Of MTN Project Fame

Roy Egekwu is the first runner up in the just concluded MTN Project Fame season 4 competition. He is a graduate of University of Benin, popularly known as UNIBEN. He studied Education Economics  and Statistics and graduated in 2007. Before the competition, he worked at Mega plaza in a Communication Company called Moon Walker at the Lagos Island as a Customer Service official.

In this interview with FLORENCE AMAGIYA, Roy talks about his experience in Project Fame season 4 and his life today and his rise to fame.

Excerpts

Well, I didn’t feel bad  losing the big prize to Monica although we all went there to win. Monica is a fantastic singer. She is a wonderful person and singer and l respect her a lot.

Project Fame season 4 had the best singers in the history of MTN Project Fame. Actually, everybody on that team was fantastic and I think it was very hard for the judges and the voters to even pick the winners. I give it to Monica because she deserves it.

People screaming my name on the streets

Let me be honest, it is a new experience no doubt and it has a positive and negative impact on me. The fact remains that I feel appreciated by these people for who I am, for being myself. There is a positive angle to it, which is the fact that l am known and I have fame.

It is a good thing because God would use it to open new doors. But it is also a burden because I am forced to be the best I can be because everybody is watching me and I am forced to sustain it. I do not wish to fail the people that believe in me. It feels like there’s a search light on me and it is scary because everybody wants you to be different.

My supporters

When I came back after the competition, I learnt about what my family did. My neighbours and friends, even well wishers supported me. My father was always there to watch me sing.

My family went to church,  market places, Orientation camps, the road sides and any where they possible could go to and people I didn’t  even know came out in mass to welcome me home. I felt overwhelmed. Yes! Someone out there believed in me and voted for me. I like to use this opportunity to say thank you.

Being the last man standing

To be honest, it actually affected me negatively because I felt l was representing men in general and I needed to prove a point to the women. I didn’t enjoy myself while doing that, no wonder I lost at a time and I faced probation.

The pressure was too tight; there was practically no air for me to take in. When I went on probation for the song l did, I knew l had to forget about being the only man among women and to forget about proving to the women that I am the man because it didn’t help me. I learnt to be myself again. I learnt to enjoy the music, to enjoy my performance like l was doing before.

Coping with the women

I did not have a preference, which means  l took all of them as my sisters. None was more special than the other to me. I think it saved me a lot of stress and pressure.

The African Child

I wrote that song because I believe in the African child. I am going back to the studio no doubt to finish it; it is part of my album song. The African child has a voice that needs to be heard and I am one of these children. I will be speaking on behalf of the African child as I sing my songs in future.

My background

I am an Ibo guy from Abia state, but l was born in Lagos.

I am a graduate; I finished from the University of Benin, UNIBEN. I studied Education Economics and Statistics. I left school in 2007.

Life before Project Fame season4?

I was working at Mega Plaza in Lagos Island in a company called Moon Walker, Moon Walker is a communication firm and l was their customer service official.

My likes and dislikes

I love good food,probably intercontinental or even local delicacies. I am a good dresser, someone you cannot catch shabbily dressed.

I went to a good primary school and like l said, l wasn’t born in my home town. I was born in Lagos.

I speak a little Yoruba because we do not have an all Yoruba team in my neighbourhood. We have different ethnic groups. So we speak Pidgin English, the Igbo language and any other language one can pick up as we were growing up.

My kind of songs

My style of music is versatile. I do not want to have a fixed pattern. I think when you have a fixed pattern, it boxes you up and l hate being boxed up. I want to do R&B today and do a contemporary tomorrow or  blues the next day just as Tuface is doing.

He doesn’t have a particular style of singing, but he is one of our best.  Singing one genre of music puts you in a box and l don’t want to be boxed up. It makes singing and writing songs boring. I believe my fans should be surprised at whatever l give to them. They should expect the un-expectable from me.

My dad and I

Well, I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and I was also brought up from a very good Christian home. My parents are fantastic people and l was affected by their lifestyle even while growing up. It is a surprise that l am just like them. Jesus is awesome in my life and l will show it even through my music.

Sing gospel songs?

No, my songs would be about love in a genuine way.  Love, because love is God and God is love. I am not talking about love in the sense of being naked and all that or having half nude women in my videos. It is going to be about the genuine love from a lover to his loved one and vise versa.

It is going to be how love is supposed to be expressed.  You can only give it when you have it and if I have Christ the author of love in my life, I should by God’s grace be able to express HIS genuine love for people in my songs and music.

Growing up

I grew up in a normal environment and normal home except that my parents are Christians and it rubbed off on me as you can see. My music would be a music for the society, for the church, for the youths and even for the children. I want a child to tell the parents that he wishes to be like me when he grows up.

Music is a major influence on our children and the right music counts. If all that we sing is affecting these children positively, then we wouldn’t have to worry about the next generation because the generation is built today. A child grows up by the amount of nutritious food that he is given to take in. So my music would be in that line of grooming tomorrow’s people today.

Project Fame and the youths

I think it gives the youths a sense of belonging, a sense of trying to be what they have always dreamed of becoming. It gives the youths the platform to be seen and heard by the right persons and crowd.

It gives the youth the push he needs because some of us go into these reality shows/ competitions without good names, without being known and without having a thought of where the next meal is coming from and all of a sudden ,you are discovered and you are somebody.

I came out of the competition and met someone who told me l challenged him. If l was already feeling bad of not coming out the first, that alone would have healed me. It sure made my day.