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ARTIST SPOTLIGHT— BIKEY
The superbly original Bikey will astound you with his originality. But this uniqueness is unique in its own right, in that Bikey not only embraces his individuality as an artist, but he is equipped with the raw talent to back it up. Born in Lagos, Nigeria, he migrated to the United States in 2001 for studies and has since stayed and rebuilt his career here. Fast forward to 2009 when Bikey remixed " Brooklyn We Go Hard " by Jay-Z and made it " Cleveland We Go Hard " alongside " Dapper AJ ". He also remixed " Heartless " by Kanye West but included a reggae twist that was an instant local hit. Bikey was back.
Bikey recently released a few tracks including Dancing Girl( perfect club hit minus the cheese factor) and Antigravity, a track that highlights Bikey’ s deep vocals beautifully.
I had the opportunity to speak with Bikey this week, here’ s what he shared.
You have such a distinctive voice, sound and style! I love it!! Is this a quality you were striving for or did it naturally happen?
I would have to say it is natural. I have a deep thunderous voice that is very unique and I am blessed to have such a gift. I remember when I was a young boy trying to sing like Michael Jackson and a couple of other cool RnB singers. My sister, Nneka used to tell me to sing with my own voice and stop trying to sound like somebody else. I never forgot that, and after that I would sing along to music in my own range as opposed to the pitch the artist sang. I was slowly developing my skills and it really helped me a lot when I started writing professionally. I was able to carve my
own identity. My Dad also has a deep voice and I definitely got it from him.
What artists inspired you when you were in Nigeria? Did you also create music there? What artists inspire you now that you’ re in the U. S.?
When I was in Nigeria I was inspired by a lot of artists. Artists like Fela, Onyeka Onwenu and Sade amongst others. I also listened to DPG, BBD, De La Soul, including the two best rappers ever; Biggie Smalls and Tupac when I was
there and couldn ' t figure out who I liked better. I liked Biggies lyrical skill and Tupac ' s Philosophical ideals.
When I was in Nigeria I only did live shows. I did not record anything professionally. So I did create music there, I just didn ' t go to the studio to lay out the tracks. Now that I am in the U. S., I am inspired by artists such as Wyclef,
Jay Z and Enya.
What have you learned about the American music industry that you would change if you could? How is it different from the music industry in Nigeria?
The American music industry is very very huge. I can ' t tell you that I have covered every aspect of the industry but I will tell you that there are a lot of good artists that are being left out. The music industry in Nigeria is also growing rapidly. The artists there are recognized internationally and are leading the musical revolution in Africa.