Flavour N'abania

Flavour N'abania
Background information
Birth name	Chinedu Izuchukwu Okoli
Also known as	Flavour, Mr. Flavour
Born	(1983-11-23) 23 November 1983 Enugu State, Nigeria
Genres	Highlife, Afrobeat
Occupations	singer, songwriter, recording artists, dancer, actor,
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, piano
Years active	2005-present
Labels	2nite Entertainment
Associated acts	MC Loph, Mr. Raw, M.I, Wagga G, Jay Stunt, Oloye, Stormrex, Tiwa Savage, Darey, Iyanya, Kcee

Chinedu Okoli (born 23 November 1983), better known by his stage name Flavour N'abania, or simply Flavour, is a prolific Nigerian recording artist, dancer, songwriter, and performer. He began his musical career as a drummer for a local church in his hometown of Enugu State. Flavour is popularly known across Africa and the world for his massive club banger, "Nwa Baby (Ashawo Remix)". He is currently signed to 2nite Entertainment Music Label.

In 2005, he released his self titled debut album, N'abania. In 2010, Flavour released his second studio album, Uplifted. It was supported by the singles "Nwa Baby (Ashawo Remix)", "Adamma", and "Oyi Remix". The album's success made Flavour one of Africa's most sought out artists. Flavour was booked to perform at numerous concerts and social events following Uplifted's release.

Early life

Flavour, who is well known for his ability to sing fluently in the Igbo language, was born in Enugu State, Nigeria. His family is originally from Umunze in Orumba South LGA, Anambra State, Nigeria.^[1] Flavour began his music career at the age of 13 when he started playing the drums for his church choir in Enugu. The resident pastor at his church introduced him to a friend, Chris I Ordor, the CEO of SoundCity Communications.^[2] Mr. Ordor had just started a musical company aimed at training young musicians on the basics of music and nurturing them all the way to a professional level.^[2] In 1996, Flavour was invited to join the company on an educational scholarship to study music.^[2] After three years of playing the drums, Flavour started playing the drums professionally. In 1999, Flavour moved on from playing the drums and started playing the keyboard.^[2] He also used to provide backing vocals for other musicians at SoundCity.

Music career

Career beginnings

At the age of 19, Flavour emerged unto Nigeria's musical scene as a drummer and pianist for a local Enugu band. After learning to play drums professionally, Flavour received an offer to perform at City Centre, Enugu. The massive crowd at City Centre inspired him to gain new grounds and reach great heights. Flavour's educational background in music enabled him to learn music production from Dekumzy, Isi Charles and Nnachie.^[3]

2005: N'abania

In 2005, Flavour released his debut album, N'abania, through Obaino Music. The album's success was relative and limited to Eastern Nigeria, particularly, Enugu State. Flavour collaborated with Mr. Raw on the album's lead single titled "N'abania". The song was recorded at Kingsley Ogoro's studio in Lagos, Nigeria.^[3]

2010: Uplifted

Following the relative success of his debut album, Flavour released Uplifted in 2010. While working on the album, Flavour believed the album would surpass his previous works. Flavour's projection came true when the album broke national barriers. Lolhiphop Records, an established record label in South Africa, released the album after popular demand. The album's top singles include "Nwa Baby (Ashawo Remix)", "Adamma", and "Oyi Remix"; the latter features Tiwa Savage.

2012: Blessed

Flavour's third album, Blessed, was released on 18 October 2012 through 2nite Entertainment and iROCKING LTD. The album is the successor to Uplifted. It is arguably Flavour's biggest album to date due to the amount of producers that worked on it. It was launched on the same day of Flavour's 2nite Club grand opening.^[4] In an interview with iROKTV, Flavour said: "I think I'm growing. This is my third album... Now it's time to give them the music, like define myself. I have to be more mature with my music, lyrics and instrumentation wise. I worked with tons of producers and the whole production process made sense."^[5]

Family life

Flavour is the first son of a large family consisting of four siblings and seven step siblings. Flavour currently dwells in Lagos, Nigeria. Flavour's family wasn't very fond of his musical ambitions; they often dismissed it as a pipe dream. His mother in particular believed that his musical ambitions wouldn't amount to anything.^[3]

Controversy

On 29 August 2012, the Net Nigeria reported that Flavour N'abania was involved in a legal battle with Ghanaian singing duo Wutah, over the alleged theft of "Kwarikwa". According to the article, "Kwarikwa" is an exact "replica" of Kotosa, a song made by the aforementioned singing duo. The singing duo accused Flavour N'abania of stealing their song's rhythm, chorus, and tempo.^[6]

Discography

Studio albums

• N'abania (2005)
• Uplifted (2010)
• Blessed (2012)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

• Flavour N'abania on Facebook
• Flavour N'abania on Twitter