Timaya
| Timaya | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Enetimi Alfred Odom |
| Also known as | Dem mama soldier / Egberipapa 1 |
| Born | Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria |
| Origin | Odi, Bayelsa State, Nigeria |
| Genres | Dancehall, Ragga, Afro Hip hop, Afro Beat |
| Instruments | Singing |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Labels | Black Body Entertainment |
Timaya (born November 29, 1977) is a Nigerian singer and songwriter.
Timaya is an award winning Nigerian musician popular for socially conscious music that constantly references the role of God in overcoming difficult circumstances.
Early life
Timaya was born in Port Harcourt, Rivers State in the Southern region of Nigeria. He started from Port Harcourt. While in Port Harcourt. As a teenager in Folk Technical College, where he won in inter-school competitions and moved to Lagos to stay with his elder brother at his parents request so as to complete his secondary school education. He was schooled at Ikeja High School in Mafoluku, Lagos. He later went to Rivers State College of Arts and Science to study, but he was wafed due to his poor academic position. Him, his brother Tayo and, sister Rose went to Galaxy Tutorial College in Lagos. where his brothers' friends like Musa(kalamu), Napson and Ndubusi(Divino-Temi) where instrumental to his teenage life back in Stephen Toba, Mafoluku, Lagos.
Has written and produced a music track for YouTube star Jarrett Holt and Eulonzo Jordan,
Music career
Timaya started out with a couple of early collaborations with some underground artists and was a back-up singer for Eedris Abdulkareem. He was featured in an unreleased video by UDX, a rap group based in Lagos; Raphael, kunle, Divino(Temi), Buchi, Biodun and others . His first major hit was the song "Dem Mama" an account of the 1999 destruction of Odi, a riverine community in the oil producing Niger Delta, by soldiers hunting down militants whom where alleged to have killed 8 policemen. The village was burnt down and numerous people killed. Timaya bravely tackled the topic years later and won instant street credibility for his boldness.<ref>http://www.amnesty.ca/resource_centre/news/view.php?load=arcview&article=3277&c=Resource+Centre+News</ref>
Timaya is also called the Egberi Papa 1 (the peoples town crier) of Bayelsa or Mr. Timaya. Timaya is currently one of top stars of the Nigerian music scene, with a lot of other musicians interested in doing collaborations with him. He has collaborated with J Martins and P Square on the J Martins award winning Owey (Which Kind Life), with Kefee on Kokoroko, Spyder Man and others.
Other
In 2011 Timaya was appointed a Peace Ambassador by the Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace, (IIFWP). Dr. Hak Ja Haan Moon, co-founder of the IIFWP, stated he is "One of those individuals whose lives exemplify the ideal of living for the sake of others, and who dedicate themselves to practices which promote the founding ideals of the IIFWP."<ref>allAfrica.com Timaya is UN Peace Ambassador</ref>
Discography
Timaya has sold over 30 million records in total since 2007 also performing in countries all over the world.[citation needed] His recent single, Mind over matter with D banj went viral the first hour it was released, on music website Notjustok.com
Albums
- True Story (2007)
- Gift and Grace (2008)
- De Rebirth (2010)
- LLNP long life N prosperity (2011)
- Upgrade (2012) <ref>NigeriaNewsDaily.com Timaya Titles New album "Upgrade"</ref>
Singles
- 2010 "Plantain Boy" <ref> Timaya gets born again Nigerian Entertainment Today 8 June 2010</ref>
- 2012 "Bum Bum"
Awards
- Nigeria Music Awards 2008: Album of the Year
- 2008 Hip Hop World Awards (The Headies): Best Reggae/Dancehall Album (Timaya)<ref name="Headies Past Winners">The Headies official website The Headies Past Winners Retrieved on 3 November 2012</ref>
- 2009 Hip Hop World Awards (The Headies): Best Reggae/Dancehall Album(Gift and Grace), Best Collaboration ("Good or Bad" with J. Martins and P-Square)<ref name="Headies Past Winners"/>
- 2010 Hip Hop World Awards (The Headies): Best collabo ("Kokoroko" with Kefee)<ref name="Headies Past Winners"/>