Interview

'Big Girl' Is Seyi Shay’s Coming of Age

The Nigerian artist details her growth in a sophomore album featuring Wande Coal, Simi, Yemi Alade and others.

Nigerian singer-songwriter Seyi Shay shares her sophomore studio album, Big Girl. This follows the eclectic EP, Electric Package released in 2018 and her 2015 debut album Seyi or Shay. Big Girl is a documentation of the singer’s experiences, “from losing bad friends to gaining good ones, reconnecting with old ones, losing an ex and finding true love.”

Big Girl features a lineup of artists like UK’s Backroad Gee, Portuguese duo Calema, Nigeria’s Simi, Wande Coal and Yemi Alade. The singer’s eight-year-long run in the Nigerian music industry culminated in her appointment as a judge in 2021's Nigerian Idol, alongside Obi Asika and DJ Sose. “I couldn’t afford to let just anything slide or anybody get through because it would affect my own credibility and integrity too,” she says of the experience.

On Big Girl, Seyi Shay wears her complexities as a badge of honour, as she opens up to OkayAfrica about the journey leading to this point.

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News Brief
Seyi Shay & Yemi Alade's vibrant collaboration in 'Pempe' is the perfect way to usher in the weekend.

Listen to Seyi Shay & Yemi Alade's New Track 'Pempe'

Seyi Shay & Yemi Alade's vibrant collaboration in 'Pempe' is the perfect way to usher in the weekend.

Nigerian artists Seyi Shay and Yemi Alade have teamed up for an explosive collaboration titled "Pempe". The track is Shay's first official project for this month and follows previous numbers including "Tuale", "Gimme Love (Remix)" featuring American artist Teyana Taylor, and "Murda" which were released in 2020, 2019 and 2016 respectively.

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