Okwy Osadebe
Eastern Nigeria created its highlife music style by the mid-1950s. Chief Osita Osadebe, the little man from across the great River Niger, was the widely recognized front man with appeal to his people and region with a unique and enchanting dance wave, swinging West Africa’s music scenes. His voice was brazen, rasp, yet seductive and curiously magnetic. Chief Osadebe thus, introduced a unique traditional folkloric sound of the River Niger waves with horns and guitar driven rhythms. He borrowed heavy melody riffs from the traditional music, propelled each song with the vernacular Igbo dialect, interlaced It with philosophical proverbs of the region. He had an audience. He knew whatthey wanted. He assembled the right musicians, polished the rhythms and set them off, unleashing hits after hits on a people, desperately seeking music, message and merriment. Soon after the war, Eastern Nigeria became the center spread of this great West African Music which made its debut in Ghana at the beginning of the 20th century. The uniqueness of this music genre was in performances, vocal deliveries and messages marinated in the traditions and customs of the East. Chief Osita Osadebe was as iconic, as highlife music, a distinctive music type that featuredaudacious bass lines, interpretative percussions that infused horns andsaxophone elements into the rich and compelling rhythms. Whereas Osadebe’s highlife style is mostly guitar and horns laced mid-tempo and occasional lead guitar wailings on the routes, his son, Okwuchukwu, more than a decade after the giant’s eternal exit, unapologetically arrives to the new highlife frontiers and continues with the music of his late father.
Okwy is a youthful synergy; he captivates audiences with his sensual swagger, “cool ruler” swagger, with colorful stage and costume charms: Okwy, as he is affectionately called is the eldest son of the late Highlife legend. He is proving to be a true protégée. His message is deliberate, intense and articulate. His live performances leave concertgoers with sweltering goose bumps. He embraces what his father left behind, anchors his hopes and aspirations for humanity on his religion and tradition. To watch Okwy Osadebe express and interpret his traditional highlife on stage is human, to be moved by his soulful voice and the smooth contemporary up-tempo beat and songs delivery is beyond divine. Okwy has moved the music of his late father from its primitive elders’ forum to a mega metropolis feeling with adventure in new age instrumentation and modulation. Okwy is rising to an on- demand star with his music, determined to sing about dignity for all people. Listen to his music, watch him perform live: Love him or loathe him, you won’t ignore Okwy. Okwuchukwu is the heir-apparent to an iconic legend, beloved with a benevolent voice and rhythm. He traveled the music road of his idol, determined to best and sustain the rich music tradition for universal appeal…. **Azuka Jebose
