She is popularly referred to as the ghen ghen babe. Others call her the Yoruba-ibo girl. She poses charming beauty few can resist and that combined with her electrifying stage craft, Yemi Alade, the new talk-about Nigerian singer stands tall as Africa’s next big thing. Her music is edgy and her unique style evolving around an African theme gives her an edge above all. Her bi-tribal descent completes her winning formula. With her latest release Johnny dominating music charts across Africa besides turning into a club hit in urban Kenya, the rather sassy but humble 1989 born has her career firmly focused, and here she comes to Nairobi, with such a demand from fans building and so, with determination to prove that the buzz is not just a fluke. Local fans do like Yemi’s new hit, Johnny but very little is known about this fresh music dynamite. “I begun making music professionally in 2005 when I was the lead of a girl group called Noty Spices. Afterwards, I entered the Peak Talent Show in 2009 and went on to win the competition. That is how it all started,” she reveals. See also: Is Kenyan music becoming a "porn groove"? “It was after this when a released my debut single Fimisile, featuring eLDee and the song became a radio hit. That introduced me to my fans and since, I have never looked back,” the gorgeous talented star remarks. The young star — who grew up listening to popular music of the late eighties and early nineties by singers like Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Etta James and Aretha Franklin — earned the, that Yoruba-Ibo girl moniker as her mother is a native of South-Eastern Nigeria and her father is of South-Western descent. “I am the fifth of seven siblings; four brothers and two sisters. I have practically lived my life on stage,” the University of Lagos Bachelor in Science degree holder notes. Her professional music career took off on a high after she signed a deal with Effyzzie Music Group in 2012. It was here where she started working with hit producers DJ Klem, D’tunes, E-Kelly, Sizzle Pro, Fliptyce and renowned South African producer Garth. “My single Ghen Ghen Love was received well, topping numerous radio and video charts,” Yemi notes adding that she has since done massive collaborations with Ice Prince and Sasha P, both celebrated Nigerian stars. “I have since shared the stage with top artistes from across the globe,” she says. After releasing the music video for Johnny in March this year, the video received critical acclaim gaining over 800,000 YouTube views in two months. The single has since become a continental anthem gaining her a massive following in Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, South Africa, Liberia, Uganda and Zimbabwe. “My new single is titled Tangerine and it features Selebobo. It is quickly gaining momentum across Africa and I am happy with the way fans have accepted and embraced me.
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