Nigerian singer and songwriter Deborah Oluwaseyi Joshua, popularly known as Seyi Shay, has opened up about the impact the death of Sound Sultan had on her music career.
Speaking in a recent interview on TVC, Seyi Shay admitted that the death of the legendary Afrobeats singer put her in a place where she didn’t want to continue music.
The 39-year-old singer, who described Sound Sultan as her mentor, best friend, and father figure, added that the birth of her daughter also led her to decide to take a break from the toxic environment of the music industry.
She explained that she became pregnant with her daughter around the same time Sound Sultan passed, saying both developments culminated in her hiatus from the music scene.
Explaining in detail why she took a break from music, Seyi Shay recounted, “During the filming of Nigerian Idol, my mentor, also my best friend, who is like a father figure to me, and also the person who brought me to the Nigerian music industry, died. He passed away, Sound Sultan.
“When I first came to Nigeria, I was living with him and his wife in FESTAC for a year. He was the one who co-signed me and introduced me to everybody in the industry to make sure that those who were his people looked out for me.
“So, when he passed away, it was really hard for me to complete the filming, but I made it to the end. What hurt the most was that I didn’t get to see him before he passed away. I was supposed to fly to see him in New York that weekend when we had a break.
“He asked me to bring him something specifically. It just tore me apart. I felt like I didn’t have the will to continue to do music without Sound Sultan, my peace of mind, and my mental health. So, I decided to go on a little break.
“Also, during that period, I got pregnant and I told myself there’s no way I’m going to have my child in the toxic music industry that I’m in and under the scrutiny that I was constantly under. So, I just thought I should take a break.”
Seyi Shay announced herself on the Nigerian music scene in 2011 after returning to Nigeria from the UK with the release of her debut single Irawo which quickly became a hit.
