TDeborah Oluwaseyi Joshua better known by the stage name Seyi Shay is a Nigerian-based singer-songwriter, recording artist, performer, and actress. She released Seyi or Shay, her debut studio album in 2015.
Prior to this, Seyi has written and produced soundtracks and songs for Konami games, Melanin C, and Chipmunk. Internationally, Seyi is regarded as one of the biggest African artists.
Early Life & Education
Deborah Oluwaseyi Joshua was born on December 21, 1985, in Tottenham, London England as the last of four children. She was born to Nigerian parents. Her mother is from Northern Nigeria and her father, the western part of the country, Osun State. Seyi and her siblings were raised by their mother.
Seyi started visiting Nigeria at age 2. Then, for her secondary school education, she attended Command High School, Maryland, Lagos. Thereafter, she returned to London for her undergraduate studies. Firstly, she attended a local UK college where she studied music and then moved on to the University of East London, and earned a degree in Business Management.
Career
Seyi started her music career early enough. Her motivation came from her late mother and siblings who were also involved in music in different ways. At age 6, she was already performing in her school choir. Later, at 14, she performed for the London Community Gospel Choir (LCGC) in their world-wide tour which included 13 cities in Japan.
Shay signed her first record deal with No Apology, a record company in affiliation with George Martin (Fifth Beatle). In 2006, she formed a girl Band, Boadicea. The band was managed by Ron Tom, founder and manager of All Saints and Sugarbabes. However, it was disbanded in 2008.
Also, Seyi wrote and produce sound track for the Konami Game Crime Life, wrote You Will See for Mel C and White Lies for Rapper ChipMunk. While collaborating and performing, she partook in the British Pop/RnB Girl Band From Above, and emerged as the lead vocalist for the group.
From Above signed a record deals with Sony/Columbia and Mathew Knowles’ Management company. Before disbanding, the group achieved some goals. For instance, it made an online release of Breaking From Above, an MTV Reality Show that aired in over 166 countries.
Apparently, Seyi has worked with numerous bigwigs in the music industry both locally and international.
Music Career In Nigeria
Sound Sultan motivated Seyi’s return to Nigeria during one of his visits to London in 2011. Thereafter, she heeded his advice and came to Nigeria to promote her career in the industry. On her arrival, she was introduced to Cecil Hammond who signed her under the Flytime Music label. In 2012, she released a single, Irawo. Irawo became a hit and garnered massive airplay in Nigeria.
Later on, she left Flytime Music. Thus, in July 2015, Seyi signed an international record deal with Universal Island Records UK which distributes her music worldwide.
Net Worth
According to infoguidenigeria.com, Seyi’s net worth is estimated at $2.1million.
Seyi is a brand ambassador to Barcardi Freezer along with Sean Tizzle and Yemi Alade. Similarly, she was endorsed as an ambassador to Samsoon Telecomunication, a service provider to Etisalat now 9jamobile.
Additionally, in 2015, she joined Wizkid and Tiwa Savage as brand ambassadors to Pepsi. In 2016, Nigeria Stock Exchange unveiled her and Burna Boy as ambassadors. And in 2017, she became the face of Gionee phone brand.
