# Seyi Shay

Deborah Oluwaseyi Joshua (born Oluwaseyi Joshua; 21 December 1985), known professionally as Seyi Shay (pronounced Shay-yee Shay), is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and actress. In 2008, she became the lead singer for the now defunct pop girl group From Above. The group signed a recording deal with Columbia Records and was managed by Mathew Knowles' Music World Entertainment company. In November 2013, Shay signed an endorsement deal with telecommunications service provider Etisalat. In July 2015, she inked a recording contract with Island Records, and signed a two-year endorsement deal with Pepsi that same year. In November 2015, Shay released her debut studio album Seyi or Shay, which was supported by the singles "Irawo", "Ragga Ragga", "Right Now" and "Murda" (featuring Patoranking and Shaydee). In January 2021, Shay signed a publishing deal with the French division of Universal Music Publishing Group.

## Life and career
### 1985–2010: Early life, career beginnings, songwriting, and record deal with Flytime

Oluwaseyi Joshua was born and raised in Tottenham, England, to Nigerian parents. Her deceased mother was a chorister and her father is a native of Ife. Shay has an elder sister and two older brothers; her sister composed songs for the BBC and one of her brothers was a prominent club and radio disc jockey. She and her siblings were raised by their single mother. Shay grew up in a Christian home and often felt like a loner during her adolescence. She started visiting Nigeria when she was two years old and eventually attended the Command High School in Maryland, Lagos. She returned to London and performed with the London Community Gospel Choir during their world tour, which included 13 cities in Japan. She studied music business management at the University of East London and graduated with a bachelor's degree with honours. In an interview with This Day's Lanre Odukoya, Shay said her mother wanted her to become a doctor or lawyer and wasn't a staunch supporter of her musical ambitions. Her mother eventually told her to focus on her music career and put God first.
Shay's music career took an upswing when she signed her first ever record deal with No Apologies, a record company affiliated with George Martin, who was commonly referred to as the "fifth Beatle". In 2006, Shay formed a girl band in the UK called Boadicea; they were managed by Ron Tom, the founder and manager of All Saints and Sugababes. The band separated after two years, and Shay decided to audition for the From Above singing audition. She was chosen as the lead vocalist for the female group From Above after the audition. The group signed a record deal with Mathew Knowles' management company after performing for him, and were taken to Houston to undergo energetic vocal and dance trainings. They supported Beyoncé while she was in the United Kingdom for her I Am... World Tour. From Above presented the Best New Act award to Bruno Mars at the 2011 MTV Europe Music Awards and had their own reality show called Breaking From Above, which aired in over 166 countries around the world. The group later disbanded and Shay had an opportunity to continue her management deal with Mathew Knowles, as well as secure a recording contract with Sony. Shay has worked with a number of musicians, including Justin Timberlake, Brian Michael Cox, Darey, Bilal, Michelle Williams, Chip, Rob Knoxx, Harmony Samuels, and Cameron Wallace.
Shay wrote and produced three songs for the soundtrack to Konami's video game Crime Life: Gang Wars (2005). She also wrote "You Will See", a song that was included on Melanie C's third studio album Beautiful Intentions (2005). Moreover, she wrote "White Lies", a song from Chip's album Transition (2011). Shay was introduced to Sound Sultan during his visit to London in 2011. After listening to some of her demos, Sultan convinced her to relocate to Nigeria and pursue a music career there. Shay was also introduced to Cecil Hammond, who signed her to his record label, Flytime Music, and launched her solo career in Nigeria. In 2013, Shay left Flytime Music and told Vanguard that she joined the label to promote her brand and still has a good relationship with people at the label. She also said that while signed to the label, she was very much in control of her brand.

### 2011–2019: Seyi or Shay, Electric Package, notable performances, and concert residency

On 11 August 2011, Shay released "Loving Your Way" and "No Le Le", two promotional singles that helped launch her music career in Nigeria. In 2012, she started recording her debut studio album, Seyi or Shay, and worked with producers such as Jay Sleek, Tee-Y Mix, Del B and Cobhams Asuquo. On 27 July 2012, Shay released the album's lead single "Irawo", which was produced by Del B and originally titled "Erawo". Shay said she wrote "Irawo" to inspire her colleagues and workmates to pull together. The song's music video was directed by Clarence Peters and uploaded to YouTube on 3 June 2013, at a total length of 3 minutes and 47 seconds. The remix of "Irawo" includes a rap verse by Vector and was released on 6 December 2012.
Shay performed at the 2013 COSON Song Awards. In May 2013, she told Odukoya that she recorded a song with Olamide; the track was written by the rapper and scheduled for release in 2014. Shay claimed that Olamide's work ethic made working with him simple. Shay has been featured on songs released by several artists, including Praiz, Mr. Walz, Yung Grey C, and Amir. In July 2013, she performed at one of Big Brother Africa 8's live eviction shows. Shay played at the 2013 edition of Star Music Trek in Asaba on 20 July 2013. In August 2013, she released the album's second single "Killin' Me Softly", which features vocals by Timaya and was written and produced by Del B. In an interview with Vanguard's Kehinde Ajose, Shay said she felt in love with the song when she first heard it and reached out to Timaya for a verse because she wanted a different vibe on the song.
On 27 September 2013, Shay performed at the Sisters with Soul concert, which was headlined by Mary J. Blige. On 6 October 2013, she released "Ragga Ragga" and "Chairman" as the album's third and fourth singles, respectively. Both songs were produced by Del B. The latter track features vocals by Kcee, who was present during the song's composition. Prior to releasing the two singles, Shay signed a partnership deal with the talent company J-Management. On 20 November 2013, she and Wale performed "Bad" at the Johnnie Walker Step Up to VIP Lifestyle Launch event. Shay was a supporting act on the 2013 Hennessy Artistry 2013 Club Tour. In December 2013, she gave a performance at the Harp Rhythm Unplugged concert.
On 8 January 2014, Shay released the music video for "Ragga Ragga"; it was filmed in Lagos and directed by Peters. At Darey's Love Like a Movie concert on February 15, 2014, Shay shared the stage with Kelly Rowland, D'banj, Tiwa Savage, Mo' Eazy, Zaina, Timi Dakolo, Waje, Muna, JJC, and Eva Alordiah. "Ragga Ragga" peaked at number 7 on MTV Base's Official Naija Top 10 chart for the week of 15 March through 19 March 2014. On 1 April 2014, Shay released the Dokta Frabz-produced single "Murda", which features additional vocals by Patoranking and Shaydee. In a review for Jaguda, music critic Aribaba awarded the song a rating of 9 out of 10, commending Shay for using a familiar line. On 11 May 2014, the music video for "Murda" was uploaded to Vevo; it was directed by Meji Alabi for JM Films. Shay released her debut studio album, Seyi or Shay, in November 2015. On 22 April 2016, she released the music video for the song "Pack and Go", which features Olamide and appeared on Seyi or Shay.
On 10 January 2017, Shay released the single "Yolo Yolo", which was produced by DJ Coublon. The song's music video was directed by Meji Alabi and released on 20 March 2017. It was nominated for Best Music Video at The Headies 2018. "Yolo Yolo" appeared in a Baileys commercial that aired in Sub-Saharan Africa. In March 2019, Shay announced on Instagram that she was awarded a concert residency at the Canary Wharf in London. The two-night event was held on 29 and 30 May 2019. That same year, Shay released the Runtown-assisted track "Gimme Love", which won Best R&B Single at The Headies 2019. She also released the remix of "Gimme Love", which features vocals by Teyana Taylor.

### 2020–present: Nigerian Idol, Aristokrat Group, and Universal Music France

On 2 February 2021, MultiChoice Nigeria appointed Shay to serve as judge on the sixth season of Nigerian Idol. During the show's audition in March 2021, Shay was criticized for comments she made about Mayowa "Tohrus" Odueyungbo, who was one of the contestants. On 29 March 2021, television host Frank Edoho criticized all of the judges for their remarks. Shay responded to the criticism on Twitter, saying: "I'm feeling like #JudgeJudy right now. You either love her or you hate her, and that's quite alright! either way, thanks for the #1 trend".
In June 2020, Shay signed a management deal with Aristokrat Records. In 2021, she inked a publishing deal with Universal Music Publishing Group and Aristokrat Publishing.

## Artistry and role models

Although her musical style is primarily a combination of Afropop and R&B, Shay doesn't conform to a particular genre of music. She believes that her musical prowess covers different genres, and has stated that her music draws from things that inspire her. Shay has cited her mother, Mathew Knowles, 2face Idibia, Beyoncé, Tina Turner, Sound Sultan, Wizkid, and Omawumi as mentors.

## Discography
### Studio albums

* Seyi or Shay (2015)
* Big Girl (2021)

### EPs

* Electric Package (2018)

### Selected singles

As lead artist :
| Year | Title | Album |
| 2011 | "Loving Your Way" | Non-album single |
| 2011 | "No Le Le" | Non-album single |
| 2012 | "Irawo" | Non-album single |
| 2012 | "Irawo" (Remix) (featuring Vector) | Non-album single |
| 2013 | "Chante" (featuring Ajuju) | Non-album single |
| 2013 | "Killin' Me Softly" (featuring Timaya) | Non-album single |
| 2013 | "Chairman" (featuring Kcee) | Non-album single |
| 2013 | "Ragga Ragga" | Non-album single |
| 2014 | "Murda" (featuring Patoranking and Shaydee) | Seyi or Shay |
| 2015 | "Crazy" (featuring Wizkid ) | Seyi or Shay |
| 2015 | "Jangilova" | Seyi or Shay |
| 2015 | "Right Now" | Seyi or Shay |
| 2016 | "Pack and Go" (featuring Olamide ) | Seyi or Shay |
| 2018 | "Ko Ma Roll" (featuring Harmonize) | Non-album single |
| As featured artist |||
| Year | Title | Album |
| 2013 | "For You" (Praiz featuring Seyi Shay) | Non-album single |
| 2013 | "Paradise" (Mr Walz featuring Seyi Shay) | Walz Have Ears |
| 2013 | "Get Down" (Yung GreyC featuring Seyi Shay) | Non-album single |
| 2013 | "Yarinya" (Amir featuring Seyi Shay) | Non-album single |
| 2014 | "In Love" (Wizkid featuring Seyi Shay) | Ayo |
| 2015 | "Sugar" (Ayoola featuring Seyi Shay) | Non-album single |
| 2015 | "The Motion" (DJ Lambo featuring Seyi Shay, Cynthia Morgan & Eva Alordiah) | Non-album single |
| 2016 | "Only You (Remix)" (Nikki Laoye featuring Seyi Shay) | Non-album single |
| 2017 | "Celebrate" (NC Dread featuring Seyi Shay) | Non-album single |
| 2018 | "Yalla Habibi" (Ragheb Alama featuring Seyi Shay and Costi Ioniță) | Non-album single |
| 2018 | "Bia" | Electric Package |
| 2018 | "Alele" (featuring DJ Consequence and Flavour N'abania) | Electric Package |
| 2020 | "By Gones" (Navio featuring Seyi Shay and Sheila Way) | Strength in Numbers |

### Selected videography

| Year | Title | Director |
| 2014 | "Murda" (featuring Patoranking and Shaydee) | Meji Alabi |
| 2015 | "Right Now" | Meji Alabi |
| 2017 | "Bia" | Clarence Peters |
| 2017 | "Weekend Vibes" (Remix) (featuring Sarkodie) | Moe Musa |
| 2017 | "Your Matter" (featuring Eugy and Efosa) | Meji Alabi |
| 2018 | "Surrender" (featuring Kizz Daniel) | Clarence Peters |
| 2019 | "Ko Ma Roll" (featuring Harmonize) | Cardoso Imagery |
| 2019 | "Gimme Love" (featuring Runtown) | Clarence Peters |

## Filmography

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2018 | Lara and the Beat | Lara | |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Event | Prize | Recipient | Result |
| 2013 | The Headies | Best Vocal Performance (Female) | "Irawo" | Nominated |
| 2013 | The Headies | Next Rated | Herself | Nominated |
| 2013 | City People Entertainment Awards | Best New Musician of the Year (Female) | Herself | Won |
| 2013 | Nigeria Entertainment Awards | Best New Act of the Year | Herself | Nominated |
| 2013 | Chase Awards | Artiste of the Year (Female) | Herself | — |
| 2013 | Chase Awards | Song of the Year | "Irawo" | — |
| 2014 | 2014 Channel O Music Video Awards | Most Gifted Female | "Irawo" | Nominated |
| 2014 | City People Entertainment Awards | Musician of the Year (Female) | Herself | Nominated |
| 2014 | 2014 Nigeria Entertainment Awards | Female Artist of the Year | Herself | Nominated |
| 2014 | World Music Awards | World's Best Song | "Ragga Ragga" | Nominated |
| 2014 | World Music Awards | World's Best Video | "Ragga Ragga" | Nominated |
| 2014 | World Music Awards | World's Best Female Artiste | Herself | Nominated |
| 2014 | World Music Awards | World's Best Live Act | Herself | Nominated |
| 2014 | World Music Awards | World's Best Entertainer of the Year | Herself | Nominated |
| 2015 | MTV Africa Music Awards 2015 | Best Female & Video of the Year | TBA | Nominated |
| 2019 | The Headies | Best R&B Single | "Gimme Love" | Won |
| 2021 | Net Honours | Most Popular Musician | Herself | Nominated |
| 2021 | Net Honours | Most Searched Musician (female) | Herself | Nominated |