1DA, another reggae dancehall act steps out

In preparation for his official release, Squareball Entertainment’s artiste Godson Ominibie Epelle, otherwise known as 1DA, has dropped his latest singles, Activate and Joy. Gradually, both single are picking up on air.

A fast rising music artiste, 1DA, who began his music career in Port Harcourt, has since moved to Lagos, after signing a record deal with Adasa Cookey’s label. He had earlier released Love Her Daily, which later had a remix with Solid Star and Skales; that launched him into the industry. He has also released a mix-tape, If to say Na My Beat (INMB), but the new singles are his first works on the new label.

“I do Reggae Dancehall with a little bit of Afrobeat. Basically, I do all kinds of music but reggae dancehall is my strongpoint. I released my mix-tape in 2015 and I have three other singles. Presently I’m working on my album, which should be released before the year runs out. It is almost ready; we are just putting finishing touches to it,” he said.

According to the artiste, his recent song, Joy, acknowledges the fulfillment that comes from certain things we desire and cherish in our everyday living.1DA’s interests in music dates back to his days as a young boy, when he started listening to music greats, such as Bob Marley and Peter Tosh from his father’s radio and quickly fell in love with reggae.

“Those days, I used to listen to a lot of reggae musicians and I discovered I feel comfortable singing reggae; it’s something I do effortlessly. Basically, music provided an escape and kept me safe from the negativity on the streets,” he noted.

At age 14, 1DA resolved to pursue music as a career and started recording songs. Obviously, his impressive reggae and patois influenced sound reflects his life experiences as well his aspirations for the future.

Professionally, his music career started in 2012 in Port Harcourt, until the current CEO of Squareball Entertainment, Adasa Cookey appreciated his musical ability and signed him on.

“I’ve been playing in Port Harcourt, but right now, I’m in Lagos; the headquarters of entertainment. I want to use this opportunity to thank my boss for giving me this opportunity to advance my career under his tutelage.

On the choice of reggae dancehall genre of music in Nigeria, he said, “a couple of people, who didn’t want it to die, brought it back to the scene; I’m just going to join hands in ensuring it stays. Reggae dancehall is a pioneer genre of music in the world, not just Nigeria. It’s a conscious music and we can’t let it die,” he said.

As for competition, “I’m not interested in competing with anybody; I’m here to do my thing. Every artiste is unique in his/her own way, so, I don’t think competition is an issue for me right now,” he said.