Her voice crackled with cheer as she spoke. “I play the guitar a lot, and it feels like therapy to me,” she said, softly. Beebee Bassey’s ascent within the Nigerian music scene sprung fully when she competed in the Nigerian Idols, in 2014. Since then, the acclaimed singer and guitarist has carved a discography that’s become a powerful campaign of emotional wellness, spiritual growth and personal development, from her 2020 debut, Incredible God, to her just-released folk-leaning Christian gospel fusion, Hold on to Hope.

Starting off from her parent’s church choirs, the Nigerian-born singer started pursuing music from a tender age of 10. Traversing several music competitions, over the years, she built confidence within her artistry drawing inspiration from her personal experiences with love, survival, faith, mental burnout and perseverance. Her music feels like a journal filled with invaluable lessons for younger people.

Growing up on an eclectic musical diet, including acts like Asa, Queen, Omawumi, Adele, among others, Beebee Bassey honed her fusions navigating Rock, Traditional folk, Pop and Soul. Apart from singing, the Christian Gospel chanteuse also voluntarily teaches singing techniques, vocalisation and other core facets of music to emerging singers in the United Kingdom where she presently resides.

With over a decade exploring music, the mother-of-one catches up with Guardian Music, where she opens up on her riveting rise through talent shows, traumatic experiences and unwavering faith; she gives us a peek into her muses; love for the guitar; creative process; influences; and her mission to continue inspiring the next generation of musicians.

What inspired you to explore the world of music?
I grew up in church. My mother is the general overseer of a church in Nigeria, in Port Harcourt, and so when my parents first started the church, there was no chorister. It was just my family, my brothers, my sister and myself, and I had to sing. My brothers played instruments. My sister also sang and did back up. I used to be very shy, but music made me feel smarter; it made me feel seen. When I got into University, I competed in a music show for the first time and I got second position. It felt reassuring that this is my path. Then I went for Nigerian Idols, in 2014, and I clinched a golden ticket and that made me realize that there was something special. I went into the house and I came out as the 4th runner up. That is how my musical journey kept climbing up, until 2020, when I contested at the Karaoke World Championship, and represented Nigeria at the world’s finals. Ever since, it has just been my thing!

When did you start recording professionally?
I started in 2020. I had just started recovering from two surgeries at a go. I made a song titled, Incredible God, and the love and acceptance I got made me realize that this was something I wanted to do full-time. You know, from singing in the choir to actually recording and releasing music, I was eager for the world to hear my sound. For me, every song is a story; I’m inspired by the challenges, the happy moments, and the in-betweens. I made another song after being stuck in a toxic and abusive relationship for a while. I was unable to speak up, because of the fear of being judged by my community. The only way I could express myself was through music. Music rehabilitates me. The kind of responses I got from people, after releasing the song, where they recounted how the music changed them, got me to even go into teaching people how to sing. I became inspired to share my gifts and encourage others, because I know what it feels like sitting at the back seat and wondering when it would be your turn.

Tell us about your creative process.
I play the guitar a lot. Sometimes I sit down and just strike the first A minor, and that tune just gives me a start. It feels like therapy. The moment I strike those notes, whatever comes out at that time is how I feel, and it’s a release. Then I start singing, humming, and scribbling words together, over a period of time. Sometimes, it takes a while to develop the songs. For a song like Letter from God, I wrote it 10 years ago, when I was just 22 years old, but it wasn’t finished. At that point, I was listening to Aerosmith, and I liked the tune of a song I was hearing at the time. I became inspired to rewrite that song, and I finished it last year. That was how the song, ‘Letter From God’, was made.
Other times, I hear a sound in my ear, and I visualize its tune. I experience dyslexia so, sometimes, I see everything I want to say. So there’s a picture in my head, of how I want to sing it, of the lyrics, of everything. And then I put it down.

Tell us about your major music influences.
I love Rock music a lot. I also love Christian music. I listen to Whitney Houston, Adele, Queen, among others. In fact, I really love listening to Freddie Mercury. I love his style. Stylistically, you can even see a bit of Freddie in my songs. It felt like he saw the future when he made music. I also love listening to Sinach. She was among the people that inspired me to pick up the guitar; because when I saw her sing, I was mind-blown. There’s also Bon Jovi, and a host of others.

Tell us more about your experience with the guitar.
My guitar is like a second child to me. I have three guitars. I call it ‘My precious.’ I can’t even give them away for anything. Each of my guitars mean a lot to me. They tell a story to me. So, every time I pick up a guitar, it’s electrifying. It is like ecstasy. When I pick it up, I feel every note, every string in it, it just sounds so beautiful, and that’s how it makes me feel. I can explain more.

What are we to expect from you later this year?
I have just released three songs and there are more to come. So I have about four more songs in the pipeline. On one of them, I featured Clay Rock. It talks about mental health. A lot of people you see walking on the streets every day with a smile are actually going through hell. I’ve seen myself in that place where I was smiling. I was weighing 51KG, because I was going through hell, but the clothes and the makeup were covering up the pain I felt. The next song I am dropping next is quite interesting. If you look on my Instagram, you will see a post about it. It is titled, ‘Stayed too long in the storm’.

It’s about my life. It is about that stage where you feel like you’re drowning, but you look at yourself in that mirror and realize that you are beautifully and wonderfully made, that you are able to come out of that storm.

What’s a day in your life like, besides making music?
I work 9-5, and on the weekends, I am mostly in the studio. I have a home studio. I’m also a full-time mom, and my little lad makes me happy. I do school runs. I sit down and watch movies. I recently just saw To Kill A Monkey. I absolutely love watching Bohemian Rhapsody. I can watch that movie over and over again. On weekends, I like to go to karaoke. My life is a bit regular.I also really love to swim, although I haven’t been in a long time.

Who are some of the voices on your radar for collaborations?
Adele, because she’s another storyteller. She has an amazing voice. Within Nigeria, one person I would really like to work with is Asa. Her sound is different. I would also love to collaborate with Omawunmi. I love her voice.

Finally, what would you say is your vision in the long-run?
I’ve been teaching music for a while. So, for me, it’s about impacting the next gen. What do you want the younger ones to see? I want to build a music school and teach people from different ethnicities about music. It’ll be a school, and also a business. However, for people who can’t afford it, like orphans, I still want to teach them. I also want to get another degree in music, so I can teach in universities and make it even more professional. As you grow older, your voice changes, everything changes. The music market changes. I want to be able to impact. I want to be a professor in music. I want to be able to be different.