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Gekko Gucci On Afrobeats: Poised To Takeover

For Nigerian Afro-pop singer-songwriter Gekko Gucci, love is everything. It is what defines and inspires his music. You can feel it in his song “Night & Day,” which he released earlier this year. Born Omobo Samuel, the 27-year-old had always had a flair for music; he was a young member of his church choir before…

Gekko Gucci

For Nigerian Afro-pop singer-songwriter Gekko Gucci, love is everything. It is what defines and inspires his music. You can feel it in his song “Night & Day,” which he released earlier this year.

Born Omobo Samuel, the 27-year-old had always had a flair for music; he was a young member of his church choir before venturing into secular music.

Speaking with The Guardian Life team, Gekko Gucci talks about his music, Afrobeats and the Nigerian music scene.

Just like a number of popular music stars, Samuel embarked on his journey to music from a tender age. He was a member of his church’s choir before venturing into secular music.

“When I had the opportunity and the proper backing I started recording,” he said.

He would later earn the nickname “Gekko Gucci” from his friends who named him after the popular fashion company because of his love and usage of the brand.

Gekko Gucci

The Nigerian music industry is saturated with new artists churning out contents everyday hoping to hit it big. Samuel hopes to stand out by the originality of his music.

“I believe originality in music speaks for itself, I’m not going with the crowd rather creating my own trend”

The Nigerian music industry can sometimes be unforgiving to new artists and Samuel realises this. “Breaking out as a new artist without the support of a label or experienced hands in the industry is not always easy.”

In October 2020, he released his debut single ‘Aye’ featuring Mix Naija Entertainment recording artist, T Classic, produced by the consistent hitmaker, Rexxie, mixed and mastered by Spyrit Mix. He also went on to release an official music video for the song.

In spite of his challenges, Samuel maintains that he wouldn’t change anything about the music industry in Nigeria which he terms “one of the most successful there is.”

Afrobeats is now becoming a mainstream genre across the world. Samuel says it’s more than just a genre. “Afrobeats is a culture, a way we express ourselves and it’s here to stay.”

Although an Afrobeats/pop artist, Samuel listens to “a lot of rap music” which he says has had an impact on his sound. His favourite rappers are Eminem and J-Cole.

On the Nigerian scene, he hopes to collaborate with top stars such as Davido and Wizkid.

Gekko Gucci has a yet-to-be-titled EP on the way.

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