After more than two decades in Nigeria’s music industry, singer, songwriter and producer, Prince Ameen, has said his biggest ambition is to build a lasting musical legacy rather than be remembered for a single hit.
Ameen, who began his professional music career around 2004 and released his first major single, ‘One Way’, in 2005, said his journey had been defined by continuous learning, experimentation and an unwillingness to give up.

“I want longevity,” he said, reflecting on his career, which has taken him from performing at the Festac Music Festival and releasing multiple albums to continuing his music career after relocating to the United Kingdom.
“I don’t want my story to be about one hit song or one particular moment. I want to build a body of work that people can go back to years later and still understand where I was at different stages of my life,” he said.
Ameen’s relationship with music began long before he entered the industry professionally. He grew up listening to traditional lineage songs sung by his mother and was exposed to the works of Nigerian music veterans such as King Sunny Ade, Ebenezer Obey and Abeni Ade.

He later adopted the name Lil’ Prince Ameen as he began carving out a place for himself in the industry. That period, he said, was crucial to his development as he experimented with different sounds while also working behind the scenes as a songwriter, producer and vocal engineer.
He at one point stepped away from performing to focus on beat production, an experience he said changed his understanding of music and taught him how records were constructed beyond the perspective of a performing artiste.
His early career was also shaped by interactions with established musicians, including the late Sound Sultan, African China and Baba Dee.

According to Ameen, their guidance taught him that talent alone was insufficient to survive and succeed in the music industry.
“When you’re young, you sometimes think you know everything because you can sing or make music. But the industry has a lot of things you only understand through experience,” he said.
His performances at the annual Festac Music Festival further exposed him to the demands of live performance and strengthened his connection with audiences.

For Ameen, Festac was particularly significant because of its connection to Nigerian culture and community, while the experience of performing before different audiences helped him develop his stagecraft.
His debut album, Comin Thru, marked another major step in his career. The 20-track album featured collaborations with artistes including Solidstar, Overdose and Godwon, as Ameen sought to establish his identity in a rapidly changing Nigerian music scene.

He subsequently released Omo Oba Kekere, a 16-track project that explored different sounds, including Afro-oriented records, love songs and street-inspired music. The album featured collaborations with African China, Danagog, Sean Tizzle and Same.
By 2017, Ameen had begun another phase of his career with the release of Lights On Me, which coincided with his decision to drop “Lil’” from his stage name.
He said the change reflected his personal and professional growth as he sought to be recognised not only as a recording artiste but also as a songwriter, producer and vocal engineer.

However, the “Lil’” identity has not completely disappeared. Ameen said he continues to use it on some of his platforms because some long-time fans found it difficult to immediately identify with the new name.
In 2019, he released Special Something, a 12-track album that represented another departure from his previous work. Unlike his earlier projects, the album did not feature established artistes, a decision he said was deliberate.
“I didn’t want to become predictable,” he said. “Sometimes you need to take away the familiar things and ask yourself, ‘Can this music stand on its own?’”

His work also earned recognition outside his music releases. He was among 50 influential youths recognised at the Amuwo Influential Award in December 2021 and received the Next Gen Entertainment Leader Recognition Award and Magazine of the Year recognition in 2022.
Ameen said the recognitions encouraged him but also reinforced his belief that artistes have responsibilities beyond entertainment.
“When you grow, you realise that people are also watching how you conduct yourself, what you stand for and what you contribute,” he said.

His relocation to the United Kingdom subsequently introduced another dimension to his career. He released Sound the Alarm (Jagan Aso) in 2023 and GuDu GuDu in 2024, maintaining his connection to his Nigerian musical identity while adapting to a new environment.
Ameen said the move presented challenges but also gave him a different perspective on his music and career.
“It wasn’t always easy because when you move somewhere new, a lot of things change around you. But music remained one of the things that kept me connected to who I was,” he said.

Now, after years of navigating different stages of the industry, Ameen said he is less concerned about chasing a particular moment than about remaining relevant through the quality and consistency of his work.
“I’ve watched sounds change, artists come and go, and I’ve had my own periods where I was more visible and periods where I was quieter. But I’m still here.
“At the end of everything, I just want to be remembered as Prince Ameen, an artiste who stayed true to himself, kept evolving and never stopped creating,” he said.