Chinedu Okoli (born 23 November 1983), better known by his stage name Flavour N'abania or simply Flavour, is a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jo ...

singer. He began his musical career as a drummer for a local church. Flavour is popularly known across Africa and the world for his hit song "

Nwa Baby "Nwa Baby" (Ashawo Remix) is a song by Nigerian singer Flavour N'abania. It was released as the lead single from his second studio album, ''Uplifted'' (2010). The song originally appeared on his debut studio album ''N'abania'' (2005). It describes ...

(Ashawo Remix)". He is currently signed to 2nite Entertainment. In 2005, he released his self-titled debut album '' N'abania''. In 2010, Flavour released his second studio album, '' Uplifted''. It was supported by the singles "

(Ashawo Remix)", "Adamma", and " Oyi Remix". The album's success made Flavour one of Africa's most sought out artists. He was booked to perform at numerous concerts and social events following ''Uplifted''s release.

Early life

Flavour, who is well known for his ability to sing fluently in the

Igbo language Igbo ( , ; Igbo: ''Ásụ̀sụ́ Ìgbò'' ) is the principal native language cluster of the Igbo people, a meta-ethnicity from Southeastern Nigeria. The number of Igboid languages depends on how one classifies a language versus a dialect, so ...

, was born in

Enugu State Enugu State ( ig, Ȯra Enugu) is a state in the South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered to the north by the states of Benue and Kogi, Ebonyi State to the east and southeast, Abia State to the south, and Anambra State to the west. ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. His family is originally from Umunze in Orumba South LGA,

Anambra State Anambra State is a Nigerian state, located in the southeastern region of the country. The state was created on August 27, 1991. Anambra state is bounded by Delta State to the west, Imo State to the south, Enugu State to the east and Kogi St ...

, Nigeria. Flavour began his music career at the age of 13 when he started playing the drums for his

church choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

Enugu Enugu ( ; ) is the capital city of Enugu State in Nigeria. It is located in southeastern part of Nigeria. The city had a population of 820,000 according to the 2022 Nigerian census. The name ''Enugu'' is derived from the two Igbo words ''Én ...

. The resident pastor at his church introduced him to a friend, Chris I. Ordor, the CEO of SoundCity Communications. In 1996, Flavour was invited to join the company on an educational scholarship to study music. After three years of playing the drums, Flavour started playing the drums professionally. In 1999, he moved on from playing the drums and started playing the keyboard. He also used to provide back-up vocals for other musicians at SoundCity.

Career

Career beginnings

At age 19, Flavour emerged into Nigeria's musical scene as a drummer and pianist for a local band in

. After learning to play drums professionally, Flavour received an offer to perform at City Centre, Enugu. The massive crowd there inspired him to gain new grounds and reach great heights. Flavour's educational background in music enabled him to learn music production from Dekumzy, Isi Charles and Nnachie.

2005: ''N'abania''

In 2005, Flavour released his debut album '' N'abania'' through Obaino Music. The album's success was relative and limited to Eastern Nigeria, particularly

. Flavour collaborated with Mr Raw on the album's lead single titled "N'abania". The song was recorded at Kingsley Ogoro's music studio in Lagos, Nigeria.

2010: ''Uplifted''

Following the relative success of his debut album, Flavour released '' Uplifted'' in 2010. The album broke national barriers. Lolhiphop Records, an established record label in South Africa, released the album after popular demand. The album's top singles include "

(Ashawo Remix)", "Adamma", and Oyi Remix" featuring

Tiwa Savage Tiwa Savage (born 5 February 1980) is a Nigerian singer-songwriter and performing artist. Born in Isale Eko, she relocated to London at the age of 11 for her secondary education. Five years later, she began her music career doing backup vo ...

2012: ''Blessed''

Blessed Blessed may refer to: * The state of having received a blessing * Blessed, a title assigned by the Roman Catholic Church to someone who has been beatified Film and television * ''Blessed'' (2004 film), a 2004 motion picture about a supernatural ...

'' was released on 18 October 2012 through 2nite Entertainment and iROCKING LTD. The album is the successor to ''Uplifted''. It is arguably Flavour's biggest album to date due to the number of producers who worked on it. It was launched on the same day of Flavour's 2nite Club grand opening. In an interview with iROKTV, Flavour said: "I think I'm growing. This is my third album... Now it's time to give them the music, like define myself. I have to be more mature with my music, lyrics and instrumentation wise. I worked with tons of producers and the whole production process made sense."

2014: ''Thankful''

''Thankful'' was released in December 2014. The album consists of 22 tracks and runs for one hour seventeen minutes. Receiving generally positive reviews from music critics, it sold thousands of copies. The album features hit tracks such as the love ballad "Ololufe" featuring

Chidinma Chidinma Ekile (born 2 May 1991), known professionally as Chidinma, is a Nigerian hip-hop turned gospel singer and songwriter. In 2010, she rose to stardom after winning the third season of '' Project Fame West Africa''. Following the release of ...

and the fast-tempo Afro-pop song "Wake Up" feat.

Wande Coal Oluwatobi Wande Ojosipe (born 18 October 1985), popularly known as Wande Coal, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. Early life Wande Coal was born on 18 October 1985 in Lagos Island, Lagos state, Nigeria, to Chief Ibukun Olufunto and Omola ...

2017: ''Ijele – The Traveler''

''Ijele – The Traveller'' was released in 2017. The album contains 17 tracks, including one featuring Flavour's adopted son Semah G Weifur, a blind Liberian child who was spotted singing alone in a classroom,.

2018

In 2018 Flavour issued two singles, "Crazy love", joining forces with Mama Africa Yemi Alade as Flavour Nabania, and "Yemi Alade". Later that year, he released the traditional song "Awele", featuring the Igbo traditional duo

Umu Obiligbo Umu may refer to: * A variety of earth ovens in Polynesia, including: ** Māori umu tī, used to cook ''Cordyline australis'' and other varieties of Cordyline with similar large tap roots. ** Māori hāngi, also called umu in Samoa, especially in o ...

2020

On December 4 2020, Flavour released his seventh studio album, titled '' Flavour of Africa'', which has 16 tracks.

Controversy

On 29 August 2012, ''

Nigerian Entertainment Today The Netng (Nigerian Entertainment Today) also known as ''NET'' is an online entertainment news organisation based in Lagos, Nigeria. It is a leading source of African entertainment, fashion and lifestyle news. Netng formed part of NET Newspaper ...

'' reported that Flavour was involved in a legal battle with Ghanaian duo Wutah, over the alleged theft of "Kwarikwa". According to the article, "Kwarikwa" is an exact replica of "Kotosa", a song made by the aforementioned duo. The singing duo accused Flavour of stealing their song's rhythm,

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

, and

tempo In musical terminology, tempo ( Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (ofte ...

Discography

* '' N'abania'' (2005) * '' Uplifted'' (2010) * ''

'' (2012) * '' Thankful'' (2014) * ''

Ijele the Traveler ''Ijele the Traveler'' is the fifth studio album by Nigerian musician Flavour N'abania. The album was released on June 30, 2017, and artists like Sarkodie, Zoro, Terry Apala, Phyno, Semah G. Weifur and Chidinma are featured on some of the tracks. ...

'' (2017) * ''Awele'' (2018) * '' Flavour of Africa'' (2020)

Singles

Videography

Awards and nominations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flavour Igbo-language singers Living people 1983 births Musicians from Enugu State Nigerian male singer-songwriters The Headies winners Nigerian drummers Nigerian guitarists Nigerian hip hop singers Igbo highlife musicians 21st-century guitarists 21st-century drummers 21st-century Nigerian male singers