Chike Ezekpeazu Osebuka (born 28 January 1993), better known as Chike, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and actor. He gained prominence as a contestant on '' Project Fame West Africa''. Additionally, he showcased his talents on '' The Voice Nigeria'', where he achieved the second position during Season 1. Chike ventured into acting by making his debut as Mayowa Badmus on the Africa Magic Showcase telenovela ''

Battleground A battlefield, battleground, or field of battle is the location of a present or historic battle involving ground warfare. It is commonly understood to be limited to the point of contact between opposing forces, though battles may involve troop ...

''. He also appeared in the film '' Gang of Lagos'', portraying the character Ify. Chike released his debut studio album, '' Boo of the Booless'', on 14 February 2020. His second studio album, ''The Brother's Keeper'', was released in 2022. Chike is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, and actor. His music style is a fusion of R&B, soul, and Afro-pop. Chike gained popularity with his hit single "Amen" and has since released several successful songs and albums. Chike's music is known for its soulful and emotive sound, and he has been praised for his vocal range and songwriting skills. He has also been nominated for several music awards, including the Headies and the Nigerian Entertainment Awards. As an actor, Chike has appeared in several Nigerian movies and TV shows, including the popular TV series "BattleGround".

Early life and education

Chike is a native of Onitsha, Anambra State in the south-eastern region of

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

and is one of four children. Chike's decision to pursue a career in

music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...

was influenced by his family. He is a graduate of Covenant University with a bachelor's degree in

Computer Engineering Computer engineering (CE, CoE, or CpE) is a branch of engineering specialized in developing computer hardware and software. It integrates several fields of electrical engineering, electronics engineering and computer science. Computer engi ...

Career

''Project Fame'' and ''The Voice Nigeria''

Chike was featured as a contestant on '' Project Fame West Africa''. However, he was eliminated after reaching the Top 10. Chike auditioned for '' The Voice Nigeria'' with a cover of

James Arthur James Andrew Arthur (born 2 March 1988) is an English singer and songwriter. He rose to fame after winning the ninth series of ''The X Factor'' in 2012. His debut single, a cover of Shontelle's " Impossible", was released by Syco Music aft ...

's "Roses" and he opted to join Team

Patoranking Patrick Nnaemeka Okorie (born 27 May 1990), better known by his stage name Patoranking, is a Nigerian Afrobeats and reggae-dancehall singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Ebute Metta community of Lagos, he grew up sharing one room with his ...

. In the battle round, he performed

Mario Mario (; ) is a Character (arts), character created by the Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the star of the ''Mario (franchise), Mario'' franchise, a recurring character in the ''Donkey Kong'' franchise, and the mascot of the Ja ...

's " Let Me Love You" with another Team Patoranking contestant and was chosen to move to the next round. In the first week of live shows, he performed "Not the Girl" by co-coach Dare Art Alade and earned a 'save' from his coach. In the second week of live shows, he performed

The Weeknd Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (; born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is best known for adding Pop music, pop, electronic music, electronic and hip-hop stylings ...

's " Earned It" and was saved by public votes. He also performed a rendition of " I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" by

The Proclaimers The Proclaimers are a Scottish Rock music, rock duo formed in 1983 by twin brothers Craig and Charlie Reid (born 5 March 1962). They came to attention with their 1987 single "Letter from America (song), Letter from America", which reached No. 3 ...

and earned his coach's final save of the season. For the semi-finals, he performed "Pullover" by

Kcee KCEE is a commercial radio station located in Tucson, Arizona, broadcasting on 690 AM. KCEE airs a Christian format and is owned by Calvary Chapel of Tucson, Inc. By day, KCEE is powered at 250 watts; as 690 AM is a clear channel frequency ...

and

Wizkid Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun (born 16 July 1990), better known as Wizkid, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. Born in the Ojuelegba suburb of Surulere, Lagos, Wizkid is a voice in the emerging Afrobeats movement. His music is a blend of Afrobea ...

. In the finale, Chike performed covers of

Bob Marley and the Wailers Bob Marley and the Wailers (previously known as the Wailers and prior to that the Wailing Rudeboys, the Wailing Wailers and the Teenagers) were a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae band. The founding members, in 1963, were Bob Marley (Robert ...

's " No Woman No Cry" and Kiss Daniel's "Mama". He finished as the runner-up of The Voice Nigeria' season, with A'rese from Team Waje coming in first place.

2016–2024

After ''The Voice Nigeria'', Chike was signed to Universal Republic along with the other top four contestants on the show. He released his debut singl
Fancy U
in December 2016 under Universal Republic, with its music video being released in early 2017. Chike was also made an ambassador for Airtel Nigeria along with the other seven finalists of The Voice Nigeria. In April 2017, Chike had been cast by

Africa Magic Africa Magic is a collection of Pay TV entertainment channels that focus on African programming, most popularly Nigerian series and movies. ''Africa Magic'', which started off as single channel of the same name, is a brand owned by M-Net and no ...

to play the role of Mayowa Badmus in a television drama named ''Battleground''. Chike departed from Universal Republic in November 2017 to become an independent artist. He released his next single, titled "Beautiful People," in February 2018. Chike released his 14-track debut studio album, '' Boo of the Booless'', during a performance at the 2020 Big Brother Lockdown TV show. In September 2023, Chike was announced as a brand ambassador for Glo telecommunication alongside Asake, Kizz Daniel. Chike announced that his third studio album, ''Son of Chike'', would be released on July 19, 2024. The album includes tracks such as "Unto You", "Lifetime Love", and "Ego Oyibo". It features collaborations with Nigerian artists like

Olamide Olamide Gbenga Adedeji (born 15 March 1989) is a Nigerian rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He is regarded as one of the most influential artists in Nigeria and Africa and has been crucial to the creative and commercial succe ...

Ladipoe Ladipo Eso popularly known as Ladipoe or Poe, is a Nigerian rapper and singer. On 28 February 2017, Ladipoe signed a record deal with Mavin Records. He rose to prominence with the song "Feel Alright" where he got featured by Show Dem Camp, SDC "Sh ...

, and Qing Madi. Chike has described the album as a deeply personal project that reflects his cultural heritage and experiences, aiming to connect with listeners on an emotional level. In 2024, Chike earns his biggest streaming day on

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...

Nigeria, following the release of " Funds".

Discography

Albums

*'' Boo of the Booless'' *''The Brother's Keeper'' *''Son of Chike''

Soundtracks

*"On Fire (Pana Time)" for '' Gangs of Lagos''

Filmography

*'' Gangs of Lagos'' (2023) as Ify *''Knee Down'' (2022) as Chima *''Life as It Is'' (2019 TV Mini Series) as Junior *''AMCOP: Clandestine'' (2019) as George *''Battle Ground: Africa Magic'' (2017 TV Series) as Mayowa Bhadmus

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Chike page on DSTV The Voice Nigeria page
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chike 21st-century Nigerian male singers Living people The Voice (franchise) contestants Covenant University alumni 1993 births Nigerian male film actors Participants in Nigerian reality television series Nigerian male singers Male actors from Anambra State