Numbar1 set to drop his debut EP titled “One Night Stand”

As he walks upstage all smiles, exuding the confidence of an already accomplished artiste, one couldn’t help but imagine if this project would grab the attention as his ambitious persona does.

A couple minutes and a few tracks later, I got my answer. While the lyrics of some of the tracks carry a sense of confidence and sensuality, a haunting ghost of sadness, regret and supplication hovers around the others. But in all, numbar1 seem to be telling a story, a personal story.

When the ovation had died down and the banter had ended, I stole the host aside and I got him to tell me about how it all started, the hurdles this far and his dreams for the future. Enjoy the excerpts.

Your birth name is Anthony Onyemaechi Unoka. How did you come by the cocky moniker numbar1?

One day while I was humming some sound in my room, I just looked my self in the mirror and the image before me was the number one artiste in Africa. So I immediately rechristened myself Numbar1. I may sound cocky now but mark my words, one day I’ll be numero uno. My stars are already aligned.

What influenced you to become a singer?

My musical influence as a child was mostly my dad. He introduced me to a wide variety of both local and international artiste. I can remember driving around the city of Asaba with him to school everyday. His car stereo always dripped good music as did the three- decker compact disc player in our living room. His music collection was broad and it cut across all genres.

From Afro beats to hip hop and RandB. Dad was a music lover. By the time I gained admission into lumen Christi Secondary school I had already memorized all the music in my father’s collection. I still remember being one of the best musician in our dormitory. I was the go-to guy for anything music.

I want to assume when you gained admission in the university you were the number one act on campus too

I definitely would have been. But I dropped out of college after spending just a year at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka where I was studying Co-operative Economics and Management. I dropped out to focus on my career.

If I had stayed back I would have been number one. However, Musically, I left a footprint in my short time on campus. Now that I am taking it professional I’ll be number one in the industry someday.

So how long have you been doing music professionally

It’s been three years since I went pro.

Are you signed to any record label?

No I am not signed on to any record label. But I teamed up with my friend and brother Oritz Begho AKA Gatekeypaz, and together we are building this up gradually from ground. This EP would be released under the umbrella of Gatekeypaz music. Like Begho says, our aim is to take the music to the moon.

What will you call your kind of music?

Tell me about your creative process

Creativity for me is a spiritual exercise. I also draw energy from my environment and how I feel. How I feel at any given moment sort of feeds my creativity. Every sound I produce comes from how I feel. I have to really feel it to do it.

What’s the inspiration behind the EP One Night Stand?

I was going through a number of personal upsets at the time. It was overwhelming. My dad locked up in jail even to this day and a bunch of other messy situations just happening around family gave me a lot to write about. I just wanted to distract my self from all the turmoil. So I began working on the project. It was a good way to distract myself and that distraction has become this beautiful creation of premium artistry.

What’s your favorite song on the EP.

All the tracks are special and carry a unit or two of my personal experiences so I love all of them equally.

Where do you see yourself five years from now ?

I am numbar1 as you already know. And all I am built to do is break barriers. I am a whirlwind and I am here to take the spotlight. Take note of the name again. I am going to be in your faces for a long time topping charts, doing good numbers and most importantly becoming number one. And here is a promise from me. No bad songs is going to come from. Just watch out.