Veteran highlife musician Bright Chimezie has revealed that he and his team were already in discussions with Sony Music Publishing before Afrobeats star Davido reached out to him.
The 64-year-old made this known during an appearance on the CreativTea podcast.
“We were already talking to Sony Publishing before Davido’s call came in. I have been an active musician since 1984 before his call. I’m not disputing the fact that he popularised the whole thing – I have been running a 19-piece band till date. And I have been raising records.
“So, I was in the studio working. We were already working on the acoustic version of ‘Because of English’ before his call came through. We were already discussing with Sony Publishing before his call came through. So when his call came through everything began to work from there,” he said.
The Zigima hitmaker also dismissed the notion that alcohol or smoking enhances musical creativity, insisting that music itself is the ultimate mood-setter.
“It is a lie. If you are drinking something, you are just having fun. If you are smoking something, you just want to smoke. Music puts you in a mood,” he said.
“For me, if I have a song to present, merely seeing the audience, people who are ready to listen to Bright Chimezie, I am pumped up.
“The idea is, how do I have fun so that these people can have fun? Music is about having fun. People need to look at you and know that you are enjoying this thing before they can enjoy it too.
“You cannot be sad or frowning on your face and expect people to enjoy your music.”
A native of Abia State, Chimezie officially launched his career in 1984 and is credited with creating the Zigima sound, a style whose name derives from the Igbo phrase Ozigama, meaning “a message you should know”.
His legacy recently received a major nod from Davido, who sampled Chimezie’s 2010 track ‘Because of English’ in ‘With You,’ his collaboration with Omah Lay. The verse creatively mirrors Chimezie’s original lyrics as a tribute to the pioneer.
As a show of appreciation, Davido hosted the veteran singer earlier this year.
In June, Chimezie signed a promotional agreement with Sony Music Publishing (SMP).
