Deborah Oluwaseyi Joshua Odedere, popularly known by her stage name as Seyi Shay, is a famous Nigerian R&B singer, songwriter, recording artist, stage performer, model, and a philanthropist. The celebrity is known for hits such as Right Now, Yolo Yolo, Gimme Love, and many more.
Born into a family with an extensive background in music, Seyi Shay spent only a few years mastering some aspects of music, after which she decided to pursue a professional career in music at the age of 6. Here is everything you need to know about the singer.
Profile summary
Full name: Deborah Oluwaseyi Joshua (born Oluwaseyi Odedere)
Date of birth: 21 December, 1985
Birthplace: Tottenham, London
Age: 35 years old (as of 2020)
Zodiac sign: Sagittarius
Net worth: $1 Million – $5 Million
Education: University of East London
Weight: 70 kgs Hair colour: Black
Eye colour: Dark brown
Occupation: Record producer, singer, songwriter
Where is Seyi Shay from?
Shay was born in London, England to Nigerian parents. Her mother was from Northern Nigeria and her father is a native of Ife.
Seyi Shay’s age
The singer was born on 21st December, 1985. This means that she is 35 years old as of 2020.
Family and upbringing
Shay has two elder brothers and an older sister. She and her siblings were raised by their single mother. Seyi Shay grew up in a religious setting and felt like a single child during her adolescence. Her interest in music was influenced by members of her household. Her late mother was a chorister and her sister used to compose songs for TV. Her brother, on the other hand, was a radio and club disc jockey. Seyi lived in the United Kingdom and was a member of several musical groups over there.
Education
She attended the Command High School in Maryland, Lagos before returning to London for her undergraduate studies. She holds a degree in Music and Business Management which she obtained from a local UK college and the University of East London respectively.
Career in music
Seyi started her music career when she was still a child. Her motivation came from her late mother and siblings, who were also involved in music in different ways. At the age 6, she was already performing in her school choir. Later, at 14, she performed for the London Community Gospel Choir during their world tour, which included 13 cities in Japan. Shay signed a record deal with No Apology, a record label, and formed a UK-based girl band called Boadicea in 2006. The band was managed by Ron Tom, founder and manager of All Saints and Sugarbabes. However, the group died two years later.
She was also a part of the British Pop/RnB girl band From Above, and was the lead vocalist for the group. In 2011, Sound Sultan motivated Seyi’s return to Nigeria during one of his visits to London. Later, she heeded his advice and went back to Nigeria to promote her career in the music industry. On her arrival, she was introduced to Cecil Hammond, who signed her under the Flytime Music Label. In 2012, she released a single, Irawo, which became an instant hit and garnered massive airplay in Nigeria. She later left Flytime Music and in July 2015, she signed an international record deal with Universal Island Records UK.
Seyi Shay has also worked with several local and international artists such as Justin Timberlake, Brian Michael Cox, Cameron Wallace, Cynthia Morgan, M.I Abaga, Olamide, Eva Alordiah, Yung Greg C, and many more.
Seyi Shay songs
Some of her most famous hits include:
Acting career
Seyi Shay starred in the 2018 Nigerian film, Lara and the Beat. The movie was directed by Tosin Coker and Tolu Olusoga. It also featured Vector, Somkele Iyamah, Wale Ojo, Sharon Ooja, Shaffy Bello and Uche Jombo.
Seyi Shay net worth and endorsements
The singer’s net worth is guesstimated at $1 Million – $5 Million. In 2015, she joined Wizkid and Tiwa Savage as brand ambassadors of Pepsi and in 2016, Nigeria Stock Exchange unveiled her and Burna Boy as their ambassadors. In 2017, she became the face of Gionee phone brand.
Philanthropy
Due to her love for the girl-child, Seyi established a charity, Shay A Ray of Hope, in 2015. The charity focuses on helping the girl child.
She joined in the UN campaign to empower women and collaborated with some other world entertainers in the remaking of the Spice Girls’ Wannabe video.
As an ambassador for Genevieve Pink Ball Foundation, she sang the song Because We Care, whose aim is to give hope to and encourage breast cancer patients.
She is also a staunch supporter of Slum 2 School projects.
Seyi Shay’s husband
Is Seyi Shay married? No, she isn’t, but she made headlines earlier this year for her comments about marriage. During a conversation with Seun Kuti and OAP Temi B on Simi’s Stoopid Sessions show, she revealed that she would not mind if her husband had side chics.
She said: “This is gonna sound somehow and I hope that other women don’t try and bash me for it but I will actually be cool with my man having chics. As long as they’re chics, and not one. Because if he has one chick on the side, then it’s more likely that he’s gonna fall in love with that one chic but if he’s got like chics outside and he’s doing his thing but I’m number one clearly in every way,” She also revealed that she got engaged in 2019: “ I actually got engaged last year. People that knew, knew, right? I had my ring on and everything – people thought it was a fashion ring or something but it was actually an engagement ring – and then a few months later we broke up.”
Explaining the reasons why the relationship ended, she revealed: “We were already arguing about the whole wedding; there is a lot of stress when you are planning a wedding and I think somewhere in that all process, our relationship started to break down. Eventually, anyway, he was cheating on me and I found out because I walked in on the situation. I really wish I didn’t have to. So, the reason I decided and agreed to get married to this person is that I have a certain opinion on marriage. I don’t believe in the typical generalization of marriage. I don’t believe in that whole western type of ceremony or marriage – It is much deeper than that. Marriage to me is a bit more spiritual. It is much deeper than that. There is a type of glory that marriage gives you and your relationship as a woman or man and that is beyond the contract or the things you say to each other or the number of people in the ceremony.”