Did You Know That Beyonce & Beverly Were Born And Raised In Houston?

Did You Know That Beyonce & Beverly Were Born And Raised In Houston?

 

Nigerian-American singer, Beverly Ukegbu who recently put out a lovely tune dubbed “Papilo” in a recent interview talks about the uniqueness of her sound and music, her failed engagement to popular singer, Flavour, as well as her music creation process.

 

The singer who is from the South East state of Imo but lived in America all her life while speaking about her relationship with Flavour and the singer’s denial of their engagement, she said they were engaged for three years and that both families were aware.

I had a ring, both of our families were involved, he even composed a song titled “Beverly” off is Blessed album addressing the naysayers

Read the full interview below:

 

What was growing up like for you?

Growing up for me was full of ups and downs. Especially with having a very large family. I’m 3rd out of 9 so you can imagine the chaos. Music was my escape goat.

 

What sound defines your childhood?

The sound that defines my childhood is Pop and R&B. I grew up listening to Whitney Houston and so many more.

 

At what moment did you know you wanted to do this (music)?

I believe as soon as I knew how to move my legs I wanted to not only do music but entertain.

What’s your favorite genre of music?

My favorite genre of music is Pop music. Anything feel good and danceable is my thing.

 

Were you influenced by old records?

I was very much influenced by old records. My dad growing up used to play many funk tunes by the greats James Brown, Donna Summers, Carlos Santana. Fela and many other great ones.

 

What’s your motto or advice you live by?

My mother use to always say “Why settle for nickels and dimes when you can reach for the gold” To me, that means never settle because of a certain situation. Keep aiming high and in return you will get high
results.

 

What’s your favourite song at the moment? 

My favorite song is my own “Papilo” featuring Selebobo.

Papilo is my favorite song at the moment because I tried something that was different and it came out really good. It’s a happy go lucky love song. Not to mention, I have one the hottest artist and producer featured on it as well, so that’s a plus, plus.

 

Which famous musician do you admire? 

Of course I will have to say Beyoncé. Seeing someone close to home (we were both born and raised in Houston) becoming a mega superstar with little to no scandal is very remarkable. Plus she is super talented and hardworking and beautiful as well. More reasons to admire her.

 

What are your fondest musical memories?

My fondest musical memory is when I performed in my hometown for the very first time back in 2011.

My family was there to cheer me on which set my heart on fire. I got on stage for the very first time and did what I was born to do, sing and dance. From then on, I was hooked.

Tell us about your relationship with Flavour.

 

I really don’t prefer to talk about old things elaborately. But I would say we were engaged for 3 years. I had a ring, both of our families were involved, he even composed a song titled “Beverly” off is Blessed album addressing the naysayers. It was really deep at the moment. I’ll leave it at that for now.

How will you define your sound? What differentiates you from the next artiste?
 My voice is very Indie,  which allows me to sound very distinctive. I’m a professional dancer as well, I can practically dance to any genre of music. Which I can’t wait to the show the world.

 

Your new song, Papilo, what was the motivation behind it?

When I heard the song for the first time. I instantly fell in love. There’s a big coincidence with the name Papilo, but I won’t mention it though. It’s just an all around lovable tune.

 

Which producer in Nigerian which would like to work with?

There are so many of them, I just can’t limit it to one right now.

 

Where do you draw inspiration from when you write songs? What’s your favourite part of the process?

I draw inspirations from my moods and current situations I’ve been through. If I’m feeling a certain way at the moment, let’s say in love. I’ll write about that feeling. Because I know there’s someone in the world feeling the very same way.

 

Any plans of moving back to Nigeria?

Yes of course. I love Nigeria and I’m planning to move end of this year by his grace.

 

Which Nigerian artiste (s) would you like to feature?

I would love to do a feature with P-Square, Phyno, MI, Cynthia Morgan, Wizkid, Flavour and the upcoming hit artists we don’t know about yet.
Five years from now you will be…
Five years from now, I see myself still recording but also recording Gospel music with my own Television show winning souls for Christ. With about  5 children, married to the love of my life blessing other people in any way I know how.