Nigerian music artiste Ibezim Okehi, also known with the stage name ‘Sir IB’, is set to warm the musical space with his dancehall and afrobeat-style of music.
He is showcasing his love for music with some of his works, which include “Fire in Nigeria”, “Work” and “Africa.”
Though his growing up years were spent in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, Sir IB hails from Mbieri in Imo State and born to a loving and hardworking father, who served in the employment of the Nigerian Railway Corporation and later settled to business after his retirement. His mother worked mostly at home ensuring adequate care for her children, though spent time for some little businesses.
He is the last of 12 children of his parents and proudly found a tie in the love for music within his family- one of his older brothers is a music enthusiast who would always find comfort and satisfaction in Jazz music.
“My elder brother loves Jazz music and he had a collection of different old school Jazz records like those of Armstrong and Miles Davies,” Sir IB says in a chat.
He recalls how his interest in music grew about two decades ago before he moved to New York where he resides presently, and spoke on how music helps him relax, particularly his genre of music.
“Music helps me to relax. And I always had an attraction to dancehall and reggae musicians as a young boy growing up, and developed the passion to become one as time went on.
“You have dancehall artists around the world, like Bennie Man, Sean Paul, Mavado and others collaborating well with even Rap and R&B artists. This is no different here in Nigeria,” he said.
Besides nurturing his big dream for his music career; to become a household name through his music, Sir IB believes he has put in so much work into developing music as a business and an entertainment product.
He hopes to drive and sustain that interest through the establishment of major record label in Nigerian music scene, within the next 5 to 10 years. And in sustaining the reality of this big dream, Sir IB believes grooming young talents would serve the plan.
He said: “I also have a flair for finding and developing young talents that will eventually dominate the Nigerian music industry.
“This is certainly my plan for the future, moving forward. I am already in the process of setting up a record label and opening a recording studio.
“This label is called Pack Song Entertainment. We are also going to venture into film production, promotion and general entertainment services, as time goes on.”
Reminiscing on the music industry, the businessman cum artiste noted that the Nigerian music industry has evolved over time from when he was growing up.
“Our music is now globally recognized and accepted. You couldn’t hear Nigerian music when I moved to the US many years ago, but you cannot go a day without hearing our music now. It’s everywhere.
“The early Nigerian artist paved the way for the younger generation to take it to the next level and I am proud to come from that early generation of Nigerian artistes,” Sir IB said.
At these times when collaborations are working so well for music artistes, Sir IB would be glad to have the opportunity to work with Tiwa Savage.
“I like her work and her growth in the Nigerian music scene since her debut. She was also based in the United States and has been able make a solid mark in the Nigerian music industry since she returned back home,” the artiste said.
