Olayinka Owoseni ignited her musical journey at age 12, an early spark that grew into a fervent passion. She has grown now into a versatile artist, to be known as Yimeeka as she excels as a singer, producer, songwriter, sound designer, and creative director.
Yimeeka’s artistic influences range beyond genre confines as she learns and touches inspiration from artists and producers such as Pheelz, Jon Bellion, Ed Sheeran, Benny Blanco, and Ryan Tedder. Intuitively, She seamlessly blends Alternative, R&B, and Afrofusion genres and sub-genres, creating a distinctive sound that resonates across diverse audiences.
Recent releases and collaborations solidify Yimeeka’s place in the industry as she inspires fellow artists and gives her audience music to shape their time with. Her fusion of genres and multifaceted talents keep her poised as an artist who has the potential to make an enduring impact on the ever-evolving universal music scene.
She recently released two new records in a pack titled ‘Issues’ & ‘Tsunami’. Both records are creations from the gold dust that are her fingers, voice and musical genius. However, they hang on to contrasting feelings on the same theme of love life, lovers and relationships.
“I was motivated to write Issues by a state of helplessness I felt in a past relationship. Reminiscing now, the lyrical content of Issues were words I couldn’t say then. Tsunami on the other hand started out as questions I never would ask a partner but it slowly turned into me as a song made for assuring my partner.”
Although she keeps her lyricism simple and mild, Yimeeka is known to be conscious of the word content of her music. As she writes and records, central themes are shaped in her mind, and personal experiences are just a stroll away in the making of her music. Her process could be as simple as humming melodies or as adventurous as chasing after the beat she has created.
“Issues was easy for me to write. I simply started out on it by humming the words while working on the beat. I had an idea on the direction I wanted to explore from the start. For Tsunami, I wrote the verse very fast because what I had to do was chase the beat…the beat already had a direction for me to follow. So I just followed, and it resulted in the song which I eventually titled Tsunami”
Most artists have the trouble of separating the feelings of their realities from the world of escapism they create with their art, Yimeeka is no exception. ‘Issues’/‘Tsunami’ were for her mediums of closure.
“Writing Issues, I can say the feelings I had were of frustration and remorse given the circumstances that birthed the story on which the song is built. I’m glad I worked on Tsunami after because working on it brought me happiness.”
“On Issues & Tsunami: Yimeeka Contrasts the Idea of Love Life, Lovers and Relationships I believe love shouldn’t be forced so it was a new experience having to stress about a person. I’m glad I got to express myself about it in the song.
Also, I struggle with expressing my vulnerabilities, but Tsunami was a breakthrough for me in that regard. On it, I sing words that I would never express to a partner, which helped me ease into being honestly open about how I felt without judgment.”
As a result of choosing to be vulnerable, Yimeeka finds space for herself to come to terms with her emotions, her songs providing her with climatic relief.
“I was very at peace working on Issues because it felt like I let go of feelings I had been holding on to. Creating Tsunami on the other hand was a completely new experience; I mostly sing about my pain, so it was good to sing about a positive and exciting feeling.”
Creatives love to talk about enjoying the process of making something and bringing it life. With process come new experiences. In the making of ‘Issues/‘Tsunami’ some moments stuck out for her as she reminisces on them, she also shares parts of both songs that she holds close to her heart because of the interpretations they have in relation to her personal experiences.
“A significant moment for me when I was working on Issues was meeting YKB for the first time and playing the demo for him. It was amazing to see him record on a beat I made.
I remember fondly also the moment I heard Manana’s verse for the first time on Tsunami.
Some parts of both songs have stuck with me because of how much I resonated with them. The part of Issues that says “are you too tired of whining and crying” just keeps me in that concept of having a manipulative partner and how detrimental that can be. Similarly, in Tsunami the “ti mo ba sun, ti mi o ba sun – will you be there to wait for me” speaks about my need for assurance. It opens up my fears. I think about that part a lot.”
Having something to think about for herself alone is not quite enough as Yimeeka shares her art with the rest of the world. She carries along with her new release hopes for everyone else who is part of her journey by listening to her songs and participating in the experience of the emotions she feels which are universal. Yimeeka hopes that people who have the same kinds of emotional experiences that birthed her release of both records can get to associate with them too…
“I really hope people can connect to the feelings I felt while making Issues. I hope it is something they can relate to.
Tsunami carries the simplicity of falling in love and I hope listeners can relate to the emotions manana and I had singing the song.”
Ultimately, just as she hopes to inspire others through her music, Yimeeka has been inspired by others too. Influences are scattered all over both records, but she highlights two women as her strongest inspiration for each of the records;
I love to pick inspiration from other artists. In Issues I tried emulating Angelique Kidjo’s style of singing in Yoruba. I just wanted to try that out. On the other hand, I think it’s almost obvious that one of the major inspirations for tsunami was Beyonce’s song Runnin’ (Lose it all).”
Yimeeka’s musical journey is progressing beyond expectations. Her expedition into touching themes that mean a lot to her human experience sets her apart from her counterparts. Already on a pedestal of implosive growth, Yimeeka is set to keep creating tunes that are true to herself and have the potential to crawl into the hearts of a universal audience.
