Judging by her pen game, vocal delivery and professional demeanor, Olayinka Ehi is a very special talent. She already is established as ‘prolific’ in the minds of those who are conscious of her gift, and her potential seems endless when you consider the fact that she is still in the process of growth.
I would be aiming for the incredible but would only end up at achieving nothing but bathos if I say that she already is in the same class with the greats, but in order to put our perspectives within the constraints of the present, let’s conclude that she is in a class of her own.
Having already created a solid foundation for herself with her EP, Story, and singles like Thinking, No Love This Summer and Good Girl Bad Girl, Olayinka also consciously expands the terrains of her penwomanship towards collaborations (of which bagging the only feature on WhoIsAkin’s Full Moon on Weekends EP is a testament).
As they say, Luck happens when preparation meets opportunity – this statement holds true for Olayinka Ehi. Her horizons seems to be extending by yet another stretch with her most recent feature on Adekunle Gold’s recently released Afro Pop vol. 1 Album where she featured on the sixth track, Exclusive.
“I did backup vocals for him at a show and we became friends from there. Learned a lot from him since then.” Olayinka recounts her first meeting with Adekunle Gold.
It must be understood that backup singers come and they go, but there must have been some form of mutual professionalism, understanding and respect between the duo which gave them the room to be able to strike that first contact, and then hold on by staying in touch over such a long period of time.
Many artistes and creatives try to stay wary and steer clear of having personal relationships with fellow artistes/creatives because honestly speaking, from the place of playing the survival game, what comes to mind first is the fact that they are competitors for the same limited opportunities rather than just humans, but for Olayinka Ehi, it would be a mistake to reason in such a way;
“I don’t really see others as competitors except we’re literally competing (laugh) in a show or something. Generally I’m aware of my uniqueness and how that makes me dope. I want less bad vibes in the music industry and it’s my goal not to contribute to that. ” she says.
Olayinka Ehi reiterates from time to time that she would rather be found doing a thing than talking about doing it and this is evident in her above statement because a proof to her being open minded and generous to fellow creative can be observed in Adekunle Gold’s testimony of how she got to be featured on Exclusive:
“Olayinka has been my friend since 2016. I told her I wanted her to demo the second verse (of Exclusive) for a big R&B artiste, and she didn’t know she was actually the feature! She recorded the verse and even changed some lines. She sent it back and I told her the artiste had finally gotten the song. It wasn’t until the album track list dropped that she called screaming, ‘what’s going on?!’ That was the plan all along and I’m so happy that she nailed it ‘cause I wanted to surprise her!”
Without asking questions on who the ‘big R&B singer’ was, Olayinka saw no harm in making that sacrifice by writing and recording the verse for the song. That shows not just a total absence of the self-sabotaging spirit of competition, but also an utmost dedication to her cause. We asked her why she is oriented to think in this way, her response?
I’m open to create whenever the vibe works. I love writing and my goal is to expand my songwriting portfolio.
We also inquired of her what her thoughts are about the Afro Pop vol.1 album and if there were any other songs off it that holds a special place in her heart with the exception of Exclusive and she says
“I love the entire project.
It’s amazing to see his growth not only as a person but as an artist. His fearlessness definitely inspires me. I’m super honored to be a part of it. Exclusive was really God’s plan and I wouldn’t want it any other way
Haha The entire album is my favorite song on the album”
Olayinka is very much focused on her craft, and her simple mantra for relating and collaborating with other artistes goes thus:
“Being genuine. Being good to EVERYONE. Respect is top 2 and not number 2.”
You can listen to her latest single, Shake, here.
