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How did the name May7ven come about?
I was born on the 7th of May, and when my dad played professional football, he wore the Number 7 jersey, so it’s his lucky number. He has seven children, and the second child was born on the 7th as well. It’s just something that has been in our family for some time.
Are you his first child?
Yes, I am his first child. When I was born on 7th May, the nickname started to develop, so when I decided to become a full-blown artiste, I wanted a name that meant something to me. And of course my birthday is very special to my both parents. I decided to follow my father’s trend of having seven attached to my name. He was Mathematical 7, and I’m May 7; so that’s how the name came about.
How did you find yourself in music?
I will say music found me. I’ve always wanted to sing since I was three years old. I’m sure I learnt how to walk because I wanted to dance so much. It’s very natural to me; I’ve been singing in school, and in the choir. By the time I was eight, I already knew I was gifted. While growing up, I’d never played drums before but I was watching the drummer play in church religiously every day. So one day, he left the drum-sticks behind, and I started playing as if I’d been playing all my life. The Choir Master saw me playing, and he said, ‘Why don’t you play next week?’
I continued singing in school and going to the studio at any given opportunity till I was 15 years old. That was when I was discovered. I went into a local community centre in London and MTV Base was having an interview for established artistes then, and I was watching this lady called DJ Elaine film and interview them. I was trying to get their attention, and then out of the blues, one of the producers asked me to join them because they wanted a pool of people. I said fine and sat amongst the artistes and then the interviewer asked me what I did and I told her that I sing. I immediately started belting out songs and it was in front of MTV in the UK. The next day, I got found by a guy called Ronald; he watched the program and proceeded to sign me. Not on the spot though, but after a while. So that’s how my musical journey started when I was 15 years old as a professional. I started out being a back-up singer for artistes like Beverly Nice, Mary J Blige, and so many other established artistes; they called it grooming and preparing me for the big leagues. However, after a time I felt the back-up thing was becoming too long, so I left Ronald and signed with another company. I worked with Jamelia who was one of the hottest acts in the UK at that time.
I continued doing my thing and when I shot my first video, “Hands Up,” my father was surprised because he didn’t know it was that serious. I became an instant celebrity overnight; the head of MTV Base contacted me, as well as other hotshots. As that time, I didn’t have a manager, or a PR company, but I had to pretend like I had all those. I still do that though because I’m a bit of a control freak and I like to be in control of what’s going on every time. As I was preparing to shoot another video, I got a call from popular Video Jockey (VJ), Denrele, and I visited Nigeria to promote the song. Soundcity loved the music and I hosted one of their programs, ‘Star Host.’ All the other stations gave me good airplay as well. The only thing was that none of them knew I was a Nigerian because I didn’t use the name Yemisi, but May7ven; they thought I was an American artiste because there was nothing Nigerian in my attire and my speech. After a while, I met Wale Akinboboye who had an entertainment company. He told me I was doing well, but that I had to infuse more of my culture into my music. He told me I had something different from all the other female black artistes in the UK. I felt I had an edge because there wasn’t any s*xy Nigerian female act on TV at that time. After that, I did a controversial song, “Bo aso lara me (Take off my clothes)” in UK, and the labels were in talks with me, but at a point I felt I didn’t need them because I had done my own thing and made my own money. I saved up for another year and released the video which went straight to MTV’s chart along with the likes of Rihanna. After that, I physically brought the song to Nigeria and did a lot of PR. After D’banj’s “Oliver Twist,” I was the next artiste being played on mainstream media in the UK. I then decided to come to Nigeria to promote my music more, but within a week of my arrival in 2011/2012, I was with 2face and Annie, and I had a near-fatal accident, and that put me off, that I wasn’t coming to Nigeria again, because I had a scar on my face, though if you don’t look closely, you wouldn’t see it now.
When you were first signed to a record label in the UK?
That was in 2004, but my first single was in 2006. After my accident, I released “Ten Ten” in 2012, and I had a story behind it. That song was to encourage women that it doesn’t matter what they look like, but the content of their heads and hearts. It meant something to me because of my facial scar; I thought I wouldn’t have the confidence to get in front of a camera again. So that song wasn’t just for other people, but myself as well…it was very therapeutic.
Take us through your educational background?
In Nigeria, I went to Bodija International School in Ibadan. In the UK, I went to different schools but the last one was Riverston Private School in Elton. After secondary school, I did short courses on Marketing and Music Engineering, then I went to do a degree in Architecture and Building Surveying.
What else do you do?
I’m also involved in setting up companies that help to develop Nigerian-based artistes and put them more ‘out there’ in the UK. We do events; as for me, I do approximately 12 events a year. Strictly Afrobeats…Afrobeats Live, Afrobeats Festival together with my partner, Brian T. The PR part of our operations is called DLA.
You mentioned that you like to be in control of everything, does that apply to your boyfriend too?
Yes. It’s not that I want to control him, but I want to control the situation. It’s good to know things that will happen, and also how to control them. I don’t like getting into things that I don’t know what the end result would be. For example, if I was getting married, there are some things to do, so I’ll control those things and make sure they happen.
Do you like adventures?
Yes! I’m very very adventurous.
Now that you’re back home, are you encouraged by the success of other returnees like yourself in music?
My father actually put a lot of pressure on me to come back home. I was working on a song that is done completely in Yoruba language, though I wouldn’t tell you the name. When my father heard about it, he asked me to come back home immediately and promote it because that’s his favourite song.
Could one of your reasons for coming back to Nigeria be because you couldn’t find love over there?
No! I did find love, and I’m still very much in love. It’s just that distance doesn’t help. You know being a female artiste, is not easy for any man to bear. I am young and s*xy, and he knows what Nigerian men are like; he doesn’t think they would leave me alone, so we’ve just been fighting. I don’t know maybe he doesn’t trust the situation, or if it’s me he doesn’t trust me but I’ve never given him any reason to doubt me.
Is he Nigerian?
No, he is Ghanaian, and he is a popular DJ in UK. His career is very established there, so he can’t move to Nigeria, and I’m also not based in London anymore.
Are your kids in London?
I don’t talk about my kids in the media, but yes, they’re in London.
I learnt you have four kids?
No, I don’t. I only have three kids.
What’s your opinion of Nigerian men?
Nigerian men are fine, they’re good. They’re aggressive and determined in the way they approach women. They don’t give up, and I guess that’s one wonderful thing about Nigerians because they apply it to all situations. They’re very focused and driven.
You were born in Nigeria, before you moved to the UK. Is it that you have never had a Nigerian man woo you?
It’s not that they don’t approach me; they do. It’s just that I think the way they call women is ‘too much;’ I don’t like it, and I’ve never found one that has shown me that much interest.
Can you tell us a bit about your ex-husband?
He is British-Caribbean, and I met him when I was 15, and we were together ever since. We divorced seven years ago though.
What does the tattoo on your arm say?
It says, ‘God is Love.’
Can you recall instances when the number 7 has worked with you?
Well, the first two videos I shot went straight to number seven on MTV Base Chart. My house is number 7, my hotel rooms at times also carry that number. The instances are too many to be listed.
Will you be open to marrying a Nigerian man if the proposal comes?
(Chuckles) Here in Nigeria, I’ve already had proposals from people I met only once. My dad says maybe I’ll find love here, but I’m not out here looking for that. My focus is on business and music.
Which Nigerian artistes would you like to collaborate with?
Well. I’ve already worked with some of them including 2face, Wizkid, Davido and others. However, I’ll still like to work with Davido, Phyno, Olamide and so many of them.
No female artiste catches your fancy?
They do. Tiwa did some backing for me in London on one of my tracks, but I want to do a couple of tracks with her. I’m also in talks with Seyi Shay, Yemi Alade, Waje, and a couple of others. I want to put them all on a track called, “Sisters Unite.”
How about your mum?
My mom, Jumoke Odegbami, is Nigerian, but she lives in London. She’s actually planning on moving back to Nigeria.
Why do you think you were relocated to England at an early age?
The whole thing with my dad and women got too much for my mother, so she took my brother and I to the UK then. It wasn’t easy moving to the UK because she faced a lot of problems such as financial, homelessness and racism.
In Nigeria, the name Odegbami opens doors, but in the UK, we were unknown and always ridiculed; they couldn’t even pronounce my surname. It’s a whole different world, and my mother had to raise three children all alone as a single mother with no input from my dad. For a long time, I felt resentment towards him for that, but as I grew older, I realized that being famous doesn’t necessarily mean you are rich. In fact it makes it worse because you cannot ask for help. It was really tough for us because we had to walk to school and endure financial difficulty. All these make me appreciate my mother so much because her three children are doing well in our respective fields. My sister, Funmi Odegbami runs Mink, a UK-based Make-Up school, and was listed as one of the most influential black women in Europe. My brother, Junior Segun Odegbami, is also a computer guru. He works for one of the largest hedge funds companies.
Do you get along well with your step-mom?
Yes, I do; she’s cool, and we’ve met a couple of times. However, when I was growing up, I had a lot of resentment towards Funmi Iyanda, but as I grew older, I realized how these relationships happen. You don’t plan who to fall in love with. At that point, even though my father was married, sometimes, he was not even seeing his wife for a whole year, so that can’t really be called a marriage. It’s not in my place to choose who he would be with for him.
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