The artists behind viral hit “Ogechi,” Brown Joel, Hyce and BoyPee, have shared how they convinced Afrobeats star Davido to feature on the song.
The trio, who all have individual music careers, appear to be joint owners of the song released on May 10.
In the Nigerian music industry, it is rare for relatively unknown artists to collaborate with an already established musician like Davido, especially on his major debut.
This surprise collaboration is a feat that many emerging artists will remember forever, hence the curiosity about the backstory of the trio who landed a coveted collaboration with one of Africa’s most prominent musicians.
The group shared one of their best-kept secrets in an interview with YouTuber Didee Talks.
In the interview, the trio credited the famous bartender for helping bring the collaboration to life.
Stand out
The trio said they kept their lifelong dream alive more than five years ago when they discovered BoyPee's musical prowess.
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BoyPee said: “It all started in 2019 when Chief Priest from Cubana asked to see me. He’s been promoting my music since 2019. I did a song for Chief Priest back then. He’s a very free man. I met Chief Priest from Cubana through a friend. The friend encouraged me to record for Cubana. I didn’t know who Chief Priest was; I had to check out his profile. I recorded the song and a friend sent it to Chief Priest, and he reposted my song.”
Singer BoyPee also described the collaboration as life-changing.
He said: “Every time the priest calls me, my heart always races. He had never called me on a video call before, so when he called me, I was shocked. When I answered the video call, he said, ‘How far away? Where are you now? David is here and wants to talk to you. ’ I said, ‘Oh my God. ’”
“While Davido was talking, I wasn’t paying attention to what he was saying; I was so excited that I shouted, ‘Is it Davido? ’ I was on a boat and I had to go back because the High Priest said we should go to his house where Davido was. It was a matter of now or never. I had to call the other boys to get ready quickly.”
Perfect time
Surprisingly, BoyPee stated that he has been communicating with Davido on Instagram since 2020, affirming to himself that one day, the singer would recognize his “hard work and talent.”
Reflecting on his overnight success, Brown Joel described his rapid rise as “overwhelming,” BoyPee expressed his gratitude for Cubana Chief Priest’s continued support and described him as a significant “influencer.”
Brown Joel described the emotional impact of the Afrobeats star’s involvement, saying: “Davido recorded his verse, and Chief Priest walked in, heard the verse, and started crying. Davido recorded his verse just two days before the remix was released. The theme of the song, “God’s Time,” aligned perfectly with the timing of the events.”
When asked if they had been making music before and knew each other, they said “no” and credited singer Zyno-Topboy for bringing them together during a tour in April, leading to the creation of “Ogechi.”
Brown Joel mentioned that given his newfound success, “everything is overwhelming,” and there is the tension of “what’s next.”
They noted that the speed of Davido’s collaboration taught them that “dreams do come true.”
READ ALSO: MUSIC REVIEW: In 'Ogechi' music video, Davido pays homage to Chioma's roots
Ogechi
“Ogechi” quickly gained popularity on TikTok, racking up over 200 remixed videos in two weeks. The remix of the song, which features Davido, was released on June 26, the day after Davido’s wedding, and took the song to new heights. The visuals, which pay homage to Davido’s wife Chioma’s roots, have garnered over 1.4 million views on YouTube.
The song also topped the TurnTable Nigeria Top 100 chart for the week of June 28 to July 4, 2024, with 6.76 million on-demand streams and 49.3 million radio streams.
The “Ogechi” remix outperformed songs by other prominent names in Nigerian music. Burna Boy’s “Higher” came in second, while Olamide’s “Metaverse” moved up to third place.
This is Davido's second number one hit of 2024, following his performance on Kizz Daniel's “Twe Twe” remix.
Watch the music video below.