MAYE HUNTA
For those of you who do not know,Maye Hunta is the artiste who sang that new song EKAETTE that everyone’s been shouting about,well in this interview Maye revealed to us at GidiNoize who really gave EKAETTE belle…lol…It was a privilege having an interview with the man himself, just before reading we felt we should share the lovely EKAETTE video with you.
Enjoy.
1.HOW DID YOU REALISE MUSIC WAS YOUR CALLING?
Music has always being a part of my life since when I was a kid but that overwhelming sense of taking it seriously hit me in 1998. I just found myself writing poems and with it came a desire to add on melodies. I knew I was a creative person with talents but wasn’t sure what part of my talents to explore at first. The more I tried to discover myself, the deeper I got into the relationship with my new found love. As time went by, it became clearer to me that my calling in life is to be an all round entertainer.
2.WHAT GENRE ARE YOU INTO AND WHY?
This is one question that I hate to answer cos It’s difficult for me to say what particular genre of music I do. I like to say, with time hopefully I’ll be able to tell. Presently my sound is a fusion of different genres that come to me easily such as RnB, Hip Hop, Reggae, Highlife and much more. Perhaps in the nearest future it might form into a brand new sound
3.WHATS THE STORY BEHIND THE NAME MAYE HUNTA?
Maye Hunta comes from my real names Olumayowa Adekunle Odejimi. Maye is from Mayowa and it’s a nick name given to me by friends whilst I was studying in Osu(now Olabisi Onabanjo University). I thought it was quite different and African sounding with the accent so I decided to stick to it. Hunta is from my surname Odejimi, means the crowned Hunter so I decided to keep the Hunter but spelt differently with the A, hence Hunta.
4.WE AT GIDINOIZE UNDERSTAND THAT YOU ARE BASED IN S.A,IS THERE A REASON FOR THIS?
I moved to South Africa in 2002 to study and pursue my dreams of becoming a successful recording artiste. I decided to stay back after I finished my studies at the University of Pretoria. I have recently moved back to Nigeria to make my presence felt in the music industry.
5.YOUR NEW SONG, EKAETTE IS MAKING WAVES IN NIGERIA AND BEYOND,WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION BEHIND THE SONG?
The idea of the song Ekaette was born out of a desire to do something different, that my people in Nigeria and the rest of Africa can relate to. You hear such stories from time to time where I come from so I decided to make a song out of a real life scenario. Everything that I sing about is reality driven.
6.TELL US A BIT ABOUT THE EKAETE VIDEO,WHERE WAS THE VIDEO SHOT,WHO WAS THE PRODUCER….ETC?
The video of Ekaette was shot in South Africa and it was produced by Alisha Ludick for Lulu’s love Production Company. It was a 22hour shoot and the location was a residence in a Johannesburg Surburb.
7.THE VIDEO WAS ON POINT AND WE AT GIDINOIZE ARE SURE IT COST A HANDFUL, CAN YOU TELL US LIKE HOW MUCH IT COST?
Oh Yeah it cost us a lot of money to shoot, you know what the yorubas say ”Obe to dun Owo lopa.”Stew wey sweet na money kill am”lol Lets just say it was a big budget video and I thank God for making it worth all the investment.
8.WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THE NAME ‘EKAETTE’? LOL
The name Ekaette was chosen cos it’s a general belief that women from Calabar are very good cooks and are said to cater to their spouses very well, you know what they say “The way to a mans heart is through his stomach“. If you listen very carefully to the song you’ll notice that we laid more emphasis on the fact that Ekaette is a good cook. The name Ekaette is a popular name from that region and it just worked better for the song in terms of the storyline and melody. It could have been Nneka, Rotimi or even Aisha, it really doesn’t matter. I’d like to make it very clear that the choice of the name Ekaette was not meant to derogate or discriminate in any way. Basically, i hope we communicated the main message of the song and not pay too much attention on Ekaette. The question everyone should be asking is’should i leave my spouse in the care of a cook, help or steward’?
9.HAVE YOU EVER BEEN IN THAT SITUATION BEFORE?LOL
loooool,what do you think???? Na it’s all based on my imagination and stories that I’ve heard but it is a true story though, it’s happened in the past and it’s still happening as we speak.
10.WE UNDERSTAND THAT BEFORE EKAETTE YOU HAD RELEASED A COUPLE OF OTHER SONGS,CAN YOU TELL US A BIT ABOUT THEM?
This is my 2nd album. My 1st album was called “The Introduction” and we released 3 videos from that album. The video of the 2nd single ”I-V” from the album was nominated in 3 categories including the video of the year at the 2007 Channel O Music video Awards. The full album never made it into the market though cos we encountered some problems along the way.
11.WHAT HAS BEEN THE GREATEST MOMENT OF YOUR MUSICAL CAREER SO FAR?
Every time I get a fan out there appreciating my music its always a great moment for me and also when I got the letter that my music video had being nominated 3 times at the Channel O music video awards. It made me feel good with myself that I was appreciated on that level.
12.OUTSIDE THE MUSIC SCENE WHO IS MAYE HUNTA?
Maye Hunta is also an actor and an aspiring Record Executive
13.ARE YOU SINGLE?LOL
lol. Yeah but in a relationship and I’m happy
14.WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A WOMAN?
That’s for me to know and for her to find out
15.APART FROM MUSIC DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER AREAS OF INTEREST?
Like I said I’m an all round entertainer and beyond that I’m also very business oriented. In the past I’ve sold ties, jewelry, dogs etc. That tells you that I can get my hustle on. I am very interested in the business side of the entertainment industry but that side of me will unfold when I’ve built the Maye Hunta brand to a desired level.
16.WHATS NEXT FOR MAYE HUNTA?
Album release then tours around Nigeria, Africa and beyond
17.IS THERE AN ALBUM IN THE WORKS?
Yeaaaaah, the album is ready.the title is “Mayefestation” The bulk of the album was produced by my friend and partner in crime Shizzi, it features other wonderful artistes like Sound Sultan, I.D Cabassa, Igho, Vector and many more
18.THERE ARE A BUNCH OF NIGERIAN ARTISTES,WHAT MAKES YOU STAND OUT?
My story telling ability, style and my quest for originality. This makes me willing to experiment and thereby standing out from the pack
19.WHAT DO YOU THINK THE NIGERIAN MUSIC INDUSTRY IS LACKING AND CAN FILL THE VOID?
The industry presently lacks a proper structure that can allow for proper distribution and record keeping in terms of sales. Thank God that things are looking good now and the stake holders have started working on bringing about change by fighting piracy. Rome wasn’t built in a day, Slowly but surely we’ll get there.
20.WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR OTHER UPCOMING ARTISTES?
Dedicate time to perfecting your art and be original, do music for the right reasons, understand your strengths and use it to the fullest such that it can make up for your weaknesses and follow your heart, most importantly pray hard to God almighty the giver of the talent.
21.ANY LAST WORDS FOR YOUR FANS?
I want to say a big Thank you to all the Fans for being there through thick and thin. There wouldn’t be a Maye Hunta without you guys. Also a big shout out to all the Djs, radio stations, Tv Stations and media Houses, thanks for the steady support. One love!
GidiNoize 