I STAND FOR THE LOVE OF MY NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOUR – NOSA | @nosaalways

Nigerian music producer, composer and singer; Nosa Shadrax Omoregie who is simply known as Nosa is signed onto Chocolate City. Since the release of his début album 'Open Doors,' Nosa has been rocking every radio with a captivating voice and deep lyrics. The Electrical Engineer from Edo State and he bore his mind on a range of issues in music, love and life, read on

Who is the Man Nosa?

"Nosa is a man who sees music like a means to an end; because I stand for peace, love of mankind, and the liberty of all races. I stand for the love of my next door neighbour. That is why my early music mentors are people like Bob Marley and others who used their music to teach about human liberation and salvation just like our Lord Jesus Christ did; which is the main message I share.” So, will Nosa say the likes of Marley are of the same stock with the saviour of the world? “Not at all! That will be taking it a lot to the extreme, all I'm saying is, I love music that has a message and is purpose driven. In fact I want to pass the message of my Lord and saviour Jesus Christ and it happens that music is the only means I have to do so.”

Can we take one more journey to how Nonso arrived at Chocolate City? “Ok, I had released my first single "Always Pray for You," and I was promoting it and I had to move in with my eldest brother who lives in Lekki and he was a next door neighbour to Jeffrey Daniel (the American judge on Nigerian Idol and member of Shalamar). Jeffrey heard my song and fell in love with it and at that point in time, the CEO of Chocolate City, Audu Maikori, was a co -Judge with Jeffrey on Idols; so, he gave my work to him and Audu invited me over, and after listening to my materials, he gave an order to the guys at Chocolate City to take me in at once and the rest like they say is history."

Soon after releasing his album, "Open Doors," the cute-faced singer and producer landed a juicy deal with Close-Up that led to some people saying he has become a brand Ambassador for the well-respected product. Did Nosa get the deal on his own merit or due to the influence of Chocolate City? "First, I am not a Brand Ambassador of Close-Up. My song, "Way you Love Me" was only used for the current television commercial of Close-Up. Listen to the song again and make up your mind if I got it on merit or not. All I can say is Chocolate City has been a wonderful label that has given my talent wings to soar."

For five years, Nosa moved from studio to studio toiling day and night without getting it right. Now that he has delivered an album and arrived at the spotlight, what are the positive and negative surprises that stardom has brought his way? "I have gone pass that stage of life were I get caught up in surprises. I am far more matured and calm; I don't let things take me by surprise. Even when some funny things happen, I take it like a learning process, because I am never afraid of falling forward because that is the only way to move forward. On the positive side, I will say the joy of knowing that I have finally put out an album out there and that I have nothing to prove to anyone again gives me so much joy." 

Nosa's “Open Doors” is no doubt a matured cocktail of different genre and lyrics; a clear indication of the man's maturity, but debuting his album at this point were teen sensations seem to be the in-thing; does Nosa have any worry about this? "Not at all; like we said earlier, I took five years to put this album together and my songs are not just about dance. I have songs for everybody and every mood in the album. The kind of songs the younger ones are doing are basically for parties, but in "Open Doors" album, you will find songs for every situation. In fact, people who do not like my kind of music are not humans because no man can dance for ever because you must get tired. But when you touch a man's emotions with a strong message, you have touched him forever.”

Given the years it took Nosa to break through, what personal mistakes will he say he made that delayed the early birth of his career “I will say lack of experience and the anxiety to put out my work pushed me into signing some deals that I came to discover were not good for me and I had to pay for them with time.” Speaking of labels and regrets that come from bad contracts, what has the case been with his present label Chocolate City? "There is only one pressure and problem with Chocolate City, and that is the pressure on me to better my craft. I mean, look at the quality of talents in the label. Just take a look at what MI has done with Hip Hop; it is legendary, so I am enjoying myself and the pressure to do better."

Now that Nosa has arrived the promise land, is there any Eve with him to help run his empire? "No doubt, there is a woman in my life but we are waiting for the right time to make it official."

Many a time, Nigerian young talents are always cut short by their excessive love for night life and liquor; what words does Nosa have for other young talents on this and other issues, and what is he doing to ensure he does not fall into the same trap? "I will like to point out something; the life you live when you hit stardom is simply a reflection of who you are. Stardom does not change anybody; it only helps to show who you really are. For me, I like staying around work; if you see me out, it is strictly for shows and I am back home…' From speaking the truth about an artiste's life, it was time for Nosa to speak to the young talents that are still bubbling underground. "For that hustling talent on the street, all I have to say to them is, it pays to suffer when you are maximizing your potential because the breakthrough will come. If for any reason you are suffering on something that does not bring out your potential, you just have to quit," he concluded emphtically.

*Nosa's début album was released in March 2014 under Chocolate City.

Culled