Chike speaks on the inspiration behind his album ‘Son of Chike’

Nigerian award-winning singer Chike recently released his third album titled ‘The Son of Chike’.

Since impacting the mainstream with his critically acclaimed debut album ‘Boo of the Booless’, Chike has been one of the prominent voices in Nigerian RnB.

In an interview with Apple Music Africa Now Radio, Chike talked about the inspiration behind his new album ‘Song of Chike’.

According to the singing sensation, his third album ‘Son of Chike’ was an effort to showcase his heritage through music that embraces his Igbo culture.

“I feel like it’s an album where I was putting out my culture, even down to the way I expressed myself. I know that with this album, you can tell who Chike is and where he is from. I know that my culture is more represented in the music in my third studio album,” he tells the host Nandi Madiba.

Chike is an artist particular about his collaborations with few collaborations across his previous albums. On his new album, he features Olamide, Ladipoe, and Qing Madi, among others. Speaking of what inspired the features, Chike says he always puts the music first instead of being motivated by numbers.

“With everything I do, I just try to remind myself that the music comes first. It’s not the numbers, because that temptation is there…Numbers look good and everybody wants to have them, but for me, in the end, no matter the decision I made—even if it’s for numbers, perception, or whatever it is for—I still ask myself, ‘Is it about the music? Does the music come first?’ “

Chike’s ‘Son of Chike’ is preceded by the hit single ‘Egwu’ featuring the late Mohbad. On how Mohbad’s passing affected him, Chike stated that he learned the unpredictability of life and why he should make the best use of his time.

“When things happen in your life and you realise we are not here forever, it reminds you that this can happen to anybody and you should make the best use of your time. I went ahead and did something I’d wanted to do. I spent all my savings; I did things for some people, where [before] I was thinking it wasn’t the right time to do it. I was just like, “You know what, I’m gonna do this now, right time or not—because the right time might never come.”

Chike’s new album ‘Son of Chike’ was released on July 19, 2024, and it’s set to kick off another chapter in his career.