In Talks With x Waye.

– Aanu Idowu

Sitting with Nigeria’s captivating rising star, Uwaye Eigbedion, professionally known as Waye.

Renowned for her eclectic sound and expressive femininity in her work, Waye embodies a goddess aura through her delicate vocals, self-aware lyrics, and sensual, psychic-sensitive visuals. Her rich discography reflects sincere, heartfelt lyricism.

Why retain “Waye’ as your stage name?

My full name is Uwaye. My friends call me Uwi, I do not think I have ever thought of anything else. I feel like my real name has always been it and that’s the only name I identify with.

So, I just stuck with my real name. I am from Edo state and my mom is from Ogun State, my name means “wealth.”

If not music, what would Waye most likely be involved in?

I would say I am doing what I would have done if I was not doing music. I paint, and style, and I am very much involved in Fashion design.

What would you say your creative process is like?

I would say my creative process varies. Sometimes I’m in the studio with my producer, drawing inspiration from my experiences. Other times, it starts out with my producer hitting me up or going to the studio. He makes the beat, I listen and vibe. When it comes to recording, some songs take a few hours, some a year. There are other times when the idea comes first I discuss it with my producer and we work up from there.

I take my time, I’m never in a rush to finish a song.

Also I hear alot of my lyrics in my sleep, dream, I wake up to write down the lyrics and messages that I hear in my sleep. I would say it’s one of my major process of creating.

Help me draw lines from your upbringing to the woman you are today?

Growing up in Kano influenced my style, it’s in the way I sing , my music, fashion, and culture. I would say, I had an interesting childhood, revolving around art, music, and drama, these people and places shaped me into who I am.

How has Waye’s artistic journey been so far?

My Journey as an artist has had its fair share of highs and lows and they serve different purposes, the highs that bring a smile to my face, and the lows that serve as a motivation to keep on pushing.

I released my first single, while I was at the University of Benin, and up till now, it has been a journey majorly characterised by growth and progress, a seamless journey and the best part is, it has been moving according to my pace. Just how I wanted.

On the other hand, I remember a certain time when I was battling between doing things my way and being told to follow certain rules to put out music or having to discover my sound, the need to identify and focus on a particular genre, people telling me how to make music. It was a downtime for me and I didn’t want to put out music. During those times, it was hard to see that even my regular music was perfect.

But when it came to growth with my sound, the place where my music is, this is where I want it to be. I would say, I am currently living in my highs, the journey has been great and inspiring for me. Most importantly, I am growing in my sound, and achieving my dreams, and I’d say I’m doing it well.

What was the inspiration for Healer? it seems to have a Reggae and RnB combination.

I’m a big fan of the acclaimed “rasta culture.’ I enjoy listening to them and being about that life. Deep in my spirit, I feel like I am one of them. I would say I’m a mix of aggressive and soft, at the same time.

So it came naturally and the composition was largely influenced by those I see myself surrounded by; my rasta friends, mentors, and teachers, and how I merge into that culture.

What Twitter conversation gets you the most agitated?

Hmm, Each time I come across those “Women are supposed to do this” and “Men are superior” related tweets. It gets me angry and my anger is entrenched by my view on misogyny and the prevailing toxic patriarchy.

There are 1 million things that can most likely piss you off on Twitter, there was a time I saw something I disliked and I logged out and went off the app for about a year or two, I couldn’t take it any longer. The facts of these tweets seem like an insight into people’s minds and you wonder why they are thinking backwards.

I have to agree with you there. Conversations reveal people’s thought processes and rationale and it’s just exhausting to admit that grown adults are still so myopic. Anyways, moving along, how was it working on the soundtrack for Next Top Model you and did you take a different approach?

I think it was the same to be honest, probably even faster. My friend had the Next Top Model fashion show and wanted a track for when the models strut the runway.

I hit up my producer and he made a beat in a few minutes, we didn’t think too much about it. I tried to rhyme on it.

I didn’t know it would be going out then she asked if I could put it on Apple Music. I was like okay then shot a performance video for it, simply because I like it when people have something to watch while listening to my music.

Making the soundtrack was faster than making my other songs.

What songs or soundtrack do you wish you were on?

To be honest, I can’t think of anything that would make me go, ‘oo my gosh I see myself on this song’. However, Hmm, I think , Lila Ike, Damian Marley, Chronixx, and Projexx are outstanding artists, I feel like we could make great music together. I think they are other people, it just not coming to my head right now, also OmahLay, Wurld, and Lojay.

What is your support system like?

I think it is very heavy, I have my parents, siblings, sisters, basically my family in general, and my producers. It’s more than work, it’s family friends, and people I have known from way back.

For instance, I worked with my present producer for about 10 years, during this course I worked with other producers.

Thankfully, everyone working with me is grounded in my art and life and supports me in everything.

If your life was summarised into a movie, what would it be titled?

Hmm, that’s deep, I’m trying to summarise my life.

It will be Uwaye.

Waye – Healer

So, Wealth in a movie! love that so much. Thank you for launching this new series with us as we mark the remarkable contribution of women and shine and extra spotlight twice as bright on everything we do.