Sound Sultan Is Like A Father To Me -seyi shay

Reveals: ‘

Deborah Oluwaseyi Joshua, better known by her stage name Seyi Shay, is one of Nigeria’s sassiest entertainers all thanks to her banging voice, energy, sexiness, prowess and stage craft.
In a recent interview with City People, the svelte singer opens up on her personal life, the father she never had, and the father she has found in fellow musician and mentor, Sound Sultan.
Excerpts below…
“I came to Nigeria in 2012 and I came under the wings of Flytime which belongs to Cecil Hammonds and under the wings of Sound Sultan.
“I have had some ups and downs but thankfully because of the people who brought me to Nigeria at the time, I was able to perform on big stages from day one.
“It wasn’t like I came from the streets, but prior to coming to Nigeria, I was managed by US star Beyonce’s dad, Matthew Knowles for about four years and I was in a girl band, at the time, we had our own reality show on MTV, we toured with Beyonce for her ‘I AM’ tour in 2010 and shortly after that, the group broke up.
 “I think that was the reason I came to Nigeria because I didn’t know what else to do and I wanted to continue music. So Sound Sultan said “come to Nigeria, let me help you” and that’s pretty much how it happened.
“Sound Sultan is like my dad really, the dad I never had. He is my mentor, he’s also my song writer; he and his wife are like my mum and dad. It’s a relationship that’s indescribable, God just used him as a vessel to really expose me. I used to go round with Naija Ninjas and Radio tours and he kept introducing me as his protégé. Cecil also used to tell people to put me on their shows that I’m good. Between the two of them, I flourished a lot.
“I’m the last of four children from my mum’s side; I have two older brothers and one older sister. On my dad’s side, there are like 12 kids. I grew up with my mum, I didn’t live with my father at all, that’s why I said Sound Sultan is like a father to me in my later years than anybody else.