Flavour reflects on his humble beginnings, sharing how he was once chased off the stage during a performance for P-Square

Flavour has shared, in a very pivotal story from the earliest days of his music career, how a moment had him being asked to leave the stage for the famous duo P-Square, now defunct. The singer spoke in an interview with the “In My Opinion” podcast, which was released on Sunday, August 18. He considers this as a defining moment in his life.

He explained that he initiated his career as a choir conductor and a drummer in church, then into the secular music arena. After joining a band that grooms young boys to become musicians, Flavour spent 13 years honing his craft in the band. However, he had to leave the band for a solo music career as a singer.

He shared that during those early days, the road was tough. When he finally left the band, things became tough, and he plunged into street musician business. He played at several spots, thrilling audiences with his over 5,000 songs in his repertoire until he finally secured a playing spot at the City Centre in Enugu, where he played from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. He had built up his own loyal fan base over time, but he noticed how larger artists seemed to receive more appreciation and applause from their audiences, despite performing for considerably shorter time slots.

Flavour specifically remembered the night P-Square came to promote their hit single “Temptation.” He said he was on stage performing when the manager stopped him, asking him to leave the stage for P-Square to take over. “I switched off, passed the microphone and sat down,” he remembered, staring at the crowd erupt in their favour.

This was the turning point for Flavour. Watching P-Square succeed, he realized what the difference was: they made their own sound and recorded original music, while he had been merely a performer without an artistic identity. It dawned on him that being a musician wasn’t enough; he needed to become an artist.

Determined to try reinventing himself, Flavour said, “I decided to change from a music man to an artiste.” But it was not an easy transition into singing. Though he could do both-sing and play instruments-creating his unique sound was a challenge. “Where do you even start from?” he wondered.

Well, that experience pushed him to evolve, and today, he is one of Nigeria’s most celebrated artists.