Chike: How I funded my music career with money from acting

Chike, the Nigerian singer and songwriter, says he funded his music career with money he made from acting.

The 29-year-old disclosed this in a chat with Afrobeats Intelligence, a podcast hosted by Joey Akan, the music journalist.

Chike made his acting debut as Mayowa Badmus on the Africa Magic Showcase telenovela ‘Battleground’.

During the interview, the musician said he went into acting without prior experience to explore an aspect of him he was not aware of.

He said his foray into acting eventually proved pivotal as it enabled him to save enough money to produce ‘Boo of the Booless’, his 2020 album.

“During my stint on ‘Battleground’, I was basically surviving and taking advantage of another artistic part of me that I did not know exists then,” he said.

“I didn’t have any prior experience before going into acting. I often say acting paid for ‘Boo of the Booless’ and everything that followed in my music career.

“Yes, when I started out, the money from acting funded my music career. Back then, it did 100 percent. Whenever I am paid salary for my role in ‘Battleground’, I would use it to record songs and meet other of my needs. It was quite a good earning for an actor then.”

Chike, whose real name is Chike-Ezekpeazu Osebuka, is known for participating in Project Fame West Africa and finishing in second place on Season 1 of The Voice Nigeria.