Nigerian viral star Ckay: Shah Rukh Khan has always been my guy – Hindustan Times
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After his maiden gig in India, Nigerian singer Ckay wants to continue his story with India, and explore Bollywood. In fact, he admits he has grown up watching actor Shah Rukh Khan in action on the big screen, and will be happy to add a filmy chapter to his music career.
“I would love to work in Bollywood. There is this crazy Bollywood culture in Nigeria. I grew up watching loads of Bollywood projects, and one of the most notable actors who I knew was Shah Rukh Khan,” says Ckay, whose real name is Chukwuka Ekweani.
The 27-year-old adds, “He was always in action mode on the big screen. He was my guy. So a big shout out to Shah Rukh Khan. He is really talented and doing a great job. In fact, another amazing thing about Bollywood is the music. It is like a whole package. Theatre along with music. And I want to do that”.
The singer, who got onto the global fame spiral with his viral hit, Love Nwantiti, made his debut in India with a gig at recently concluded music fest, Vh1 Supersonic in Pune. In fact, he was also spotted hanging with Bollywood celebrities at a party hosted by producer Jackky Bhagnani.
Opening up about his India trip, the singer says, “It has been good so far. It is my first time here, and it has been amazing. I feel like home”.
How? “One thing I noticed in India is that it is so much similar to Nigeria. It is crazy. I was going to the music fest when I noticed so many bikes and we also have similar ones. It was so cool. And the traffic is an issue here as well as Nigeria. India is 13 hours away from Nigeria, and it is amazing how similar the culture is. And it also shows that we all are human beings, and are the same,” says Ckay, who has learnt the word ‘Namaste’.
His song Love Nwantiti became the first-ever African song to surpass one billion streams on Spotify and has since been deemed “the biggest hit in African history”. He feels with popularity comes a huge responsibility to represent Nigeria on a global scale.
“Art is a very important thing in the world because art carries culture and identity, which makes it more powerful. Going around the world being a Nigerian, and performing on music, which is written in Nigerian language is special,” he says.
The singer continues, “To see people who don’t speak the language sing the music word for word, is special. It is a way of transferring good energy and good vibes from Nigeria. For instance, my performance at Supersonic was like a way of bringing my world to you guys. And I feel like I am doing this piece by piece everywhere, from India to Europe to the US”.
“It is a long term job, and I am excited to do that. I’m really proud to be Nigerian,” he ends.
