June Ubi: The Nigerian Singer Who Doesn’t Take Fela For Granted

There are several things that British born Nigerian singer, June Ubi does not joke with and one of such is late Afro Beat legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti and while some why a pretty and seemingly classy singer would pick a man known for his fiery brand of music as a major personality in her life, she has revealed that Fela remains one of her biggest musical inspirations of all time.


Interestingly, this is just one out of the numerous exciting details about this singer’s personality that quite a number of fans are yet to be aware of.

In this piece, we will examine some of the facts, defining moments and significant periods in the life of this dark-skinned singer.

• She is a British Nigerian artiste
• One of her biggest objectives is to rock the global music scene with her eclectic brand of music
• Her strength as an artiste rests within the walls of Afrobeats
• She hails from Delta State
• Her sound pays homage to her Delta State heritage and London upbringing blending English, Urhobo and Igbo dialect in her songs.
• Some of her biggest musical influences include Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade and Sir Shina Peters.
• Her music largely focuses on her life experiences, making her relatable and inspiring – especially for young people
• As far as music goes, June Ubi is a rapper, songwriter and performer
• She was born and raised in West London, but usually goes back to Nigeria a few times throughout the year.
• She began clashing on the streets, radio and parties with grime MC’s, free styling to forging a fusion sound
• As a child, she was always into music
• She once affirmed that she lived and breathed music from an early age
• Music for June Ubi, is more than just a hobby
• June Ubi has worked with UK Producers such as Nutty P and Myx Quest
• Some of her most memorable performances were supporting Tinchy Stryder and Ironik and performing at the university she graduated from; Brunel University for a talent showcase, which she won.
• As well, being interviewed by The Metro Newspaper, her song was once played for a whole week by DJ Ras Kwame
• To get inspiration for her songs when she kicked off, June Ubi makes it clear that her household was always full of Music. “My mother would always play African inspired music, and take me to traditional African parties with her. My brothers and sisters are also huge lovers of music and would play various kinds of different music in the house, from Hip-Hip, R&B to Afrobeats...”
• Her musical foundation within her family allowed her to be more versatile and unique with her music.
• Her Life experiences and travelling also helped broaden her horizon and played a big part in inspiring her songwriting and the creation of her songs. She is happy with the level of global recognition accorded to Afrobeats and considers Fela the pioneer of Afrobeat music
• She also aspires to work with a long list of artistes all over the world
• Her song ‘He Can’t Wait’ was produced by British/Nigerian producer, Tay Dame and was created on a real life experience. The song is about a guy who likes a girl and is trying to get with her by glamorizing all his material things at her, but she is not interested in him or his assets. So, he keeps trying, but she’s just not interested. With ‘He Can Wait,’ June Ubi wanted to create a feel good song, something that people could move/dance to and be able to relate to the concept and lyrics
• June Ubi considers her style to be a hybrid of African and British cultural influences
• Would it surprise you to know that June Ubi sees herself as what she calls “an Afropolitan princess” and uses prints and colours to communicate her personality with her audience?
• Her other interests besides music include media, law and business
• June Ubi’s future plans with her career is one of individualism “Doing you no matter what and looking good while you’re doing it,” she said
• She loves to keep learning and growing as an artiste
• She also dreams about working with several talented musicians, artistes, producers and performing all around the world
• Her ultimate goal as a musician is to entertain and inspire
• Two of her latest songs are ‘One For Me’ and ‘Get Down’ featuring R&B crooner Yemi Rush
• June Ubi first gained recognition when she made it to the last six out of thousands of people who entered the Manchester auditions for ‘Chancers,’ a nationwide talent show helmed by Matthew Knowles – Beyonce’s father and former manager

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By: SAMOD BIOBAKU