We recently connected with Adaorah Chukwuemeka and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Adaorah, thanks for joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
Music has been always been an important part of my life. It’s gotten me through happy moments and hard times, but I didn’t realize I wanted to be a singer until my 11th birthday. My parents were huge on birthdays and this specific year I was allowed to invite 6 of my friends to go to Kiddie Land, my favorite amusement park in Chicago. While we were enjoying the rides and the sugar rush, I noticed there was a stage set up by Station B96, and they were asking the people to enter their talent content. The winner would win tickets to their annual summer concert where the biggest hip hop artists would grace the stage. I was enticed and I asked my mom if I could apply, and without hesitation, she said yes! Within 20min, I picked my song, rallied my friends, and choreographed a quick dance routine in preparation for a stellar performance. When my name was called up, the nerves hit me like a truck, and I instantly questioned why I decided to do this in the first place. But it was too late to back out, so I shoved my nerves to the side and stepped onto that stage confidently. My song of choice was “Hit Me Baby One More Time” by Britney Spears. I had so much energy and attitude and took full control of the stage. The crowd jumped to their feet and cheered me on as I gave it my all. The feeling was euphoric, and I also WON! From that day, I knew I was meant to be a performer. My life changed forever.
Adaorah, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I am a Nigerian-American singer/songwriter currently based between Los Angeles & Lagos. As I trail blazes into the Afrobeats space, I should know that I am no rookie to the music scene. By the age of 13, I was a classically trained coloratura-soprano opera singer, and graced dozens of stages across the US with her high notes & angelic voice. Wanting to explore other genres, I merged into R&B/Soul/Pop which then led to my ultimate love–Afrobeats
My first independent single “Rock My Borry” continues to be a huge success and opened the floodgates to media coverage, radio plays, impressive music streaming numbers and live performances especially in Nigeria. I bring a powerful, vibrant, yet sultry sound to Afrobeats that sets me apart from other artists. My second single ‘Slow Down” which was released in November hits you with a melodic mid-tempo flow that transports you into a sensual heat-filled tropical setting. The song is about making the most of a moment because nothing is guaranteed to last. It’s a testimony to passion but also a warning that although there’s intrigue, you’ll need to turn up the heat to keep the fire burning, otherwise it will vanish.
Following the footsteps of iconic voices like Waje, Lizzo, and Beyonce, my latest IT girl and a force to be reckoned with. Her influence has changed the game for female Afrobeats artists everywhere.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
Being an artist is no easy feat. Not only are you the product, but you have constantly improve that product, and convince other people to be interested in your product. We are entrepreneurs because we work day and night creating, executing, and trying to get results so we can get one step closer to our dream.
Being a full time singer takes hard work, dedication, and sleepless nights. The best thing people can do is just SUPPORT. When you see that 1-minute reel on your feed, engage with it. Comment, watch, share. Because that 1-min video required hours of strategy, creation, setup, execution, and editing in order to make it to your screen. That song that just went live? STREAM it, because multiple nights were spent in the studio writing, producing, singing, mixing, and we scraped together funds in order to put promotion behind it and get that song distributed to your Apple or Spotify platform.
Whether it’s donating to my project, engaging and sharing my posts, attending my shows, buying my merch, or simply bringing my name up in rooms that I may not be in, it all means the world to us. Being an artist is an emotional rollercoaster because you cannot predict your outcome. It takes prayer and a little delusion to keep pushing forward, and when the people around you (online and in person) support you and show that they care, it gives us a little extra motivation to keep going. I love being an artist and there’s nothing else I’d rather do.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding part is recognition. When I say this, I don’t mean fame or popularity, but rather recognition and acknowledgment of my hard work. In this industry, you have to constantly prove to people that you are serious and that you belong. More people will doubt you than believe in you and in this new age where social media followers equate to your relevancy or importance, it’s been rewarding knowing that people are watching and are impressed by my work. They love my music, they love my live shows, they love who Adaorah has become. Getting messages and calls basically telling me I am the shit always makes me feel seen. The people who doubted me before are now reaching out and keeping tabs on me and I in due time I know I will make my stamp in this industry. Although I’ve been been in music for a long time, this is just the beginning of my journey. I will continue to shine and cannot wait to share all of the amazing music and projects I have been working on with you!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/adaorah
- Instagram: Adaorahble
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialAdaorah/
- Twitter: adaorahble_
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ADAORAH