Nigerian singer Chinedu Okoli, popularly known as Flavour N’abania, recently shared insights into his journey to musical stardom, recounting a pivotal moment when he was asked to leave the stage during a performance for the famous Nigerian music duo, PSquare.

In a candid interview on the In My Opinion podcast released on Sunday, Flavour reflected on his early struggles in the music industry. He described how leaving his band and venturing into the streets marked a challenging phase in his career.

“Things changed when I started seeing other artists. When I left the band, I hit the streets, and that’s when the game got tough. Before, I was in a comfortable place where music followed a certain procedure, but now, I was in the streets,” he said.

Flavour recalled a particularly humbling experience at a venue in Enugu, where he had built a loyal fanbase. The promoters brought PSquare to the spot, known as City Centre, to promote their Temptation album. Despite his popularity, Flavour was abruptly asked to stop performing when PSquare arrived.

“I was on stage when PSquare came in, and their manager told me to stop. I turned off the equipment, handed over the microphone, and watched as the crowd erupted with excitement when Paul from PSquare sang. I was frozen,” Flavour shared.

This moment of being overshadowed led Flavour to a significant realization—he needed to develop his own unique sound and transition from being just a musician to becoming a true artist.

“I realized that the difference between them and me was that they created their own sound. They went to the studio and recorded. I was just a music man, but they were artists. That’s when I decided to evolve from a musician to an artist, and that was the hardest part because creating your own sound is no easy task,” he explained.

Flavour concluded that starting from scratch was the only way to craft his unique sound, a decision that ultimately set him on the path to success.