Mrs. Ada Onyeke Okechukwu, best known musically as Adi Young, is a woman of many talents and substance. In this exclusive interview with our correspondent, Chief Rahman Ismail, the Idoma, Benue State-born songstress takes us on a journey through her childhood activities, her foray into the musical world, and various other issues. Enjoy the excerpts!
Your fans would love to get to know you—can you tell us a bit about your background?
Okay. To start with, my name is Mrs Ada Onyeke Okechukwu, Popularly known as Adi Young. I am an Idoma by tribe from the Family of Alahaji Austin Agaba Onyeke in Igwu, Orokam, Ogbadibo Local Government Area of Benue State Nigeria.
I Attended Divine Love Nursery and Primary school, Okam High School, Benpoly and Graduated from Yaba College of Technology Lagos.
After which I did my NYSC in Ogun State and I was retained to work in Ogun State sports council because they found me Valuable and couldn’t let go of me but I quite the Job after a year and came back to Lagos in Pursuit of my Visions.
Today by the grace of God and to the Glory of God, I manage ADI YOUNG INT’L LTD. (Adi Young Music and Adi Young Interiors).
What was your childhood like growing up?
Sighing…. (If I tell you say growing up ease na lie ooo)
My Father is a Farmer and I grew up into farming, We normally go to farm during holidays and Weekends. my father had a pickup that do conveying us to and fro farm because of the distance.
There are always activities or works to be done in the farm . Somedays, we’ll go and uproot Cassava which will fill up the pickup, either for sales, or processing into “Garri” which means after the farming activities for the day, work of pilling the cassava still continue at home.
The most Annoying part is whenever we are to go to farm, he, I mean my father, must come and wake me up very early in the morning when you one is at the peak of sleeping enthusiasm. You’ll be hearing konkonkon, Ada, wake up and wake others up, it’s time to go to farm. You’ll be like oh! but you must get up to go either you like it or not.
During Yam harvest, it’s a little bit fun because we’ll harvest heaps of yams and roasted some to enjoy in the farm before coming home, that part “dey sweet us as kids” lol
Another Annoying part is when my dad is not going to farm with his Pickup, then know that we will be jogging after his bicycle, as he will be ridding his Bycicle we’ll be jogging after the bicycle non stop till we get to the farm no matter the distance you can’t stop ooo, you must endure and continue. So life continues like that till It got to a stage I was staying with my Grandma. Though that didn’t stop me from going to farm. It seems even worse because you’ll go to farm, come back to other activities that involved grandma, no idle moment at all And nothing “dey waste for where my grandma dey”. So, she’s Surrounded with Palm trees and everything that comes from Palm trees brings money for her and I’ll be helping her doing any of those things from Palm tree, most expecially, brooms, Palm Oil and palm kennel. So I must always be busy with her, when you are done with her portion and there’s still enough time, you can hustle for your own petty income. When it’s time to sell grandma handworks , you will see the boundles of brooms for Grandma, that my dad has to bring his pickup and load goods to Obolo affor. I will be happy also because mine will be some boundles and will be added to be sold.
Our side hustle often help in generating income for ourselves such that during, Christmas, we do buy wears and other stuffs for ourselves aside from the one parents bought for us.
I wrote a Book with the Title, ARRITICALLY meaning life Surrounding PALM TREES, I Pray the book is published soon so you guys can hear the full gist. So as I was saying, no time to waste away or hang around growing up. From School to work, and when there’s no school, then it’s from home to farm to work. I call it all Training now. No wonder I was good at Sports Activities which was the first thing that took me outside Nigeria and different States in Nigeria. I was schooling and representing in Sports activities and still doing well in academic. I represented in sports from my Primary school, Secondary, High Institution to my NYSC.
Hmmm, my story long make I stop here.
Was music a dream you had since childhood?
Yes I nurture the dream since when I was staying with my Grandma, she always sings. If she’s crying or happy the reasons for the moment turns into a Song. I use to imagine and love how she does the magic then , my grandmothers own cry will always be different among others, she’ll be telling the live story of the late person in her cry . They use to call it “Egraa” i guess that’s what we call Rap now. That’s to say, I was imparted with singing first of all from Above, secondly with my experience with Grandma, because I admired her doing the Egraa and always look forward to hear her do it. So, now that I understand music, I can say she was a great musician and my mother also a good singer still singing in Choir till date.
And I could remember one of her prayers for me that what she couldn’t do I’ll do , that my Voice will be Heard all over. And She Gave me a Song Titled “Eche ta Eche chee Anulugawe meaning (whether they like it or not the Purpose of God for me stands) I think that Song will be recorded in my next Album by His Grace.
Am happy that my mother is still alive and am also alive to see the purpose of God fulfilling gradually. Because for me to be alive today is God and he kept me to fullfil the Purpose of singing and more. So that’s all I can say for now.
Do you have any celebrities in your family, or are you the one breaking the mold?
Everyone in my Family are Celebrities in their own ways but when it comes to Music aspect, I can say God is using me Breaking the Mold.
Those that are supposed to be the Celebrities before Me musically were my mum and grandma. They would have been great Celebrities if they knew what they carried or how to go about it and pursue it. Bible says my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. When my mother got to understand that she has Singing talent, all she do was to bless me to do what she couldn’t do or show forth what and where she didn’t showed forth. She prayed for the fulfilment of the Purpose.
Now, let’s talk about your career in music. Can you share your journey with us?
The Journey started officially in 2010, during the waiting time to get call up letter to go for NYSC, during that Period each time I sleep I will always be Singing in my sleep or dreams ,there was this particular day I remember vividly in my Friend’s house at iwaya Yaba, her name is Doyin but I do call her DYN , She a friend and like a Sister, they are my Family here in Lagos till date. So as I was sleeping in their house on this faithful day I started Singing this song from my sleep out then I opened my eyes and my Spirit moved me to carry pen and paper and wrote what I sang out from my sleep. ” Onyejunchi” meaning
Who Knows Tomorrow. After I’ve written the song and always singing it, one day, one of our friends Debbie jokingly said, Adi Young, when are you going to Studio na? Everybody laughed sha but I smiled and started thinking that oh…, I’m supposed to go to studio abi…From that moment, I started searching, asking and making enquiries for Studio, so I got one in Surulere IMP Studio. I went to record Onyejunchi , He made me Jump on two other Songs which are made it 3 Singles I did from IMP they are: Onyejunchi, Jangolova, Catch and Follow, after a while I dropped Mark d Ball and Desire in 2013, I went or travelled to my home town to Perform at Mark the Ball Event in Otukpo which I thought was a Turning point for me but I returned back to Lagos and Started facing Different Challenges, many Tough times which I can’t really explain here now. But in the mixed of the Challenges, Tough times and Rough times though I was still writing songs and Praying and hoping… At this point , many of trials, attention has been diverted from Circular Songs to Gospel. When I started officially I didn’t think or imagine Singing Gospel , I could remember one guy preaching to me then that this my slogan, say my Name, say my Name AdiYoung that they are Echoing in any street I pass, I should imagine if am singing for God. I looked at him like what is he saying but that word sticks in my head even though I tried to waved it out. So from 2013 till date God took Control So, I released Yeshua after I yeilded…
Promoting Yeshua, I took the song to meet one of the marketers in Alaba to promote it but he told me bitter truth Politely in His Advice to me that I should go and look for work that when I told him wasn’t doing any work as at that time hoping that I wanted to concentrate on my music Carrier and have no need to work in other to focus but he said go look for work that I need money to do music. Within that Week God Spoke to me and gave me Direction and Vision Regards Interiors Aspect and I Followed his guidance to today… God has been indeed Faithful and Favouring me greatly. Currently to the Glory of God Almighty, I dropped an Album of 10 Songs Title “Am Amazed”. Currently on all Digital Platforms and More are Loading to the Glory of God Almighty who alone is Making ways for me , Raising Men up for me, Giving me Uncountable Songs to Sing and Voice to Sing…
Like I said , it has been I and God so I say a Big thank You to God for Raising More Helpers for me, Connecting me National and internationally for His Glory to be seen in my life… I deprived myself of certain Enjoyment for Investments, that’s investing in my music Career.. So I spend in my Career instead of some fashionable Stuffs… So far, I’ve been Investing in my own little ways. As I do my Part God definitely Is doing His part and will Continue doing His part more and more.
What do you have to say to your fans home and abroad ?
My Advice to my fans is : You Should strive to proof the people that says nothing good can come out of you wrong. They categorically tell you that you are not good, if you don’t know yourself or believe in yourself you might give up because of that word of a man which is a tactic of the devil to Stop you. 90 percent of People closer to you won’t really believe and or encourage you until they See Proofs. Even some foolish and Envious ones around you might still be doubting the proofs,. So waiting for them to encourage you to go ahead mostly will end up in destiny unfulfilled. Know what God has said to you alone and move with His Words alone.
And always Remember, If God has said Yes no one can say No! But the devil can use men to dicourage you inorder to use yourself against yourself by Saying No to yourself. It takes You to Corporate with God for His Yes for your life to Manifest. And it takes you to Corporate with devil also to fulfill his plans. So never say No to yourself.
Be Conscious of Positive Mindset always. Eg. I can do it and I can be it .
How many singles have you released so far?
When I started with Circular songs I had 5 Singles
I had a Single Yeshua before I dropped this Album Of 10 Tracks Titled AMAZED.
What’s the genre of your music—hip hop, highlife, R&B, or something else?
The gerne of my Music is Versatile lol I can sing any song but basically I sing gospel
What inspires your music?
Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit and Holy Spirit.
Who are your musical role models—both locally and internationally?
Everybody that sings good music
Where do you see yourself in the next five years?
I see myself in High Places, Seating with Kings and Queens…
I see myself going Places from Nations to Nations. That’s When I Appear is the King of Glory that appears. I see my investments Yielding Fruits so I keep enjoying the fruits of my labour. I see God glorifing Himself through myself as He does His wonders and cost His Voice to be Heard through my Voice.
I see as He make me that Signs and wonder He Promised me to the World and even to myself.
Smiling…..I see God making me the Sign to the people as He Promised me on Hospital bed during a Major Surgery He saw me through….
How supportive is your partner to your career?
I am getting needed support from
my husband and he’s thriving to ensure that i must fulfill my purpose!
I met my Husband in 2014, I have had 5 Singles already before we met. So he’s much aware of my mission before we got Married in 2019. If he didn’t Support me, he wouldn’t have been the man for me and I wouldn’t have married him so I thank God for giving me my husband.
Let’s talk about your love life. What philosophy guides your approach to love?
God is love. Love is giving. Giving is love.
What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done for love?
Giving. I give to a fault when I’m in love.
What does sex mean to you in a relationship?
Sex is Good when two married people that truly cherish each other are involved… For God to say, don’t deprive each other of sex , it shows it’s very important and should be enjoyed
Can you share with your fans your social media handles
Sure….Website: www.Adiyounginternational.com
Facebook, Ada Onyeke Okechukwu
Facebook, ADI Young
Instagram, Adiyoungg
Ticktalk, @adiyoung7
YouTube @adiyoung3310