Multiple award-winning Nigerian singer, brand ambassador and mother of two, Omawumi is one of the most respected female singers in Nigeria. She made it to limelight following her rendition of Onyeka Owenu’s Ekwe on Idols West Africa. Below is her profile;
Family background
Omawumi Boma Megbele is popularly known as ‘Omawumi’, she was born on April 13, 1982 to late Chief Dr. Frank Anirejuoritse Megbele and Mrs. Aya Queen Megbele in Warri. She’s the 12th child out of 14 children.
Education
Omawumi, a graduated of Ambrose Alli University with a Law degree, moved to Port Harcourt, Rivers State to work with her family’s law firm called “O.S Megbele & Associates” in 2015. She also studied French at Alliance Francaise.
Music career
She started music at a tender age of 8 years old in her church, Foursquare Gospel Church in Warri, where she was the lead vocalist. She made her way into the Nigerian Music Industry as a contestant on Idols West Africa, which she ended up as the first runner up in 2007.
Omawumi has since shared the stage with A-list artistes in Africa, such as, Angelique Kidjo, 2face Idibia, D’Banj, Femi Kuti, Pliers, Carl Thomas, Angie Stone and Donell Jones and many others.
Breakout Songs
Bottom Belle, Serious Love Nwantinti, If You Ask Me, Somori, Warn Yourself, Megbele, Explain, Stay Alive (Jeje Laye), In The Music
Albums
The energetic singer and performer dropped her debut album ‘Wonder Woman’, a compilation of 16 tracks, on May 21, 2009. Omawumi kept her consistency until she released her second album ‘Lasso of Truth’, which consisted of 12 tracks on September 26, 2015.
Awards/Recognitions
In 2009, she won the ‘Next Rated Artist’ category Award at the Hip Hop World Awards, she was awarded the Best Female Music Video and the Best R& B and Pop artiste awards at the Nigerian Entertainment Awards (NEA) in 2010.
She was the Outstanding Recording Artiste at the ICON AWARDS and the Best New Act in the Women in Entertainment and Arts Programme in London, United Kingdom. 2013, Omawumi won the Most Promising Actress award at the Golden Icon Academy Movie Awards, Ghana. 2018 Headies Awards, she won the ‘Best Vocal Performance (Female)’.
Acting Career
She delved into acting and featured in movies like Funke Akindele’s ‘Return of Jenifa’ in 2011, ‘Inale’, ‘V-Monolugues’ 2009 edition, ‘House of Gold’ alongside Yvonne Nelson in 2013 and musical play, ‘Olurombi’, where she starred as major and minor character.
Ambassadorial Deals
She is a brand ambassador for telecom giant, Globacom, online e-commerce company, Konga.com and beverage brand Malta Guiness
Scandals
In early 2016 at a music award ceremony held in Ikeja area of Lagos, the singer went berserk and threw all decorum into gutter to engage a photo journalist in a physical assault reminiscent of a militant. The drama that lasted few minutes left the journalist battered in the face and his camera smashed beyond repairs. The victim was Adekola Bamigbala, a recognized photojournalist.
On another occasion, she walked out of the set of an interview looking very irate when asked about her smoking and drinking habit. The interviewer said, “There is some controversy about you in the industry where people say Omawumi is a mother, she is doing motherhood. It’s amazing because young girls want to be like her but how does she keep this drinking and smoking habit away from her kids?”
Angered by the question, Omawumi, before storming out of the interview session, said, “I will not honour you with a response. I feel like that is a taint to my character.
“Have you seen me smoking before? Why should you ask me such a question?”
When the presenter said no, the singer responded, “So why would you say that?
“You see me as an artist, I am contributing what I can. I make music the way that I should and I come here and honour your invitation and then you sit down and talk about my smoking & drinking to people that are listening.”
Recent Business
In 2019, Omawumi alongside her close friend, Waje Iruobe launched Hermanes Media, a company aimed at creating solutions and providing innovative and creative ideas for the industry.
Personal life
Omawumi gave birth to her first child, a girl, Kamillah Emmanuella Yusuf in June 2011 and her second child, a boy in July 2015; she traditionally got married to her baby daddy, Toyin Yusuf on January 13, 2018, in Warri, three years after their registry wedding took place.
