“I wanted to be a hairstylist after school” singer TY Bello

• Bello disclosed in an interview that she actually went to school to please her mother
• TY stated that at a point she was confused about which path to take after graduation.
• TY revealed that she started writing songs when she was 8, 9, 10.
  

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Toyin Sokefun-Bello, also known as TY Bello, a veteran Nigerian singer and photographer, has revealed that she wanted to be a hairstylist after she graduated from the University.

TY stated that she went to school to please her mother.

Bello disclosed this during an interview on the latest episode of ‘I Said What I Said’ podcast, co-hosted by FK and Jola.

The singer narrated that she began photography and music almost at the same time.

The ‘land is Green’ crooner explained that her plan was to become a “big hairstylist” after graduation, adding that she has always been creative as far back as she can remember.

In her words:

“I have been writing songs since I was 8, 9, 10. I started music and photography [professionally] right at the same time.

After university, when everyone in my class knew where they wanted to work. And I had no such dream. I was very confused.

“University was that period where I thought, ‘Okay, let me go to school to make my mum happy. Then I was going to graduate to be a big hairstylist.’ I thought that was my future.

“When it came to NYSC and everybody asked where to be posted to, I asked to be posted to the south. I was like, what do I do? And I think that was the major turning point where I realised that I had to be posted to phototech because I just started photography.

It wasn’t like I wanted to be a photographer all my life, but that one move made me who I am today.”

Taking back to TY’s journey to stardom, the Beautiful mother of two, moved from being a singer to be a well-respected photographer in Nigeria. She was the official photographer to former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan. TY is not just a singer and photographer, she’s also a songwriter and philanthropist.

Before she delved into photography fully, TY Bello was a member of the defunct gospel band KUSH (an acronym for Kinetically Ushering Salvation into Hearts and Homes) alongside Emem and Lara. She is also a member of the Nigerian photography collective, Depth of Field. She is best known for her singles “Greenland”, “Ekundayo”, “This Man”, “Freedom” and “Funmise”.

Kush gained popularity in the early 2000s with the single “Let’s Live Together”; the group managed to release an album before disbanding.