Introducing David Alozie Temitope Wabara, or better known by his stage name ZEE ZEE, a Nigerian, Italian-born, London-based artist. ZEE ZEE has lived and travelled to many different countries and has picked up quite a few languages on the way. This shows in his latest single “Dichon Que” which has 4 different languages in the lyrics. The multilingual artist is looking to make a global impact in the music industry though language diversity.
It’s more than just starting an international fanbase, when living in a country that doesn’t speak your language, hearing someone speak your native tongue can be a way to make connections with people. ZEE ZEE was born and grew up in Italy with his family until he was 16, when he moved to Nigeria to complete further education. After standing his ground to years of racism in his home country, he was disappointed to find that the reception in Nigeria was no different with people not accepting his Nigerian background.
Credit: Michael Tubes
Soon enough, ZEE surrounded himself with a circle of good friends, he felt complete and had no interest in returning to Italy. “They taught me a lot about myself, which reflects the confidence I have today. I went there as David and came back as ZEE ZEE”. He returned to Italy only for a short time before flying out to London for a new start where he began working on his music professionally.
Since then, this self-taught producer has made beats for the likes of Snap Capone, Vector, Twisted Insane, DRB, Teezee, Fresh L and Corleone GB. His collaborations have earned a combined total of more than a half million plays on soundcloud, and 1.5 million views on YouTube. He also landed 3 deals with Adidas Canada and went on to produce beats that are featured on their adverts.
Credit: Michael Tubes
His latest single, “Dichon Que” which translates to “They say” in Spanish, is no different in success. This artist can speak fluent Italian, Spanish, English and Nigerian Pidgin, but that doesn’t stop him from using other languages with “Dichon Que”, featuring all these languages, and French too. It has been well received so far for its ability to reach an international audience. In a world where we are becoming more and more diverse, there is a need to connect people across continents to their culture. With most research suggesting that over 50% of the world can speak more than one language, why is our music so monolingual?
It’s not just the language that influences ZEE ZEE, it’s the music of the culture too. Influenced by the Afrobeats scene in Nigeria and the Grime and Drill movement in the UK, ZEE ZEE has produced a new sound which he calls ‘Afro Drill’.
Just like the success of Despacito bring Latin Pop to the UK, ZEE ZEE hopes his multilingual approach will bring Afrodrill not just the UK but worldwide. And how does he plan to do this? Through language of course. David states that his polyglot talent is what separates him from other artists, “The languages that I speak is what makes me different, I can relate to the different cultures and they can relate to me”.
So what is next for ZEE ZEE in 2020? Expect more music releases and a brand new music video for “Dichon Que”, which will be shot in Spain, as well as the launch of his label UNG.
Stream “Dichon Que” on Spotify, and watch the music video on YouTube.
Find out more on ZEE ZEE over at www.zee-zee.com.
