Emerging singer from Nigeria’s Queer talent hunt talks life+new single

Talented upcoming Nigerian singer Matthew Osamudiame Lucky also known as Matty has just released a brand new single and has shared everything there is that we need to know about the new afro-pop song.

By Mike Daemon

Matty is one of the top artists to have emerged from the first edition of the music initiative ‘Queer Voice Nigeria’ which was put together by Levites Initiative for Freedom & Englightenment, an LGBTIQ+ human rights organization in Delta State, Nigeria.

Promotional Poster for Matty’s Single ‘YOU’.

In a recent conversation with NoStringsNG, the afro-pop artiste spoke about his life, career, and the hidden message behind his new single titled ‘YOU’.

He also spoke about what it really means to create pro-LGBTIQ+ music in an industry that is largely dominated by heterosexual self-presenting musicians.

Read the interview below.

Hello Matty, please tell us about yourself and what it was like for you growing up?

I am Matthew Osamudiame Lucky. I am 23 years old. I do contemporary music. I had a really healthy upbringing. My mum was always there for me even though she was separated from my father. I have pretty amazing sisters. My childhood was good.

Can you share how you discovered that you could sing, and what inspired your move to pursue music professionally?

Well, I have always known I can sing since God knows when. My mum is my direct push to pursue music and also the never shaking passion to do music.

Looking forward, as an artist who makes music that appeals to, especially the LGBTIQ+ audience, what are some of the unique challenges that you foresee/or are currently experiencing and how do you plan to/or deal with them?

I foresee a lot of positivity and a whole lot of negativity (because we all know how the world likes to take advantage of minority groups). I plan to continue doing whatever I love to do irrespective of the kind of feedback I get. I will definitely take constructive criticisms that are not from a bitter place so I can grow more. My music is for everyone to enjoy.

Looking at an industry that seems to be dominated by heterosexual self-presenting artists, do you think that there’s room for an openly queer artiste or one who promotes positive LGBTIQ+ narratives in their songs?

Well, I am an example of one who promotes positive LGBTIQ+ narratives in my songs. What’s important basically is doing what you enjoy doing, if it gets some buzz fine, if it doesn’t it’s also fine. What matters is that you are doing You.

You emerged as one of the top artists from the music initiative ‘Queer Voice Nigeria (QVN)’ after which you were signed to LIFFE records, a pro-LGBTIQ+ Nigerian music label, tell us your experience and how’s all that going so far for you?

Ok, well, it has really been a lovely experience so far. I have a super lovely team who are really going all out for me. My label promotes everything positive and healthy and I am proud of the work that they do.

You just released a smashing new single titled ‘YOU’ and the reception looks promising; tell us about the song, and what it’s all about and is there like an album or EP in the works?

My single ‘You’ depicts love at its best. It’s a confession expressing how much one’s partner means to them. It’s about assuring the love of your life that they will always be the one for you irrespective of people’s opinions and negativity. ‘You’ is basically a love song.

So, there are lots of young people, especially other queer artists out there who are afraid that putting out pro-LGBTIQ+-themed songs will mean the end of their career even before it starts, what do you have to say to them?

Just do what you fucking love. It’s better to express and do You than to sing a lyric that doesn’t resonate with you. If you are queer or an ally who is interested in doing the pro-LGBTIQ+-themed song, what should matter is how you feel about your content and not how it would be received by the world. Why try to fit in when you know you’d feel so much happier projecting nothing else but you. Let the world see how you want to be seen and not how they want to see you. Ok! the frequent use of ‘You’ is making me gag.

And then lastly, what new stuff are you working on, and what should your fans expect from you going forward?

I am currently working on an EP and I will be dropping another amazing single soon. You should expect nothing short of amazing cause I am going all out with these songs.

To listen to Matty’s new single YOU click HERE.