We are living in an era where Afrobeat is fast becoming the next big thing in music. However, within the same industry, there has been a recurring note of constant despair due to the fact that it was hugely represented by male acts with female musicians struggling to get into the mix.
This, too, is changing, and it is a long-overdue transition brought about by the presence of female music stars who have been blessed with the talent, willpower, and sheer star power to take on the tough male-dominated industry and emerge victorious.
Already branded Nigeria’s fast-rising music star, Hika has made it to the list of new generation of female artists is emerging, daring to break free from the constraints of restrictive societal expectations in order to present varied views of African femininity to the world on their own terms.
Born in Lagos, Nigeria and residing in the United States currently, Hika whose birth name is Ehika Patience Precious(Chika) is indeed becoming a champion of Afro pop genre in the industry especially with the release of her EP, ‘Way Back Love’ and singles like ‘Honeygram’. Hika is known to the Nigeria music industry as the young fresh singer, songwriter and performing artist. Her sensitivity, along with the flawless blend of Afro-pop, dancehall, and alté styles; a fitted voice for flexibility; Hika cannot be confined to one genre, rather she checks all criteria.
Her superstardom came very quickly and at a young age, but she would tell you she’s been planning for it her entire life. “I started music officially in 2017, initially, I wanted to be a song writer, but then no one wants to patronize and I ended up having too many songs written by me with no one to sing it, that made me consider it myself, and my friends see me as a star that also encouraged me”, she says.
The diversity of her sounds came from the variety of musical influences from she had from childhood to present. She stated that she had always been a lover of music right from her early days. “Music is my language, literally everyone in my family loves to sing. My sound is basically a reincarnation of the old school with a perfect blend of new school sounds, that is why you see my special hashtags #reHIKAnation , I am unique, I do me”, she asserts. “My kind of song is always one where the vocals are delivered to perfection while the simplicity of the melody will make you want to sing along. Also worth mentioning, the instrumentation and its arrangement should get one so addicted to the sound from the first listen. The harmonies must be a killer”, she further adds.
As if that is not enough, Hika shared one of her aspirations in the interview that in the next 5 years, she would love to be established enough to help talented upcoming artists in the music industry.