After a significant long-term break from music, Australian-based Nigerian singer and songwriter, Credo, is back to making music.
An incredible all-out entertainer, with a voice to die for and dancing skills that keep audiences entranced for hours, Credo balances the traditional afro component with universal conventional pop for a sound that is intriguing and infectious.
With his key strength lying in his strong vocal range and excellent voice control, Credo earliest memories of music making was as a nine-year-old in the northern Nigerian state of Kano.
“My passion for music is so much that I can’t stay out of music. Music has been a part of me from early age. I remember I started off in primary school back in Kano state, Nigeria, where we used animal skin and metallic containers to make music instruments, mostly drums,” said Credo, in an interview with The Guardian.
“My peers back then used our self-made drums as instruments while I did the singing and we recorded using a radio tape recorder. It was such a fun and exciting experience,” recalled Credo, who added that the experience from his adolescent years made him understand the concept of rhythm and music making.
It was all part of the formative years of the entertainer who, as a youngster, listened to a lot of music from the likes of Tupac, Bow-Wow, R.Kelly, Usher, Lagbaja, and Fela, amongst many others, and tried to emulate them.
“I was listening to rap music and RnB,” said Credo, as he reminisced. “I didn’t know much about Afrobeat then cause Afrobeat wasn’t that big to me at that time. The only person I could think of when talking about Afrobeat then was Fela but I wasn’t really listening to him that much compared to how I was listening to rap and RnB.”
Credo started writing and recording songs in the studio at the age of thirteen, and began attending shows and networking with other artists in 2005.
In 2008, Credo joined a dance group named ‘Hot Sauce’ and became a regular performing act at the British Council music and dance audition in Kano.
Credo also participated in major Nigerian music contests like Nigerian idol, MTN’s Project Fame, and X-Factor Nigeria before going on to establish the Credo Dance Academy in 2011.
The academy had about 50 dancers at the outset and Credo was still able to do what he loved doing the most – making music and dancing – while imparting knowledge into the young dancers, some of whom have gone on to become top acts in the Nigerian music and dance industries.
Credo was even able to create time to do some modelling before eventually relocating to Australia.
After a decade long break from music, credo returned to making music in 2022, and released his comeback track ‘OLOLUFE’ in February before going on to release his another single ‘MY RIHANNA’ in August 2022.
Speaking of his plans for 2023, Credo has set the bar high with his debut EP, ‘Love Potion,’ a body of work he is creating a alongside some of the best Afrobeats producers in the industry such as DJ Coublon, Rexxie, and Orbeat, amongst others. Credo believes ‘Love Potion’ will connect listeners to his sound in a more desirable and relatable manner once released.
No date has been fixed yet for the release of ‘Love Potion’ but you can find Credo’s music here.
