Singer, songwriter, and music producer Alex Okoroigwe, popularly known as Alex O, stated that his songs received promotional treatment similar to that of Juju star Shina Peters.
During a recent interview with Olumide Iyanda, QEDNG publisher, Alex O recounted the blossoming of his passion for music from his primary school days to its flourishing over the years.
“By the time I finished secondary school, the urge to go into music was really strong. But I knew I needed to develop myself a bit more,” he recalled.
Despite sending demo tapes to several companies in Lagos, Alex encountered numerous rejections. Realizing the need for more direction, he chose to seek assistance from Steve Rhodes, a performer he had watched on television.
With the support of his friends, Alex managed to locate Steve and made his way to his office. “I said, ‘Sir, I want you to show me, teach me. I want to be a musician, a singer, but I don’t know where to start,’” Alex recounted.
Steve consented to assist, which led to a succession of voice training sessions. A year later, he escorted Alex to a recording studio, signifying the start of Alex’s career as a performer. His inaugural performance occurred at the memorial for Olu Aboderin, the founder of Punch Newspaper.
Yet, Alex aspired to do more than merely perform. Captivated by a track from Lemmy Jackson, he resolved to track him down.
“I was making a beat and singing on top of my brother’s cushion chairs, recording everything on tape,” he said. When he finally met Lemmy and played the tape, he was impressed.
“Lemmy listened to the tape and said, ‘You sing well. Where have you been singing?’” Alex shared.
After Alex shared his year of voice training, he revealed his aspiration to join Twilight Records. Lemmy, however, proposed signing him to his own label, culminating in a three-year contract.
With Lemmy’s guidance, Alex refined his talents and collaborated with other artists, including Funmi Adams. Throughout these endeavors, Alex stayed true to his ambition of producing his own music.
He aspired for his upcoming demo tape to be successful, wishing it would naturally attract a recording deal.
While working on the tape in a studio in Anthony Village, Lagos, a sound engineer from Sony Music (then CBS) overheard his work and expressed interest.
This led to a meeting at CBS, but despite their interest, no deal was reached.
Instead, Lemmy Jackson took Alex to Polygram, where he was immediately accepted.
Alex O credited his elder sister and her husband for helping him develop his English language skills, which played a crucial role in his songwriting.
Reflecting on his first album, Alex admitted it wasn’t as impactful as he had hoped.
“The first album was good, but it didn’t have that killer thing that would take you to the dance floor,” he said.
He wanted his music to be more danceable and DJ-friendly.
After the recording, Alex and his team took the album to premiere, and with the help of Dean Disi, they promoted the music across the south, west, and east, circulating the material widely.
Within two months, they had sold about 80,000 copies.
“Dean wanted to prove a point that he knew how to work magic,” Alex said, comparing his promotion to that of Shina Peters, who was marketed more like a pop artiste than a juju artiste.
Alex also mentioned that notable singers like the late Sammy Okposo, Yinka Davies, and Big Teddy were among his band members during that period.