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I started hawking after writing JAMB five times – Singer, Crayon
Nigerian singer Charles Chibueze Chukwu, more popularly known as Crayon, has shared a compelling story of his journey from hardships to success, involving significant challenges he faced while growing up.
Crayon revealed that he used to sell fruits in the bustling traffic of Lagos, and his family resided in a low-income neighborhood often referred to as “face me I face you.”
As a Mavin Records signee, he opened up about being sent home from school multiple times due to unpaid school fees and even attempting the JAMB exam five times.
In an interview with Saturday Beats, the 22-year-old artist explained that it was during the period he waited for admission that he assisted his mother in selling fruits while also pursuing his music career.
Crayon’s new album, ‘Trench to Triumph Story,‘ draws inspiration from these challenging experiences in his life.
In his words, “My ‘Trench to Triumph’ story is about where I come from, and how I got to where I am today.I was born in Orile Iganmu (Lagos) and when I was seven years old, we moved to a ‘face-me-I-face-you’ apartment in Ojo.
“We were about nine or 10 people sharing a room. I am the eldest child of my parents, and I faced a lot of financial struggles growing up. Money was very tight. I was sent home regularly from school due to unpaid fees, and I ended up taking the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination five times.
“During that time, I was working on my music, and helping my mum at the stall where she sold fruits in the market. Sometimes, I would even hawk the fruits in traffic. Going from that kind of life to being signed by Mavin Records, and on my way to becoming a global superstar, is my triumph. I used to be in the trenches and now I am triumphant.”
Crayon also shared an interesting anecdote about his first encounter with veteran actress Ngozi Ezeonu after he recorded a song that featured her name. It seems like a unique and memorable moment in his career that he had the opportunity to meet the actress in person.
“First, I appreciate the marketing team at Mavin Records. We were going back and forth on ideas on how to push my song, ‘Ngozi’, and Ella, the head of marketing, suggested that should do something with Ngozi Ezeonu.
“So, I reached out to her management, later contacted her personally and shared the idea with her. She was really open to the idea. She is such a sweet soul. She actually knew the song, because her kids used to playing it in the house. I was so excited seeing her, and it was a full-circle moment for me, because I used to watch her in movies while growing up, and my mum is one of her biggest fans.
“When I showed my mum the video of my visit to her, she was quite excited as well. That visit was one of my best and funniest moments this year. When I posted the videos and pictures, some people even thought she was my mum,” he said.