MUSIC: Mike Nliam – Just Like Fela cc @Mikenliam

20 years after the evergreen single, ‘One Day Ego Better’, member of the defunct group, “Safari”, Mike Nliam, has returned to the music stage, with  the release of his debut solo single called ‘Just Like Fela’.

This new song which is like a breath of fresh air, is a classic afro-pop with Afrobeat tunes and laced with blazing trumpet horns, heavy bass guitar strings, and drum kicks.

‘Just Like Fela’,  is the first song off Mike Nliam’s new 7-track EP due out in the coming weeks. The song which is dropping with a music video, will be available  for streaming on all music platforms from February 9th.

Mike who gave a five star performance in the new job gave an insight on how the song came about. Hear him, “A couple of years ago, I watched a video by ‘Maroon 5’ titled ‘Move Like Jagger’, and immediately, I was motivated to write a song in honor of the legendary Fela. I am a diehard fan of his”.

Speaking further on the track produced by Dr. Kris Okoro, Nliam said, “During writing, the catchy chorus was the first I penned before the verses”.

“In the late 90s, I came into the entertainment industry a bustling and ambitious young man who wanted to rule the music world. I met Zeb Ejiro that has an eye for discovering talents. He noticed my songwriting gift and offered a young boy an opportunity to write a song for a TV series he was producing in partnership with Ralph Nwadike and NTA titled ‘Fortunes’. That was my adventure into being a sound-track artist and romance with the movie industry began. As at today, I have done over 500 songs for movies and TV series”, Mike stated.

As “Safari” in 2001, Mike Nliam and his colleague Abay Esho, released the hit single ‘One Day Ego Better’ which made them an instant hit. They also had a sophomore track titled “Yapaa”, before “Safari” went silent.

Interestingly, the second half of the group, “Safari”, Abay Esho directed the “Just like Fela” video which is guaranteed to sweep you off your feet.