Up and Coming : Yung Elmee

From Life Beer Carnival, Nnewi to Rivers state Carnival and Hero Festival at Awka, Yung Elmee has been making mad waves and getting air plays. The Port Harcourt born, Abia state origin, twenty years old artiste with real name, Miracle Chidubem Smart Ubani in this exclusive interview related the reality of the struggle to fame by upcoming artistes. To listen to his latest song, 'The Sound', download at http://www.deejay9ke.com/2015/05/08/music-premier-yung-elmee-yungelmee-the-sound/   

What's the idea behind the name Yung Elmee? : El to the mee(miracle). El to me doesn't mean anything. I just had to take the El because I like the El in Eldee de Don. I love the El, the mee is just the Miracle and the Yung was given to me by a friend. I used to be Mr. Elmee, but the friend suggested that I was too young. 

 

So would you go back to Yung Elmee when you get older? : When I get older, I don't think that I'd be Mr. Elmee, let's just skip that part. 

 

Why did you decide to do music? : I didn't decide to do music, music decided to do me. I was born into a music scene. My mother used to be in the choir. I grew listening to her kind of sounds, she plays gospel songs. I blended like that. So, I was born music. 

 
At what stage did you decide to do music and what prompted the decisions?  : Since I was eleven, I just loved music and decided to go into it.  

What inspires your music? : Ehmm... My environment, my situation. Music to me has two parts. The natural part where you wake up with a melody, with a chorus in your head and the physical part where you use your brain, sit down to choose a title, and then write a song around it.  

What part of your life has been affected by your going into music? : I would say my education, but I give God the glory. Then, my friends, when I got into the music scene, they were people I hung out with that I no longer hang out with. I try to take care of my self, try not to get lose. Awka would say, 'not to get casted'. So I try not to cast myself. 

 

How do you react to your listeners negative opinions to your songs? : To be frank, I haven't got any negative feedback from my listeners before. The negative comments come from my siblings, my close friends, my relatives and my cousins especially. They are the ones who sometimes complain that my songs are not 'sweet'. You know they say that a prophet is not respected in his home town. I get more of positive comments outside my home.  

How is your music affected by your gaining negative feedbacks from your relatives and close friends? : They like very tush things. Those who listen to my songs won't think it to be done by an upcoming artiste. I get inspired by the comments and it makes me always try to get better knowing that if they get to like any of my songs, it would be appreciated more by my listeners.  

How do you improve your art? : We improve any how. (laughs). We improve. I improve everyday. Every day of my life, I try to learn new things. I do new things every day. Each day I wake up, I decide to do something different.  

What's your view about the Nigerian music industry? : It's nice, people say that we are growing. I think we have grown to adolescence. At this point, we have known some things about life. We are breaking boundaries, we are growing beyond the market. Every body wants to do a collabo, just like Akon and D Banj, Drake and Wizkid. I think we are doing better.  

How do you define good music? : The words, the message passed I believe is good music. Good music is the music you listen to and understand. Even when the song is about women or a dance hall, it should still communicate and people would still get something from it. 

 

What challenges do you face as an upcoming artiste? : Basically, it's finance and sponsorship. Money to record new songs and promote those songs. Then living up to standard, wearing tush clothes, so that the guys and gals would feel you. I travel to overcome this by investing my monthly income into music and when I get paid for shows, I still invest in music.  

How supportive is your family and friends? : Good, nice, my mother is very much in support. Though, she would always tell me to avoid women. She would always tease me about that. She encourages me to pray and she likes my songs. My father didn't know, I never told him about it, and when I did, he asked me to choose between music and school. But, then I was surprised when I found out he had one of my songs as his ring tune. (laughs). They like the fact that I am doing something good.  

How do you combine music and school? : It's hard, it's very hard. When it comes to the popularity part, some times, it's really very embarrassing when my fans come to meet with me. It's usually surprising also knowing that I have such die-hard fans. Then, some times in class while a lecturer is giving note and you are getting inspirations. And most times, I end up writing down the inspiration in stead of listening to the lecturer and taking down notes.  

How do you relate with women considering your mother's warning about them? : (laughs).  I'm not so much caught up with women. The ones that come close, you just have to form for, celebrity shits. (laughs). We handle them well, the ones that come, you take them in and the ones you can push out, you push out.  

Role models? : Jesse Jags, I love Timaya, on the foreign scene, Ed Sheeran and Wiz Khalifa.

  

Where do you see yourself in the next five years? : In the next five years, I should be breaking boundaries. I should have settled down, my record label should have grown. I should be helping people achieve their dreams. I would be as popular as Wizkid, as legendary as 2Face, then have an empire like PSquare.    

You can reach Yung Elmee on
Twitter : @YungElmee
Instagram : @isYungElmee
Facebook : Yung Elmee