Meet Wavy, the artist who wears 12 necklaces when running errands
In July Wavy the Creator launched the remix of her latest hit ‘Body Deep’ with the queen of Nigerian Afrobeats, Tiwa Savage. The video of the original song is set in 2032, where Wavy and her crew land in London and take over the city. It’s shot in the dark and with beams of mystic light you see Wavy dressed in a metallic outfit and white make up with her all-dressed-in-black crew. Soon after she and Eugy launched the video of ‘Hold me down’, with beautiful shots of the National Theatre in Accra. Still, Wavy is by far the visually most interesting part of the video. She hits us with her sweet and soulful sound and dresses in 6 different looks, neon green hair and the needed accessories. A few weeks ago she launched a banger with Flohio, a MC from South London. Wavy is on a roll and taking over our Afro-pop screens and we are not complaining.
Once you’ve caught a glimpse of Wavy, also known as Jennifer Ejoke, you’ll probably never forget her- there’s something about her. It’s her voice, calm but present, and her energy combined with her unique style (which hardly ever comes without glasses) that makes you want to know more about her. ‘Nigerian Alien’ is how she describes herself. A label that suits her; she’s an alien in the Nigerian music industry and hard to pin down. Not only by her music and personal style - also by her physical location. On her social media feed you’ll find posts and stories in Lagos, Accra, Amsterdam, London and the States. More than enough reasons to track her down for a short interview.
We meet in Lekki - one of the Lagosian islands where she currently resides. “I live everywhere though” she says. We’ve decided to meet up at her barber’s, where she just got a revamped hairdo. Her latest look is a short cut in a white toned blonde colour. She also bleached her eyebrows. Her hair is blonde, but “tomorrow it can be green or blue,” she says. “There is no idea behind it, I just go for what I like at that particular moment”.
CH: You are a recording artist, but you do a lot of different things. Last year you modelled at Lagos Fashion Week for the show of Orange Culture and you became the personal photographer of Afrobeats artist Olamide before jumping into music. Who is Wavy?
“I’m a creative mind. I do a whole bunch of stuff. Fashion, music, photography and even film. I sometimes do graphic design, too.’’
CH: What inspires your style?
“Honestly? Everything around me does. I can really get inspired by the context I am in at that particular moment. An example: I didn’t wear as much accessories before I moved to Lagos, but now that I’m here, I do. The longer I am here, the more I keep putting on accessories.”
CH: How many necklaces are you wearing today?
“About 12 I think. Nigeria, Lagos especially has so much culture that inspires me. All these different pieces have drawn my attention so badly, it became a part of me. Everywhere I go culture influences me and affects my style. That basically means that my style changes constantly.”
CH: So, what’s todays look saying?
“I have to run some errands today, so I’m wearing my casual look.” You know, I see myself as a blank canvas, every day. When I wake up, I think about what I can do to make a statement. To make myself stand out. Growing up, I used to blend in with the crowd a lot. When I eventually found myself through art, I wanted to be different from everyone and everything else. So now, I try to stand out in everything I do- that includes my daily look.”
CH: Your style makes people’s heads turn. It’s ‘out there’, especially in an environment like Lagos, which can be conservative at times. How do people respond to your style?
“People here express their opinion no matter what. Everybody just feels that they have to express theirs. When I just moved to Lagos I think people were confused. People were questioning my gender, because of the way I dress. But I think for the most part, people are intrigued, people seem to like it. They are curious and ask questions. For me that’s fun because I want to be able to leave an impact every time you see me or come across me, which is good. It doesn’t bother me as much as I thought it would. In a way it helps me to define who I am. I don’t have to do it with words - I use my look.”
CH: What impact do you want to make?
“Be yourself as much as you can be, because it takes you as far as you want to go. It’s the only unique thing you have, to be yourself. So that is my message, every day. Be yourself and be different.”
CH: What’s your ultimate goal?
“Since I have been here [Lagos] I have been able to connect with a lot of young creatives and I think the biggest problem they have is to find who they are, and be able to show that out. So I believe that I can help them, showcase that and inspire the world.”
Want to know and see more of Wavy? You can find her on Soundcloud, Instagram and YouTube.
