By Cynthia Johnson
Nigerian singer Charles Chibuezechukwu Ojie better known as Crayon, recently sat down with Punch’s Saturday Beats to discuss his inspiring journey from humble beginnings to stardom, which is the inspiration behind his latest album, “Trench to Triumph Story.”
As learned by Quest Times, Crayon narrated his upbringing in Orile Iganmu, Lagos.
At the age of seven, he and his family moved into a modest one-room apartment in Ojo, where nine or ten family members shared the space. As the eldest child in the family, he faced severe financial constraints throughout his childhood.
Despite the challenges, Crayon never gave up on his dream of making music. While working alongside his mother in the fruit market, he sometimes resorted to hawking fruits in Lagos traffic.
“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.”
Now, as a signed artiste at Mavin Records, Crayon is on his way to becoming a global superstar. He describes this journey as his “triumph.”
Also, he spoke about his experience meeting with veteran actress Ngozi Ezeonu after singing a song which featured her name.
“I appreciate the marketing team at Mavin Records,” he said. “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.”
Crayon reached out to Ezeonu’s management and contacted her personally, sharing the idea with her. She was open to the idea, and Crayon described her as a “sweet soul.”
“She actually knew the song, because her kids were used to playing it in the house,” he said. “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.”
Consequently, Crayon showed his mother the video of his visit to Ezeonu, and she was “quite excited.” He described the visit as one of his “best and funniest moments this year.”