Artiste Spotlight: Omah Lay

Stanley Oman Didia professionally known by his stage name, Omah Lay, is a Nigerian Afrobeats Singer and songwriter. He was born on the 19th of May 1997 in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. He has been into music right from his childhood, starting out as a rapper, then a producer. He is popularly known for his hit songs You and Bad influence.

Oman Lay was born and brought up in Port Harcourt. He spent part of his childhood in Igwurututa and his teenage years at Marine Base- a suburb of the state. Omah Lay attended comprehensive High school in his early days before proceeding to the University of Port Harcourt. He is from a musically inclined family. His grandfather Celestine Ukwu, is a legendary singer of the late 70s Highlife sensations.

The singer started in a rap group under the stage name Lil King. He later move on to songwriting and music production which was largely uncredited. He released his debut EP Do Not Disturb in April 2019. The song “Bad Influence”, became the most-streamed Nigerian Song on Apple Music at the end of 2020. In October the same year, he appeared on Olamide’s album Carpe Diem. His feature on Olamide’s track Infinity topped the Apple Music charts in Nigeria for weeks. On the 20th of November, he released his second five-track EP What Have We Done. In December, he was included in BBC Radio 1Xtra’sannual “Hot for 2021” list. He is currently signed to Dvpper Music Distribution in Nigeria, and Sire Records for international distribution. On the 8th of July 2021, Omah Lay released a new single – Understand.

On the 14th December 2020, he was arrested alongside Tems after they performed in a show in Uganda. The Ugandan police authority identified a violation of COVID-19 lockdown protocols as the reason for their arrest. It was later found out to be a setup. Two days later they were released by the Ugandan government who also tendered an apology and cleared them of every wrongdoing. Omah Lay also expressed his support for the #EndSARS campaign in Nigeria. In an interview with Harper’s Bazar, he said “people need to know these protests are purely about the people, with no political undertone whatsoever. Police harass, extort, beat, and kill us just for being hoping and trendy, with no consequences…”

As a talented and brilliant artist, Omah Lay has been nominated for numerous awards and has won some. Some of the awards are Next Rated Artiste(Won), Viewers Choice, Best R&B Single, and Song of the Year at the Headies Award in 2020. In 2021, they are Best African Artiste of the Year at the Ghana Music Awards, Most Played Pop Songs at the Net Honours which he won, and a lot more nominations. He is currently nominated for the Artiste of the Year in Africa, Best Artiste in Western Africa, Breakout Artiste of the Year, and Best Artiste Duo or Group in African Pop at the All Music Awards (AFRIMA).