Stanley Okorie Talks Newfound Success of Hit Songs "Billionaire", "Happy Mumu"

There is not much that I love more than seeing when people who may not have gotten their flowers back in their heyday receive their flowers today. One such person who is having this happen to them on a global level is singer and songwriter Stanley Okorie. Stanley Okorie is a legend especially in the Nollywood soundtrack business. He has been responsible for so many Nollywood classics such as "Iyeme", "Fine Mama", "Ashawo No Be Work", "Happy Mumu", and the latest viral sensation "Billionaire" which is blowing up all over social media.

During a new interview with The Premium Times, Stanley Okorie opened up about the creative process of these songs and how making soundtracks in Nollywood has been for him. Here are some of the highlights of what Stanley Okorie said.

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Speaking about how he came up with the concepts for these Nollywood soundtracks, Stanley Okorie said:

STANLEY OKORIE: When Nollywood started, there was no format for anything. Sammie [Okposo] had become a significant player in soundtrack production long before I came. You are given the script most time, and you are asked to come up with music. They give you a hand, and you make music that would interpret it. There is a uniqueness in making music in the Nollywood industry. It is different from making music for Hollywood or Bollywood. Making music for Nollywood is different, and it’s interpretative, and you are almost interpreting the story. Some people tell the story in music, but that doesn’t happen. After the scene has happened, you may now solve it. But the editor may even play the song before the scene happens. That’s what happens. I recall that the thing used to piss Sammie off a lot because many editors didn’t know much about playing music. If there is a death scene you don’t play a dirge before the character dies. You wait and let the man die first. But sometimes, these editors would start playing the dirge and thereby telling the viewer that the character would soon die. My first soundtrack was ‘Compromise’ for Emalex Productions. My second soundtrack was ‘Atrocity’ for Amako Investment. My first big one was ‘Evil Genius. Then there was ‘Karishika’ (Queen of Demons)’ from the 1996 horror movie KARISHIKA.

Speaking about the newfound success of songs like "Billionaire" and "Happy Mumu", Stanley Okorie opened up about them saying:

STANLEY OKORIE: I recorded ‘Billionaire’ for a friend of mine, Osi King, who made a film for Aki and Paw Paw. My friend told me there was already a song for the movie, but he wanted me to do something better, a sing-song that would talk about money, not too much English but something streetwise. For something to make sense to me, it had to be simple. I am not so into complicated stuff. Before ‘Billionaire’ went viral, there was ‘Happy Mumu’. I can’t remember what movie it was from, but I know it was for Ossy Affason. My music has made a lot of prominent billionaires.

It is good to see Stanley Okorie getting his flowers and seeing his music go global. What do you think about what Stanley Okorie said, and what do you think about Stanley's music? Let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment either below or on my Jide Okonjo Facebook post.

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