Shay was born and raised in London, England to Nigerian parents. Her mother was from
Northern Nigeria and her father is a native of
Ife. She has two elder brothers and an older sister. She and her siblings were raised by their single mother. Shay grew up in a religious setting and felt like a single child during her adolescence. She started visiting Nigeria when she was two years old, and eventually attended the Command High School in Maryland, Lagos.
[7] She went back to London to complete her undergraduate studies. Her interest in music was influenced by members of her household. Her late mother was a chorister and her sister used to compose songs for TV.
[8] Moreover, her brother was a radio and club disc jockey. Shay started performing at the age of 6, and was part of her secondary school choir.
[8]She performed for the
London Community Gospel Choir during their world tour, which included 13 cities in Japan.
[8] Shay was applauded for her performances in Japan. She studied music at a local UK college, and went on to study Business Management at the
University of East London.
[2] In an interview with Lanre Odukoya of
Thisday, Shay said that her mother wasn’t a staunch supporter of her musical ambitions. Moreover, her mother wanted her to become a doctor or lawyer.
[8]Prior to departing the Earth, her mother told her to focus on her music career and put God first.
[7]
Her music career took an upswing when she signed her first ever record deal with No Apology, a record company affiliated with
George Martin (commonly referred to as the “
Fifth Beatle“).
[8] In 2006, Shay formed a girl band in the UK called Boadicea; they were managed by Ron Tom, the founder and manager of
All Saints and
Sugababes. The band separated after two years, and Shay decided to partake in the From Above UK singing audition. After the conclusion of the audition, she emerged as the lead vocalist for the aforementioned defunct group. The group consisted of five girls, including Shay. They got signed to Mathew Knowles’ management company after performing for him. They were taken to
Houston to undergo energetic vocal and dance trainings. The group supported
Beyoncéwhile she was in the UK for her
I Am… World Tour.
[7] They presented an award at the
2011 MTV Europe Music Awards and had their own
MTV reality show called
Breaking From Above, which aired in over 166 countries around the world.
[9][10] The group later disassembled and Shay had an opportunity to continue her management deal with Matthew Knowles, as well as secure a recording contract with Sony. Shay decided to join Flytime Music after getting an offer from them. Shay has worked with a number of musicians, including
Justin Timberlake,
Brian Michael Cox,
Darey,
Bilal,
Michelle Williams,
Chip, Rob Knoxx,
H-Money, and Cameron Wallace.
[1]
Flytime Music
Shay was introduced to Sound Sultanduring his visit to London in 2011. After listening to some of her demos, Sultan convinced her to relocate to Nigeria and pursue her musical career there.[2][11]During a project with Sound Sultan in the UK, Shay was introduced to Cecil Hammond of Flytime Promotions. Hammond signed Shay to his record label (Flytime Music) and decided to launch her solo career in Nigeria.[1] In 2013, Shay departed the record label. During a November 2013 interview with Kehinde Ajose of Vanguard, Shay said she joined Flytime Music to promote her brand. She said that while signed to the record label, she was very much in control of her brand. Moreover, she said she still has a relationship with the label.[11]