Omah Lay (Real Name: Omah Stanley Didiah, Born 19 May 1997, Age:26 Years Old) is a Nigerian singer and songwriter who became popular in early 2020 after his single, “Holiday”, which he produced by himself, went viral on social media. He is from Ikwerre in Rivers State, Nigeria.
A fast-rising and gifted Nigerian Afro-fusion music artist, Omah Lay is one of the most trending upcoming artists making the waves in the music industry. After the release of his debut singles You and Bad Influence, Omah Lay distinguished himself with his unique style of music which got him going places and becoming the most talked-about newest act in the Nigeria music scene. His popularity grew in leaps and bounds after the release of his star-struck debut EP Get Layd in May 2020.
This cleared the way for his second EP What Have We Done which dropped later in November the same year under the popular record label Warner Music Group. Omah Lay’s fame became official with his nomination at the 2020 edition of the Headies Award, as the Next Rated Artiste of the Year.
Summary of Omah Lay’s Biography
- Full name: Omah Stanley Didiah
- Nickname: Omah Lay
- Gender: Female
- Date of birth: 19 May 1997
- Place of Birth: Port Harcourt, Nigeria
- Omah Lay’s Age: 26 years old
- Ethnicity: Black
- Nationality: Nigerian
- Zodiac Sign: Taurus
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
- Marital Status: Unmarried
- Education: University of Port Harcourt
- Profession: Record Producer, singer
- Omah Lay’s Height in Inches: 5′ 9”
- Omah Lay’s Net worth: $600,000
- Famous for: “Holiday”
- Omah Lay’s Instagram: omah_lay
- Twitter: @Omah_Lay
Omah Lay Hails From Rivers State
The popular Afro-fusion star who is popularly known as Omah Lay was born on May 19, 1997, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, located in the oil-rich South-South region of Nigeria. The ‘Bad Influence’ singer spent the better part of his early childhood at Igwuruta which is a popular Ijaw speaking town in Ikwerre, Rivers State. However, he had most of his teenage years at Marine Base in the outskirt of Port Harcourt.
After his Primary education, Omah Lay attended Comprehensive High School in Rivers state, before proceeding to the University of Port-Harcourt.
He Comes From a Family of Music Enthusiasts
Little is known as to whether he read music or what he actually studied in the University, but there is a clear indication that his musical talents rather stem from his family tree. He hails from a music-loving family, traced from patriarchal roots as his grandfather Adalolo was a percussionist for the veteran highlife legend, Celestine Ukwu, in the 70s before his demise.
Moreso, Omah Lay’s father was a talented drummer of highlife, though he wasn’t as popular as his father Adalolo. From the level of creativity he employs in his songs, it is obvious that his education has also added much value to his music career, giving it a sense of professionalism.
Does Omah Lay Have Any Siblings?
Just like most celebrities who like to walk on eggshells, the Afro-Fusion artist has always kept his personal life away from public light as he hardly yields to questions relating to his family background and siblings. Even so, it is logical that he has siblings as it is widely rumored that the strong bonds he shared with his brothers have inspired the title of one of his singles Hello Brother where he talked about his love for his brothers. In spite of that, he is a little reluctant to disclose the actual names of his brothers.
Nonetheless, the record producer has a sister called Adanma, as the media has come to know. She is said to be a model, although there is no information associating her with any brand. Omah’s sister once stormed the media with some of her fashionable eye-catching photos, showing her sense of fashion and modeling potentials. These elegant pictures of hers went viral online and were also featured on popular online news sites like Opera.
Omah Lay Was Producing For Songwriters Even Before Fame
From childhood, the music sensation has always had a knack for music. He was inspired by foreign rap artists like Drake, who ignited his desire to pursue a career in music initially as a rapper to like his favorite star. Omah Lay held on to this fantasy during his teens and took up the stage name “Lil King” in like manner. Owing to the fact that music is in his DNA, Omah later decided to make a switch to music production. In this regard; he learned the ropes in music production and acquired experience.
By 2019, he became a well-groomed music producer and started composing for other songwriters. With the passage of time, Omah Lay felt he wasn’t getting the expected level of satisfaction he had envisioned, which was made worse by the fact that he was not given the desired recognition for his works by most of the big artists he wrote songs for or produced. Nursing such a grudge propelled him into taking up the Mic himself to promote and portray his musical talents to the world.
Omah’s foremost experience in the studio gave birth to the remarkable debut single Hello Brother, as well as Do Not Disturb in April 2019. These two singles got tongues wagging as they became playback tracks of most airwaves in Port-Harcourt that year, topping the music charts in the state. The success of this experiment became his good luck charm which got him an amazing deal with a leading record label known as KeyQaad in July 2019. In the nick of time, Omah lay relocated fully to Lagos, where his new record label was located. However, he was later signed to Dvapper Music.
Omah’s Debut EP is Regarded as The Foundation of His Success
In early 2020, the vibrant Afro-fusion star released the hit tracks You and Bad Influence, which were part of his debut EP Get Layd. The debut singles were first released on Audiomack, then on other online platforms; within the snap of a finger, the tracks had recorded millions of streams on most online platforms. The unprecedented successes of these single tracks only got his growing fans yearning for more as they wait for the EP release.
Omah lay finally dropped his much-anticipated debut EP Get Layd on May 22, 2020, under the record label KeyQuaad. The album became a smash hit, rising to the No.1 spot on Nigeria’s most valuable chart Metric, Soundcity Top 20, Cool FM’s Tastemakers chart, and Apple’s music chart, where four of the five songs that featured in the album rated among the top four songs on the Apple Music top 100 songs within Nigeria consecutively. The tracklist of the EP includes: Bad Influence, (2020), You, (2020), Damn, (2020), LoLo (2020), and Ye Ye Ye (2020)
Once more, Omah Lay kept the fire burning with the release of yet another hit-making EP titled What Have We Done on November 20, 2020, under Warner Music Group. This automatically made it two incredible EPs within the short span of eight months. Some of the tracks in this album are: Damn Remix, (2020), Can’t Relate, (2020), Confession, (2020), Godly, (2020), and My Bebe (2020).
His Awards and Achievements
The Afro-fusion superstar is able to stand tall among his peers as his fame came rapidly. Following the vast successes of his singles and EP albums, Omah Lay was nominated under the category of the Next Rated Artist for the 2020 edition of the Headies Awards, one of the most prestigious music awards in Nigeria and Africa. Accordingly, his hard work finally paid off the moment he was pronounced as the winner of the Headies Award.
He outwitted other popular upcoming artists such as Tems, Oxlade, and Bella Shmurda who were his contenders in that same category. Lay was named in the Native Magazine’s March episode ‘Fresh Meat’ as an Artiste to look out for in 2020. Again, in June 2020, Lay emerged as the New Artiste of The Month on Apple Music, in addition to being featured as Apple Music’s African Rising Artist. He was also listed on Shazam’s ‘Naija Risers Playlist’.
Going by his antecedents, there is still more to look out for about the fast-rising artist. He may not be at the peak of his career just yet, but it is predictable that in no distant time, he will most likely add several prestigious awards to his shelves and attain the status of full stardom.
