Oteya Gears Up for Seventh Album Release

AFTER being in the music industry for more than two decades, talented singer Oteya says she is not calling time on her singing career just yet.

The making of an artist is not a smooth path. Industry-specific struggles, rejections and constant failures are par for the course, but the ‘Ethimbo’ hitmaker has risen to fame despite the challenges.  

At the beginning of her career, Oteya, then using her birth name Daphne Willibard, became an international name in the music industry as part of well-known girl duo Gal Level. The group, made up of Oteya and Frieda Haindaka, now known as Freeda, split in 2012. It was only in 2014, however, that Oteya started using her new stage name and saw her solo star soar.

Today Oteya is married to her manager and the owner of popular music label Ogopa Butterfly, Suleiman ‘Sula’ Kyababa. The couple has two children, Malaika and Amir.

Thus far, Oteya has six albums under her belt.

“My fans can expect something new pretty soon. My team and I have just finished the concept for a video for my next single from my new album which will be dropping very soon,” she says.

Speaking about her long-spanning career, Oteya says there have been many highlights.

“Wow, time flew by so quickly. I still remember the day I joined my first group, Dungeon Family. If I can name a few moments that stood out for me, it would be when Gal Level performed at a packed stadium in Burkina Faso. Also, sharing the same stage with my childhood favourite R&B group Boyz II Men was a dream finally becoming a reality,” she says.

The songstress, who has won the hearts of many with her soothing voice, says one of the most valuable lessons she has learnt over the years is to not listen to too many voices, realising that not every opinion mattered.

“I have learnt to pay attention to my work and less attention to groupies. I have also always kept my circle very small. These are the small things that can break you as an artist, so it is important to eliminate them. I am dearly thankful to my music label because they kept me grounded,” she says.

Oteya admits that being signed to a music label has greatly contributed to the success she is enjoying today. Being under a music label has taken a lot of pressure off me so I can’t say that I have had challenges,” she explains. “Together, we would always discuss everything and every decision we have made has always been calculated,” the artist, whose lyrics are typically in Oshiwambo, adds.

The Afro-pop artist advises artists to be prepared for the digital era. “While the rest of the world is making money through digital platforms, our industry is still struggling to make money from it. Digital has made the marketing of artists through social media much easier. With digital media, it is easier to reach a wider audience compared to a few years back when an artist was dependent on radio stations, newspapers and TV alone. I am looking forward to be sharing my new work with everyone soon,” Oteya says.