Meet Teebee, the Windsor-based R&B/Afrobeat artist ready to drop his debut project, ‘West African Love Story’ EP
Since the release of their collaborative EP ‘ICY’ back in December, African duo Teebee and Jdotds have been on the constant move after tapping into the Western sound and smoothly combining it with their own vibrant style. With ‘ICY’ peaking #10 in the albums category on the Apple Music World Charts in the first week of its release – it left the duo inspired and hungry to do more. R&B artist Teebee released his spring single ‘Lova Lova’ back in March, an Afrobeat-influenced track. The duo joins forces again in April on rapper Jdotds’ single ‘Raindrops.’ Within the same month, Teebee found himself opening for world-renowned Nigerian singer, Teni the Entertainer at Imperial Music Hall for an explosive performance.
Teebee continues on making waves, with the latest drop of his new single ‘Makaveli’ featuring Gyebi – the last single before the release of his debut EP “West African Love Story.” With no release date as of yet, the current singles off of ‘West African Love Story’ will have to hold us over, letting the anticipation build up until it drops. With Teebee’s heavy Afrobeat influence and merging it with R&B and Hip-Hop, we’re ready to hear what the emerging artist has in store.
XMPL got the chance to interview Teebee – which has been featured in our third digital issue for summer 2019. In our interview, Teebee talks about his influences, previous work and his upcoming debut EP ‘West African Love Story.’
Read the full exclusive interview with Teebee and listen to his new single ‘Makaveli’ featuring Gyebi below:
XMPL: What first inspired you to start making music?
Teebee: To be honest, I kinda knew a few years back that I could make a good song if I tried but I never thought anything more of that. At least not until sometime last year when a couple of my boys were piecing together the FLIP team. I think I was just in search of a new challenge – something different that I enjoy doing and music was that.
Did you have any musical influences growing up?
Growing up I listened to a lot of music, mostly Afrobeats and Western Pop/R&B. I remember my dad would always play some old school like Onyeka Onwenu, King Sunny Ade, Lagbaja, Fela, Michael Jackson, and Diana Ross etc. I’d say my music is definitely influenced by all of these sounds.
You released your spring single “Lova Lova” back in March – can you tell us a bit about the process that went behind making this track?
Yeah, Lova Lova is my first proper Afrobeats song so it holds a special spot in my heart. The funny thing is that the whole song is a freestyle. I came across the beat which was made by this really talented young producer called Kezzi and my first thought was to create something catchy to go with drums.
The song tells a story of how two lovers grow apart & it’s mirrored from the lady’s point of view, hence the hook “Mr. Lova, you no dey love me again.” this translates to Mr. lover, you don’t love me anymore.
You closed off last year with your vibrant collaborative EP “ICY” with rapper Jdotds – was there a track that was personally significant or stood out to you?
Hmm that’s a hard one….every track on there has a vibe to it. I mean my favorite track from the EP keeps changing every time I listen. I guess I’d say Filthy, just because it got me out of my comfort zone; that was my first time on a hip-hop beat, also it was the most fun song to make.
You recently opened for world-renowned Nigerian singer Teni in April – tell us about your experience performing in concert that night.
Ahh man…that was special. I’d probably say that’s my best set so far. The crowd was dope and their energy was something else.
Your debut EP “West African Love Story” is set to drop some time soon. What are some of the influences behind this project?
Man, basically any African artist I ever listened to from Legends like Fela, 2face, Psquare to the guys doing it right now like Wizkid, Burna boy, Davido etc. – they all had an influence on the sound, beats choices and even the lyrics behind the songs on this EP.
Will there be any features or collaborations on “West African Love Story”?
Yeah there are two artists featured on the tape; Jdotds & Gyebi.
Are there any artists that you’d like to collaborate with in the near future?
Man, there are a lot of artists on this list. Off the top of my head I’d say Wizkid for sure, Burna boy, Pharrell, Koffee, Travis…
With your debut EP “West African Love Story” headed our way – what can we expect from this highly anticipated project?
Lots of vibes, lots of melodies. I honestly don’t think there’s a bad song on there.
