No Pressure (Semi- Final)
It's amazing what we can do when we remove the pressure that we put on ourselves. I was invited to share my talent on Britains biggest stage - "Britains got talent". I had this stigma in my head, what if I got buzzed off? What will people think? They wouldn't be interested in what I do... all these ideas stopped me from pursuing it every year when I would be asked. In the end, I agreed to participate but I rationalised it in my head as I was going to try and get promotion for the band I was in "Soul Symphony". I was the spokesperson for the band but it wasn't me I was promoting.
The Britains got talent experience blew me away. All these preconceived ideas I had were wrong. All the pressure I put on myself to take a certain route, do things a certain way, based on nothing. All I saw was people from all walks of life (one of the highlights of multicultural Britain) coming together to share their talents.
The feedback we got from the judges was insane. To my surprise, they seemed more interested in Dr Chima Anya than "Soul Symphony". "You should be doing your own music", "I want to hear you really make a song your own". The original aspect of the performance we did was lauded (which was an original rap I wrote), while the safer cover band-esque aspects dismissed.
The irony floored me, my whole thing has always been - be who you truly are. Yet here I am hiding as Soul Symphony when I should have proudly been stepping forward as Chima Anya. I am a doctor and a rapper, despite doing this for over a decade some people still find the combination odd. It's not. That's an unhelpful societal pressure. And it took going on Britains got Talent to show me the contradiction in my own approach to life.
I was invited to submit an idea for what I would do in the semi final. This was the idea I pitched to the producer. Directly influenced by some of the feedback I got from the judges "break through the mould, be original not a cover". It only felt right to retread the themes of "No Pressure" I've been talking about for YEARS. I played the song to Blackneeyz who played trombone in Soul Symphony and was involved with many of the creative decisions. He created an orchestral rendition that took it to a whole new level so much so that I wanted to release it as it's own entity. This is "No Pressure (Semi-Final)". Streaming worldwide 31/05/2024.