In 2021 when she turned 16 (that’s exactly how she looks, coupled with her energy on stage) she celebrated her birthday with a gig at Ebony on Westheimer road, Houston, Texas. We published an article by one of our reporters on a promotional junket to the United States who happened to be at Houston at that same time, describing D’lyte like “an onion” with a formidable multi-layer of energy. Describing how she bounced up and down on stage like a G-wagon with brand new shock absorbers.
[read: The night D’lyte broke the Houston jinx]
Fast forward to February 11, 2022 and “Hangout With D’lyte 2.0,” it was me who was fortunate amongst all of my colleagues to be sent all the way from Nigeria to the United States, to not only cover the event for our distinguished newspaper, but also sit for a one-on-one with the artist herself. All thanks to our able editor-in-chief who pushed the necessary buttons to make it happen.
I caught up with D’lyte a day before the event – seated on a bright orange-colored sofa in front of dresses on a hanger picked out by her stylist who wasn’t happy that her client was about to be interviewed at the same time she was trying out clothes for a show that was only a couple of hours away.
I was made to step aside for a few minutes so that she could try out a grey camouflage romper the stylist handed her.
“Good afternoon!”, she beamed at me as she took back her position on the sofa. Her smile was so full that every crevice of her face lit up. Looking at this beauty with no make-up and her hair pulled back into a bun, I couldn’t help but marvel at how simple she was even though at the same time I could feel the power of her presence.
“Ermmm….” she smiles, pausing for the right words to answer my question. “I am so excited about tomorrow – and yes, I still feel the same fire and enthusiasm inside of me as I felt last November when I had the very first edition of “Hangout with D’lyte.”
I asked if she was worried about turnout, because after her successful event in November 2021, Ebony has hosted several events that flopped with little or no one in attendance – including Awilo Logomba and Yemi Alade’s events.
“What the hell? It’s gonna be wild,” she laughed, shaking her head.
And just like she said, it was wild! So much that even before she belted out the first notes of her opening song, you could feel the entire hall vibrating to the weight of the music. Her awesome band propelled everyone in the audience to their feet moving to the beat.
It took little or no time to realize the love they have for that very song as they kept chanting the lyrics back to her as if trying to out-sing her.
For a casual observer like myself and from where I stood, one thing was clear – the lady up on that stage was a tomboy growing up. No one should tell me otherwise. There was something about her. It wasn’t because she wore a romper and stumped all night in her long black boots – infact, she actually jiggled her waist to the music as a Nicki Minaj or Beyonce or any of your favorite diva would on stage. I don’t know what it was. Maybe It was her energy. You could feel it gushing out of her. Or was it the way she jumped and paused in sequence with the drummer? Whatever it was, it was everywhere. You could feel it in the air. It is something every show promoter would kill for. And an event-goers dream.
I lost myself to this thing that I can’t even describe. I was genuinely star-struck. The guy next to me said it better. This is something different in Huston. But I already knew from the get-go – from the beginning of the night that I will be experiencing something new. That D’lyte might just be the one. The first Nigerian artist living in America to take the American music scene and make it hers.
I have never been wrong in my music assessment. I said the same of Burna Boy when no one would grant him audience and the radio stations wouldn’t play his music. Today he is the household name I predicted he was going to be.
I was snapped out of my thoughts by a sudden loud noise – on stage was D’lyte and a guy trying to out-wiggle each other – driving the audience cu-ray-zay. “But what kind of a guy uses his waist this good?” The guy standing next to me said before I could say it. “You took those words right out of me,” I replied.
The dude on stage was as good as Dlyte herself if not better. I have never seen anything like it.
D’lyte must have sensed she was losing the wiggle battle and went in for the kill — turning her back to the crowd and went down and did some acrobatics with her bum-bum — She must have known the impact that would have on her audience – they went wilder.
“Oh c’mon stop showing off,” I said like she could hear me. At that moment the dude ran off the stage with his tail between his legs.
One other thing that was plain for all to see was that D’lyte knowing quite well that what she was wearing made her body look like a vessel of sexiness, strength and lights shining at full wattage, she took full advantage of it.
The handful of people in the audience who were also at Awilo Logomba and Yemi Alade’s flopped events kept saying the same thing all night, “D’lyte has rekindled Ebony’s dim lights and made it shiny again.”
It is the hope that subsequent events by other artists will be as lit as hers.
You know what? We won’t have to wait too long to find out because Bright Okpocha A.K.A Basketmouth is having his album launch this evening, Friday 18th February, at the very same Ebony. Will it be another Awilo Logomba or Yemi Alade?
Fingers crossed…..!!!
