Music is my way of continuing dad’s legacy — Charles Onyeabor

Charles, the son of a late Nigerian electro-funk musician, William Onyeabor, says doing music is his way of continuing his father’s legacy.

The Nigerian-Italian told Sunday Scoop, “I have always been a part of my father’s artistic journey. I observed what he did, and occasionally joined him in the studio. I suppose that inspired me as well, but I did not act on it. When he passed away in 2017, a voice in my head insisted that I should continue his legacy.

“However, I disregarded it until the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. It was during the three-month lockdown in Italy that I had time to think back on my life. That was when I decided to pursue music. I released my first single titled, They Can’t Pull Us Down in December 2020. Now, I have 20 tracks across several genres in my album.”

On why he titled his album, ‘Like Father, Like Son’, the afrobeats and funk artiste said, “There is a lion and a cub on the album cover. My father is represented by the lion, and I am represented by the cub.

“Many people who were close to my father have told me repeatedly since I began my musical career that I sound like him. He was my main source of motivation. He also influenced the way I think about music.”

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