Nigerian singer Tekno has named highlife legend Oliver De Coque as the musician he regarded as his “king” while growing up, while clarifying his comments about the influence of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo-Kuti on his music.
Speaking during an interview, Tekno explained that his upbringing in northern Nigeria meant he was not exposed to Fela’s music during his childhood.
“Fela was not my king and he will never be my king,” he said, stressing that his remarks were about his personal musical background rather than Fela’s contribution to Afrobeat.
Tekno said he did not listen to Fela while growing up and pointed to his Igbo heritage and family environment as part of the reason. He also said only one song in his catalogue, ‘Rara’, bears a resemblance to Fela’s Afrobeat sound, while tracks such as ‘Duro’, ‘Pana’ and ‘Yawa’ came from a different musical influence.
Oliver De Coque’s Influence
When asked who his musical king was, Tekno named Oliver De Coque and mentioned that there were other Nigerian legends he could not immediately recall by name.
The comments follow an earlier discussion in which Tekno addressed the origins of Afrobeat and the musicians who influenced his own sound.
Born Augustine Miles Kelechi Okechukwu, Tekno was born in Bauchi and has roots in Ivo, Ebonyi State. He began formal music training at eight and later became known for songs including ‘Pana’, ‘Duro’, ‘Yawa’ and ‘Enjoy’, which featured in the Emmy-winning series Ted Lasso.
