You may have heard us playing Sarafina by SheayAkins on a recent Rising Stars show – but who is SheayAkins? We caught up with him to find out more about his life and music.

Tell us a little bit about your yourself?

I’m Oluwaseyi Akintola, recording under my pseudonym of SheayAkins. I’m originally from Nigeria and spent the last 12 years in South Africa, before travelling to the UK in January this year for work and family.

I studied Applied Physics (Honours) from a University in Nigeria, and did an Advanced Studio/Sound Engineering Course in South Africa at Emendy Multimedia Institute in Hatfield, Pretoria.

When did you first start to develop a passion for music?

I’ve been making music for a long time. If I were to put a date on it, it’d date back to 2002/2003 when I started writing songs for the church choir repertoire.

What music have you written, recorded and released to date?

I have written around 200 songs or more; most are still unpublished. Professionally, I started recording demos and singles in 2006. My first official single release was in 2014 (Loop Love Fire) when I coincidentally also landed my first publishing with Sheer Music Africa, back in South Africa.

I released my debut album last year (2023) titled; Versatility (vol. 1), and I intend to add at least two other volumes to the collection. I have directed various of my music videos and I am into video production. I also Preach. In this project, I did the writing sometime last year (2023), after being inspired by a drill instrumentation I listened to. I worked with a producer on the instrumentation, which I then further worked on (I recorded the audio and did extra mixing), and got mastered by Xavier Hill, the noable mixing and mastering engineer who once mastered a trailer of mission impossible.

Which artists do you enjoy listening to at the moment – and do they influence your work?

My biggest musical influences would be Asa, Adelle, R.Kelly, Ron Kenoly. Non-musical influences include Miles Munroe, amongst others.

I love being unique and original in my artistry. My love for touching hearts in insatiable. I use my music well at achieving this. I listen to various artists. If it resonates with me, I’d listen.

Who would your dream collaboration be with?

I would love to collaborate with a few artists, some of which are Asa, Adelle, Jonathan McReynolds, and maybe Ed Sheeran.

What are your plans for the future?

There’s been numerous testimonies and feedback of how my music has transformed peoples’ lives across the globe. This gives me a great sense of satisfaction. I look forward to expressing myself and music even more in the UK, and across the globe.

Where can we find out more about you?

You can find me on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X/Twitter.