Highlife singer Flavour has reflected on a defining moment from the early days of his career, recalling how he was asked to stop performing and leave the stage to make way for P-Square during a show in Enugu, an experience he says changed the course of his journey in music. 

Speaking on the In My Opinion podcast, the singer, born Chinedu Okoli, said he had already built a loyal following at City Centre in Enugu, where he performed regularly. At the time, P-Square had just released their hit song 'Temptation' and were visiting the venue as part of a promotional tour. 

According to Flavour, the promoters brought the duo to the venue while he was still performing.

“Immediately P-Square came; the manager just said, ‘Hello, off that thing.’

“I switched off, passed the microphone, and went to sit. Then when Paul of P-Square picked up the microphone and just said, ‘This na temptation,’ everywhere scattered,” he recalled. 

Flavour said watching the crowd's reaction made him realise there was a difference between being a skilled live musician and an artiste with original records. Although he could sing thousands of songs and entertain audiences for hours, he noticed established artistes could perform for a much shorter time and command a far greater response. 

The singer said the moment pushed him to rethink his career.

“Then it started occurring to me that these guys, the difference is that they create their sound, go to the studio, and record. That's how it's done. So you are just a music man. So I decided to change from a music man to an artiste... The best way to go about it was to start afresh,” he said. 

Flavour began his music career as a choir conductor and drummer before spending 13 years with a live band. He later ventured out as a solo performer, a path that eventually led to the release of his 2005 debut album, ‘N'abania’.