Stanley Omah Dibia was born on May 19, 1997, in Port Harcourt, River State Nigeria. He is professionally called Omah Lay as a singer, songwriter, record producer. Omah Lay got started as a producer and songwriter in Port Harcourt but only made up his mind to take up singing when he realized he doesn’t get enough credit for the songs he helped create for others. He then recorded and put out ‘Do not Disturb’ and ‘Hello Brother’ in his hometown Port Harcourt which earned him a record deal with KeyQaad – a new record label at the time. He attended Comprehensive High School located in the capital city of River state before proceeding to the University Of Port Harcourt for his university education.
Early Life
Omah Lay was born in the city of Port Harcourt in Southern Nigeria, he spent most of his teenage years at Marine Base. Omah Lay wouldn’t be the first to attempt music in his family as his grandfather made a career as a drummer for the late 70s Highlife sensation – Celestine Ukwu.
Career
Omah Lay started music as a teenager rapping in the streets of Marine Base as Lil King but then he got bored and started learning how to produce music. He made his mark first on the local music scene in early 2019 as a producer making a couple of records that got massive radio spins in his hometown but he thought he didn’t get the accolades and credit he deserved writing and producing those records; that was when he made up his mind to pick up the mic and do it. In 2019, he recorded and put out ‘Do Not Disturb’ and ‘Hello Brother’ and they enjoyed good spins on his hometown radio stations. This caught the ears of record labels and he ended up signing with KeyQaad in July 2019 left his hometown for the first time and moved to Lagos – The entertainment hub of West Africa.
In January 2020, he teased his Instagram followers with a verse he had recorded and the feedback was amazing so he decided to make the song available for free as a teaser to his official single, that song became ‘Bad Influence’ which went on to garner millions of streams on Digital stores. He then released his official single ‘You’ on the 14th of February 2020 which is deemed by many to be a sleeper hit. ‘You’ put him on some reputable lists of Freshmen to watch out for in 2020 like NotjustOk and Native Mag. The song got a mixed review from Pulse NG who wrote that “the song lacked resonance” though the same article went on to praise Omah Lay as a “master with everything associated with the song’s hook”. On the 22nd of May, Omah Lay dropped his debut EP which included the previously released ‘You’ and ‘Bad Influence’.
The EP became an instant commercial success becoming the most streamed Afrobeat album on Digital stores like Audiomack, Deezer, and Apple Music and bent on earning him Apple Music Favorite New Artiste of The Month of June in Africa. On June 7, Omah Lay was interviewed on the then-new Apple Music’s Africa Now Radio by Cuppy where he spoke about the success of his new EP and music influences. On Friday the 3rd of July, he was picked as the debut star for Apple’s Africa Rising Campaign which spots talent in Africa and projects them all through the continent and internationally.
Artistry
“Omah’s vocal delivery, varied as it may be, breathes life and emotion into his records, regardless of the genre he finds himself making, whether it’s a dance-ready number or a Hip-Hop” – The Native Mag
Discography
Omah Lay has been making music right before his major recognition in 2020 having released songs like “Hello Brother”, “Do Not Disturb” in 2019. His debut 5-tracks EP “Get Layd” released on May 23, 2020, has amassed millions of streams on all streaming platforms worldwide and still counting. The project has been featured on Soundcity’s Top 20 and also Cool Fm 96.6Fm radio station, during the Tastemakers’ chart.
