Nigerian singer Timaya has shared the struggles he faced while persistently traveling between Lagos and Port Harcourt in search of a marketer for his debut album True Story, released in 2007.

In an interview on the ‘Afrobeats Intelligence’ podcast, as reported, the 44-year-old recounted how his breakthrough came unexpectedly through a roadside CD vendor in Port Harcourt who linked him to a marketer based in Alaba.

Timaya, originally from Port Harcourt, said the Alaba marketer played his demo which featured the track Ogologoma, at his Lagos shop. The song immediately attracted attention, with customers requesting to buy it on the spot.

The Dem Mama crooner revealed that impressed by the buzz, the marketer offered ₦500,000 for the album, significantly lower than the ₦3.5 million Timaya had hoped for, but still a major step up from the ₦45,000 offers he had previously received.

He recalled, “The vendor told me to look for his brother in Alaba. When I called him and introduced myself, he asked me to bring the demo to his shop the next morning.

“I showed up with all my recorded songs. He played the CD while cleaning his shop. Though he wasn’t a major marketer at the time, he had worked with acts like Sky B.

“When he played Ogologoma, people walking in started asking for the song, but he told them it wasn’t available yet.

“Later, while we were eating, he asked how much I wanted for the album. I told him ₦3.5 million. He smiled and said no one would offer that — the most he could give was ₦500,000.

“He added that if I didn’t return by Monday, I shouldn’t call him again. This was on a Friday. Before that, the best offer I’d received was ₦45,000. Other artists I spoke to were being offered even less ₦25,000 or ₦40,000.

“When I told them about the ₦500,000 offer, they were shocked. As soon as I got off the bus, I called the marketer and told him I was in. He asked me to come to the market on Monday to collect the money, and that’s how it all started.”