I caught up with the talented Okeowo Stephen Oladimeji known as “Don Steve”, where we spoke about how he kickstarted his music career to the music album launch that he recently had. Don Steve is a 31-year-old music artist originally from Nigeria but based in Pretoria, South Africa. The nickname “Don Steve” came from his friends, they started calling him Don Steve and the nickname grew on him. His inspiration to write is derived from past experiences that happened to him or the people that are close to him.
He describes himself as a well-mannered and reserved person. His music genre is afro fusion with a mix of dancehall. “I have always had a passion for music right from a very young age and I always had an urge to get myself involved in any activities that involves music and art” says Don Steve. With his music, he is trying to pass a positive message about life, and he hopes to give people hope that it is not yet over.
Life is not easy but as a person you need to soldier on. He decided to take his music career seriously about 8 months ago and has been doing so well in his industry. Don Steve hosted his first ever music launch on the 6th of March in Pretoria and it was a great success. The album launch featured other artists such as Champion Bwoy, Gidoo, Dharmyfret, BOF Boss, Muller, Bkay Manni, Assumptalisa. Champion Bwoy and Gidoo fall under Don Steve’s record label named Okbeatz Entertainment.
The album “Mind of a King”,
The inspiration behind “Mind of a King” is about his journey in South Africa till date. He refers to a “scenario” thinking back to his first day in South Africa where he got stuck at a garage in very cold weather and could not recognise anyone he knew. The person who was supposed to pick him up from the airport and take care of him was nowhere to be found. He used to sell bottles on the street of South Africa to make some money to buy food to eat. He also mentioned that at some point there were people that would take advantage of him, but this made him stronger in the long run.
“Through my rising and falling, I have come across people that did not want to see me win, people that doubted me and people that thought I could not make anything of myself but that did not lead to my demise. I have made mistakes, gone through setbacks and was still able to rise again. All this reflects to my face when I look in the mirror and I am still able to tell how strong my mind is. For me, it seems like a game of chess, the game is all about making moves, no matter how tough it may be the only thing going through the mind of the King is how to survive and win.” He felt relieved after writing “Mind of a King and was able to express the song through a painting.
Who are your top five favorite artists?
Burna Boy, Davido, Wizkid, Drake & Peruzzi
You log onto your Apple Music now, what is the first song that you are going to play?
“Mind of a King” by Don Steve
Where do you see yourself and your music career in the next three years?
Well we can’t tell what tomorrow holds, but my wish is that by then, I should be able to start winning both local and international awards.
What is your dream collaboration? As in who would you like to work with?
Burna Boy
What would you tell your younger self?
I will tell my younger self that he can be whatever he wants to be and he should not let anyone tell him otherwise.
Did You Know?
- Don Steve is a painter
- He is a Marine Engineer
- He moved to South Africa in 2013
- He loves to help people, helping people makes him happy
- He is a saxophonist
Social Media Handles
IG: @iam_donsteve
Twitter: @iam_donsteve
Facebook: Don Steve
Stream “Mind of a King” now: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/donsteve/mind-of-a-king-3
