We first heard about Acho when he was nominated for the Best Artiste or Group in the Carribean category for the upcoming Kora awards. Who was this Nigerian artiste who's running for an award meant for Caribbean artistes? He must be pretty special. Yes he is. He's even a petroleum engineer by trade. Museke.com caught up with him to talk about his music, profession and his thoughts on the industry. Below is the interview transcript.

Museke.com: How are you?
Acho: Am beautiful and you?

Museke.com: Feeling good too. What’s your real name? Can you tell us about your background and family?
Acho: My real names are Iheanacho Onuoha from where I got my stage name which is the last four alphabets of my first name Iheanacho.
I am a native of Otulu Amumara Ezinihitte Mbaise in Imo state Nigeria. I was born in 1976 in Lagos state into a family of nine children (All graduates) .I am the sixth child and the second son in the family. I am a Petroleum Engineer and as well a singer. I graduated from the Federal University of Port Hartcourt in Rivers state Nigeria in 2000.

Museke.com: What made you take up music as a career?
Acho: It’s been my dream of taking up music as a career .Though I work as a petroleum Engineer, I still have the urge to unleash what has been inside of me waiting to explode and that is singing and entertaining .There was when I was working offshore at a shell FPSO called the BONGA.I was working with about 500 British and Scottish engineers and when I am on duty I always sing while working .I did not know that the Engineers enjoy seeing me sing .So one day I did not come for duty and when my assistants came back they told me that the British guys where looking for me. They used to call me “black boy” .They told my assistant that they missed my voice etc that day. So the next day i came for duty and they all came and rounded me and said to me “black boy we don’t want to see you on coverall or back here offshore again. Go out and chase your dream .You are a wonderful singer and we will want to hear that you are a big musician when we get back to the UK. Up till date they still call me .So I know music is my calling and I am going for it. I enjoy it and it gives me fulfillment.

Museke.com: How did you get into music?
Acho: I was a member of our church choir back then at St johns Anglican church in my native town. Though I was the youngest amongst them but I was given the opportunity because they saw the talent and voice I had. Apart from that we had two guitars in my family which my father bought for us .That helped me because I found out I could sing more than playing the guitar so when we are together I will be singing while my sister plays the guitar. My second opportunity was my elder sister knew one of the old musicians in the east of Nigeria back then called Johnny cross. He used to record at Labamba records which used to be a very popular studio then in Owerri Imo state. So I was able to follow them to the studio .After that I started saving money for my first demo then. That was how I started

Museke.com: You recorded your first demo at 14. How were you able to do so so early?
Acho: Yes I was exposed on time to studio recording through my sister. Back then there were no computers for music recording. we used a Yamaha sequencing machine and live keyboard and guitars to record. I cannot forget my first experience, the anxiety in the voicing boot.

Museke.com: Which African musicians did you listen to growing up?
Acho: I listened to Miriam Makeba, Onyeka Onwenu, Sunny Ade, Fela.

Museke.com: Which musicians would you like to work with?
Acho: I will like to work with marc Anthony, Obiwon and Tuface.

Museke.com: Which African musicians do you admire (presently)?
Acho: Youssou N’Dour, salif keita and Oliver Mtukudzi, Dbanj and Tuface.

Museke.com: What kind of music do you do and why that?
Acho: I do Latin pop music. Some call it calypso but with Nigeria dance beat. In general I do Latin pop and I like it .I am doing a different genre from what other Nigerians are doing and that maybe one reason why I got nominated in Kora.

Museke.com: Tell us about your music career so far?
Acho: Well it’s been wonderful. I have an album in the market in Nigeria courtesy Soprime music .I have two video and still shooting more for the album. I have been busy with shows and concerts here in Nigeria and will fly out to the UK and south Africa in February for other shows coming up by then. It’s been really rewarding.

Museke.com: Congrats on your Kora award nomination? How do you feel about it?
Acho: I felt very happy and surprised because that is my first officially released album and the ‘The only one’ is one of the songs in the album. Its something to be thankful to God because Kora is the mother of all awards in Africa. I am glad to be recognized and nominated.

Museke.com: Any idea why you were nominated for best artiste in the Caribbean instead of in the African Diaspora?
Acho: I actually submitted my song in that category because I know that where my style of music is from. I like Latin guitar sound and beat and I have that in almost all my songs. That’s my signature. I have performed in shows in Barbados, Trinidad Tobago etc. So I am not surprised that I got nominated in that category and I am the only Nigerian in that that category and by the God willing I will win that award come 11th April 2009.

Museke.com: What inspires you to write music? Do you write all your songs?
Acho: That depends on two things, things happening around me and in a situation where I get to hear the instrumentals of the song first ,it put me in the mood to actually follow the rhythm of the song and find a suitable idea to write about. Presently, I write all my songs. I have once co wrote 3 songs with a British lyricist Jim Blake which I recorded and I write for other people too.

Museke.com: What has been your most challenging song to write?
Acho: My most challenging song is “The only one” .I had to rewrite that song three times and I rerecorded it three times before I got the best out of it and i am happy that it got nominated for an award. It’s worth the energy spent writing it.

Museke.com: What is your take on piracy and payola (paying deejays to play your music on the radio)?
Acho: Piracy is killing the music industry in Nigeria. Artistes don’t get what is due to the because of this. We are hoping that if the government can come into the scene something might be done to checkmate the pirates who are making millions from our intellectual property and leaving the artist to answer big names as successful artists with nothing in their pockets.
Here you cannot run away from payola as that’s the only way the djs look at you or play your music. Another thing is that there some djs who don’t look at you for your payola but just let your song be good and you will not have to worry about payola but it is when you did not do a good job and you really need airplay that they find you gullible and so they capitalize on that and get some thing from you but apart from that its not a nice practice as it is preventing a lot of artist who would have made it big but with poor finance to put their career on hold till maybe when luck shines on them and then they can boast of some cash to give to give out.

Museke.com: How do you combine your profession as a petroleum engineer with music? Does it affect what you sing or write about in any way?
Acho: It does not as I have worked for sometime in two or three oil servicing companies and now I am consulting (private). So it gives me more time to write and record songs but all the same my future in music is looking brighter than yesterday just like the kora awards nomination. I am going to go into music full time after the awards.

Museke.com: Is your music received any differently from how it is received in Nigeria?
Acho: Yes my music is received and appreciated more internationally than here in Nigeria. My sales so far online have been wonderful and mailing list sign up I have been getting has been huge .Nigerians too are coming to the terms that my songs are nice and danceable because Nigerians like dance music than slow or R&B. So in my album I had some dance songs and that’s why I recorded the remix version of ‘The only one” which is a dance version.

Museke.com: What record label are you on?
Acho: I am on Got beats records. An independent record label in Detroit Michigan, USA. www.gotbeatsrecords.com

Museke.com: How can Nigerian music expand outside?
Acho: Nigerian music can expand outside if our artists can write songs of maybe 70% English and then 30% local language and also if they can be able to think above just being a Nigerian artist but also an international artist and that has to start from song writing, recording and promotion. Also music distribution plays a huge part too

Museke.com: What are your future plans?
Acho: I have a lot I want to achieve like my next project after this album will be something bigger and different .I want to be able to be seen as an international artist than a Nigerian artist alone. So am concentrating on writing and recording songs that will break into all the parts of the world just like our American counterparts.

Museke.com: What are your hobbies and pastimes?
Acho: My hobbies are singing, writing songs, Internet and watching movies

Museke.com: Do you have a website?
Acho: Presently I don’t have a personal site but am working on that but you can get me at www.gotbeatsrecords.com which happens to be my label website and www.myspace.com/achodebut. I have other hundreds of other sites where I have my profile.

Museke.com: Do you have any message for your fans or colleagues?
Acho: I will like to say thanks to my fans for being there for me and believing in me. And to my fellow artists who are still coming up, keep your head up. Believe in yourself. Do not be discouraged. It’s not an easy road but with hard work and consistency you will get there. Love you all and cheers.

Museke.com: Thank you for your time.