Nigerian singer and songwriter Bella Shmurda rose to prominence in 2019 with the release of the his song ‘Vision 2020, get to know him better with this VIPER interview…

What five words define your sound?

I think it’s just one word lol, and it’s CONSCIOUS!

Tell me something unique about your creative process

The song just happens anytime I’m in front of the mic, I feel that’s unique.

Which song of yours would you like people to hear first?

‘World’ – I personally feel that’s the song that made the general public see Bella Shmurda in another light.

What inspired you to make that song?

The happenings around me, the lyrics of the song speaks for itself. I think people should give it a listen.

What’s the most vulnerable you’ve allowed yourself to be when writing/making music?

On a scale of one to 10, I’d say eight… The song I recorded is still on my PC, it might not drop [laughs], because that was my life in two minutes 30 seconds.

What’s the best/worst experience you’ve had on stage?

My best experience on stage is yet to come, all of my performance improves by the day. On my worst performance [laughs], the day I tried to replicate a backflip I did at an earlier performance at another show, and it failed [laughs], I got a lot of calls the next day.

What is your favourite song to perform?

I promise this is not me dodging the question, but I love performing all of my songs.

Which artist/song/album made you want to make music?

The Pasuma and Osupa albums and songs of this world.

What’s the meaning behind your name?

Nothing serious, Bella was coined from my real name ‘Abiola’ and Shmurda came from my likeness for Bobby Shmurda.

If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing instead?

Something in the fashion world I guess.

What’s success to you?

Success to me is when i am able to inspire people to do or be better through what I do consciously and unconsciously.

What moment in your life/career forced you to change direction?

The moment I felt I was being heard already, I felt I had to concentrate fully on it.

Where can people keep in touch with you?

I’m @bellashmurda on Twitter and @bella_shmurda on Instagram and TikTok – as long as it’s verified, that’s me.