Beyond the Music: Jarell Ebuka

Many moons ago, a young boy relocated from Port Harcourt with his family and made a home here in Abuja. 

A year later, he moved to Bradford, a city in West Yorkshire, England to make a new home for himself.

This is where he began his foundation year in informatics; Media Informatics which is general media and is how he learned to make cover arts and photography.

Bradford has been crowned the “Curry Capital of Britain” and was the hometown of a number of musical acts such as The Cult, Teddy Sinclair and One Minute Silence. The city has a long sporting tradition, boasting of a number of rugby clubs as well as Bradford City FC.

The culture at Bradford City helped shape the young Jarell into the man he is today.

This is evident in his love for curry, which he describes as the one easy meal he can make with his eyes closed.

If you frequent festivals, concerts and living room tours within Abuja, then Jarell Ebuka is no stranger to you. With his larger than life personality when performing, it’s easy to miss the soft spoken Jarell beyond his music.

Which is why the multifaceted media expert decided to explore documenting his life with episodes on instagram, reintroducing himself and  connecting with his long standing fans.

When asked: Outside of music what do you think you would be doing? That one thing you are really good at?

He said: I would either be a personal trainer/ a chef or a professional animator.

Here are a few things you may not already know about him:

1. He used to busk in Bradford, London and Leeds.
2. He started performing publicly for school projects.
3. He always has stevia in his bag.
4. He knows more about eggs than an average person.
5. He listens to switchfoot and loves their single Twenty Four (24) almost as much as I do.
6. His post performance ritual involves hanging out with his parents or watching anime. 
7. He designs the cover art for most of his musical projects. 
8. He is an advocate for Lazy days; you shouldn’t feel guilty about those he says.
9. His retirement plan is to relocate to the Scottish highlands making custom guitars. 
10. He has a masters in Audio production making him a trained music producer.

Jarell is a musical divergent. Most artists with the exception of Beyonce and Drake stay hemmed into one style of music. His musical projects often come as a sound shock, as he shifts from genres and energy which makes him a musician who is able to color outside the lines. There’s so much energy in some of his songs such as “Fly” which was released early this year. He is also able to convey sadness. His ballad to the city “Abuja” was released following his return from the UK.

There is so much to this homecoming laced with nostalgia and the grief of the ever changing cityscape as local businesses struggle to stay afloat in a stumbling economy.

“Abuja” screams with a vow to this rapidly developing city. 

An interesting fact to note about this artist is that his childhood was heavily influenced by Christianity. Don Moen, Sisters of Faith, Ron Kenoly are a few of the first musicians he ever knew. Dolly Parton’s Coat of many colors also played a role in informing his earliest taste of culture, becoming divergent slowly with Prisoner and slave by Lucky Dube. He eventually morphed into the cult of listeners who believe John Mayer is the coolest. 

A unique feature of his is his pre-performance ritual, after vocal  and guitar warm ups, he seeks the pleasure of simple conversations with concert goers, he seems more fixated on listening and talking to strangers. 

He says; “One day it might be difficult to speak to new people at my concerts who do not already know who I am” as such he is a soul focused on enjoying the little bits of ordinary life. 

Talking to strangers at concerts helps put him at ease and he typically guns for that wow factor when he emerges on stage performing to their dismay.

Beyond the music and who we all think he is on stage and outside of it, He is a mix engineer which is the part of production he enjoys the most.

In production, he says; there is writing, arranging (which is typically what makes a producer), this process involves various elements being included such as putting drums, the base and other instruments. The step after arranging is mixing, this is where Jarell typically comes in. This is essentially who Jarell Ebuka is when he is not at the center of the stage singing his heart out. 

Jarell’s story is a testament to the power of cultural influences and personal evolution. From the bustling streets of Port Harcourt to the curry-infused ambiance of Bradford, and finally back to the vibrant city of Abuja, his journey is one of diverse experiences that have shaped his artistry and character. His music, marked by its emotional depth and versatility, reflects his personal journey and his ability to adapt and thrive in various environments, making him a beloved figure in the Abuja music scene. 

Jarell’s music is available on all popular music platforms including Spotify and Apple Music.