Awka – Shedrack Nnanna, popularly known as ‘SheddyJoe De Entertainer’, says he drew his inspiration from two mentors – Basorge Junior, a popular entertainer, who linked him to Alibaba.
Nanna said his venture into music and the entertainment industry is for him to be an inspiration to teeming talented artistes in South East Nigeria who are not bold enough to pursue their dreams.
He was speaking on Sunday in Awka ahead of the launch of his 8-track album, entitled ‘This Naija’, on June 29.
A standup comedian, master of ceremonies, musician, civil servant and currently Senior Special Assistant to Gov Chukwuma Soludo on Events and Protocol, Nnanna said going into music was a dream come through for him.
He said he joined the entertainment industry in the early 2000s after his national youth service but abandoned it to satisfy the wishes of his father who wanted him to be a civil servant.
Nanna, who hails from Anaku in the Ayamelum Local Government Area of Anambra, said he left Lagos in 2006 to join the state civil service due to family pressure and lack of fund to finance his entertainment dreams.
According to him, “I did not leave Lagos out of my own volition. My father who was a civil servant at that time insisted that I should have a secured and tenured job. He forced me to take up a job in the civil service.
“The take home pay at that time was poor, so I abandoned the job and went back to Lagos but my father and kinsmen read the riot act and I had to come back.
“That was how I joined the film and video censorship board department of the Ministry of Information and Culture,” he said .
Recalling his journey into the entertainment industry, Nnanna said one Keppy Ekpenyong spotted him during his service year and introduced him to Basorge who linked him to Alibaba.
He said the entertainment industry could be used to liberate families economically if positively harnessed, adding that his mission was to be an inspiration to talented youths in the country and Anambra in particular.
“Basorge introduced me to music and comedy which I tried to combine but I later majored in comedy and Master of Ceremonies.
“Music was tasking and required huge sums of money for studio production, video, marketing and all that and I could not do all that at that time because I did not have the money and there was nobody to sponsor me,” he said.
The artiste called on youths with talents in music, comedy and other areas of entertainment to start pursuing their dreams without minding the challenges in the industry.
“I want to encourage upcoming entertainers in Anambra and Southeast to be focused and determined even though the industry is still not developed there, but the best time to begin is now.
“There will always be challenges, but they will surely surmount it.
“I am setting the pace, I believe it will open doors to more people and I hope to see more upcoming guys taking the bold step,” he added
