Meet Cilla Si: The Queen of Afro-Soul

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Cilla Si

Cilla Si
Cilla Si

By Taiwo Okanlawon

Cilla Si, real name, Priscilla Oghenegborhe Simeon (born on October 4th 1991), is a Nigerian Afro-Soul and alternative singer/ Fashion designer who hails from Delta State from the South-South region of the West African country.

Born into a family of 11, Cilla Si attended Delta Steel Company Primary School for her elementary education and Hebrew College, Delta for her secondary education. She proceeded to obtain a Diploma in Fashion Designing from a reputable institute in Lagos and later Ten Strings Music Institute also in Lagos where she bagged another diploma in Audio Production and Music Technology. She loves reading, traveling and cooking.

Born into a Catholic family, young Priscilla started singing at the tender age of 9. Initially music to her was an escape from reality as a lonely girl, little did she know that was an induction into another reality for her. Cilla Si started out as a tiny little girl in the choir where she was known as the “ Girl with the Golden voice”. She later joined a popular Pentecostal fold where she became a household name with her inspiring, soul nourishing and harmonious voice. She describes music as her life and identity.

In 2012, Cilla Si joined 911 Entertainment, an entertainment outfit based in Delta and owned by oil mogul and businessman Ayiri Emami, as a vocalist and backup singer, a platform which afforded her the opportunity to work with several popular acts like 2Face and Timaya just to name a few before she moved to Lagos, a commercial city in Nigeria, in 2015.

Cilla Si
Cilla Si

Cilla Si, coined from her first and last name, upon her relocation to Lagos has worked and shared stages with various artists and bands like Ebony Band, Vantage Band, Oasis band and many more.

In 2019, she was one of 2 acts selected by popular Nigerian Artist Johnny Drille at the 2019 edition of Johnny’s Room Live, an outdoor concert hosted by Johnny Drille. The multi-talented singer and fashion designer, who plays the guitar, is famed for her sonorous and soulful melodies.

As an independent act, she released “Say No to Xenophobia” in 2019, a song she recorded in the wake of xenophobic attacks on Nigerians and other African nationals in South Africa, lending her voice to that of countless creatives and individuals who also called for an end to the unjust killings and assault. In 2020, she released “Time to Pray” (to create awareness for the Coronavirus pandemic) and “Cold World”, a beautiful soul rendition she recorded in London.

Cilla Si draws inspiration from events and things around her and her sound is greatly influenced by great music icons like Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Whitney Huston, and she looks forward to working with Asa, Sade Adu, Johnny Drille, Wizkid amongst countless great artists, home and abroad, whose music she grew up listening to.

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