Otentic B. is a Cameroonian charm singer who has lived in Italy, in the city of Rome for several years. A talented artist, he produced flamboyant clips like this which can be viewed on youtube.
The team of camer.be met him and in a short interview he gave us, we shared a very relaxed moment. Read instead.
Hello Otentic, you have an original name, can you explain the origin of this name and introduce yourself to our readers?
Hello Calvin, the name Otentic was given to me in high school. There had been a very lively festive evening at school. I was a breakdancer then. I left a strong impression and everyone who was there was amazed. The next day, a friend who had witnessed the scene made a long comment about it to some comrades. Each time a comrade saw me during this period, it was the memory of this dance that appeared in his eyes. There was a kind of frenzy around me. It is from there that came this name which makes me proud. They called me the Authentic Bill, from a banal word came a nickname that makes my art shine today. The name stuck, and later I changed it to Otentic B. Shorter and easier to write.
Can you tell us what your musical journey has been?
Music has always been a therapy for me, I spent time listening to music and when I was at university I worked as a DJ in some nightclubs in Yaoundé. One day on the way to school, I met a childhood friend. He told me he was going to a recording studio and out of curiosity I decided to follow him to the studio. It was the first time I went to a recording studio. In the middle of studio work, he asked me to help him sing a chorus of his song because he was disappointed that the guy he was supposed to do the Featuring with didn’t show up. I sang the chorus and those who were in the studio that day were moved. It was then that the sound engineer told me that I had a beautiful voice and that I could be a good artist.
The desire to sing comes from that day. So I started composing songs. At the moment the means to record songs were sorely lacking to me. I was just reluctant. It was in Italy, helped by friends, that I started to make a career by recording my first compositions. We can really place the beginning of music in 2015. In 2018, I went to a sound engineering school and obtained an engineering certificate. It was from that moment that I set up my recording studio and I evolved independently.
I know you are your own producer. How do you manage to reconcile the two activities singer and producer?
In fact, I decided to start doing everything on my own because in Italy many studios didn’t understand the type of music I made and even more so what I wanted. It was not easy for them to identify with me, which is why I found the need to work on my projects.
Speaking of music; when I listen to your music I find it difficult to situate myself in relation to the rhythm; is it zouk, slam, rap, what kind of rhythm do you offer?
I do a mix of afro pop, reggae, reggaeton and dancehall Dancehall is a musical genre originating from Jamaica. I listen to Jamaican music a lot. Anyway, in my music you will hear a combination of many rhythms.
In your clips, there is a lot of emotion and feeling in the air, when we see the one who accompanies you the one who accompanies you in your songs, can we say that you have music in your blood? ? see the clips of Otentic by this link
Hahahah I would say yes. I can’t go 10 minutes without listening to music. When I’m calm, I listen to melodies in my head. Music is like a part of my body.
I know that being a producer and distributor at the same time requires the mobilization of enormous resources. Do you have all the potential to carry out this job?
If you have to be honest, it was not easy for me. Until now, I am a freelance artist. I do everything alone without any sponsorship. You can imagine how much I spend on my videos. Thank god I compose, produce, record, mix and master myself otherwise it might be too heavy. It’s true that I’m used to having “showcases”, and sales of my album which help me raise money to invest in my music.
Everyone knows that the city of show biz is Paris, What are the difficulties you encountered in Rome. I imagine there must be enough of them for an ambitious artist?
Indeed, Rome is still behind in terms of show biz, especially if we want to talk about Afrobeat. But I do see an increase in events that promote Afro music and I want that to continue.
What are the different audiences you want to conquer. That of Cameroon or the public of the diaspora?
My music is global and I want to conquer the world. When I sing, I assume myself, I try to touch everyone in a particularly positive way.
Apart from youtube where can we find your songs and how to contact you if we want to meet you for a show? watch the Otentic video
You can find my music on all music platforms Spotify, iTunes, YouTube etc. You can contact me by email otenticb@gmail.com You can contact me through my phone: +393286141501
I leave you carte blanche to end this interview.
Thank you for this excellent interview and thank you also for the work you do for the influence of art. I appreciate all your efforts and professionalism.
god bless
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