- In a recent interview, Omah Lay stated that his prison experience shifted his perspective on freedom.
- He said after the experience, his love for freedom increased, and he expressed it in every one of his songs
Afrobeats artist Omah Lay has shared his thoughts on the transformative effect of his short imprisonment in Uganda on his life and music career.
Recall that In December 2020, Omah Lay and Tems were arrested and detained for three days for performing at a concert that violated COVID-19 regulations.
In a recent interview with Amazon Music, Omah Lay discussed how his experience in prison altered his perspective on freedom.
He expressed a newfound appreciation for liberty, which now influences his music.
Omah Lay stated that his time in jail instilled a deeper love for freedom, inspiring him to convey this feelings in his songs.
“After being in that cell for three days, I just love my freedom so much now that I fight for it with every record… I don’t want to give Uganda so much credit for locking me up, but that shifted my perspective about freedom,” Omah Lay said.
Omah Lay had earlier shared his ordeal in Uganda prison.
Speaking in a recent interview with The Beat FM, London, United Kingdom, Omah Lay said looking back at the incident, it was an “amazing time” for him though “it looked rough” then.
He said:
“My ordeal in Ugandan prison was an amazing time for me. Although it was rough at the moment now looking back at the whole thing, it had to happen. It gave me the relationship I have with Tems and her manager, Muyiwa [Awoniyi] today. He [Muyiwa] was in the same cell with me.
“We were in Uganda for a show during the pandemic. We had paperwork to perform but for some reason, we got arrested after performing. And we are sent to jail. We were in jail for two days.
“It was just a very horrible experience. I wouldn’t want anybody to go through that. They were going to cut my hair, I wore a prison uniform. They were so close to cutting my hair but the person who was in charge of the prison was a fan of my music. He got us a nice spot in jail and took care of us.”