Meet Paul Okoye of P-Square newly signed First Lady
of RudeBoy Recordz. Her name is Lucy, and her first introduction to the world
is one that will have men going crazy. Lucy Iheonyechoro Ugorji is 21
years old, born and bred in Sapele, Delta State but is originally from Mbaise,
Imo State.
Her full bio below:
“LUCY IHEONYECHORO UGORJI IS THE FIRST FEMALE
ARTISTE SIGNED TO RUDEBOY RECORDZ, A HIGHFLYING LABEL OWNED BY PAUL OKOYE, ONE
HALF OF THE FAMOUS P-SQUARE TWIN BROTHERS.
LUCY BELIEVES THAT BEING AN ARTISTE UNDER RUDEBOY
RECORDZ IS MORE THAN A DREAM COME TRUE AND IS DIVINE. HER NATIVE IGBO NAME,
IHEONYECHORO MEANING ‘WHAT YOU WANT IS WHAT YOU GET,’ AND SHE IS CONVINCED THAT
THE POWER OF THE NAME IS BEHIND HER CURRENT STATUS, HAVING BEEN A STAUNCH
P-SQUARE FAN FROM CHILDHOOD AND NOW LIVING HER DREAMS.
LUCY CAN EASILY BE DESCRIBED AS A FOCUSED, AMBITIOUS
AND RESILIENT LADY, WHO HAS CONTINUED TO BREAK BARRIERS, DESPITE JUST BEING
21-YEARS OF AGE. LUCY WAS BORN AND BRED IN SAPELE, DELTA STATE, NIGERIA ON 26
MAY, 1994, THOUGH HER FATHER IS A NATIVE OF MBAISE, IMO STATE, WHILE HER MOTHER
IS FROM ISHAN, EDO STATE.
HER FATHER, A RETIRED CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT, OWNED
ONE OF THE BIGGEST POULTRY FARMS IN SAPELE. THE LAST CHILD FROM A FAMILY OF SIX,
LUCY WAS NOT OVER-PAMPERED BY HER PARENTS; INSTEAD SHE WAS TAUGHT THE RUDIMENTS
OF HARD WORK AND HOW TO CHASE HER BEAUTIFUL DREAMS, LITTLE WONDER SHE GOT AN
ACADEMIC SCHOLARSHIP WHILE IN PRIMARY FOUR.
LUCY, WHO IS CURRENTLY A FINAL YEAR LAW STUDENT FROM
THE PRESTIGIOUS COVENTRY UNIVERSITY IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, STARTED HER ACADEMIC
JOURNEY IN NIGERIA AT THE FUTURE GENERATION NURSERY AND PRIMARY SCHOOL, SAPELE.
WHILE IN PRIMARY FOUR, THE SCHOOL GAVE HER A SCHOLARSHIP ALL THROUGH HER
SECONDARY SCHOOL LEVEL BECAUSE SHE WAS CONSIDERED TOO BRILLIANT TO BE IN THAT
CLASS. THE SCHOLARSHIP SCHEME TOOK LUCY TO MARIST COMPREHENSIVE ACADEMY, UTURU,
ANAMBRA STATE, A BOARDING SCHOOL OWNED BY THE CATHOLIC MISSIONARY.
BUT AS LUCY GREW, HER PENCHANT FOR SUCCESS AND GREATER
CHALLENGES WAS ALSO GROWING. WHILE IN JSS2, SHE RELOCATED TO THE UK TO CONTINUE
HER EDUCATION AT THE EASTLEA COMMUNITY SCHOOL, EAST LONDON AND FINISHED IN 2010
BEFORE PROCEEDING TO EPPING FOREST COLLEGE, ESSEX (UK).
LUCY ACTUALLY WANTED TO STUDY FORENSIC SCIENCE AT
THE COVENTRY UNIVERSITY (UK), BUT DUE TO HER INQUISITIVE NATURE, HER MOTHER
ADVISED HER TO CHOOSE LAW AT THE SAME INSTITUTION. MEANWHILE, IRRESPECTIVE OF
HER ACADEMIC PROWESS, LUCY HAS BEEN DOING MUSIC ALL HER LIFE.
SHE BECAME CONSCIOUS OF THE UNIQUE TALENT AT AGE
FOUR WHEN SHE SANG AND WON A SINGING COMPETITION AT A BIRTHDAY PARTY. AT AGE
16, 17 AND 18 RESPECTIVELY, LUCY PARTICIPATED AT THE PRESTIGIOUS X-FACTOR (UK)
COMPETITION, BUT DIDN’T WIN ON HER THREE ATTEMPTS. SHE WAS ALSO PART OF A CULTURAL
DANCE TROUPE AND CHURCH CHOIR, AND HER SCHOOL’S DRAMA GROUP. LUCY’S DEXTERITY
AND CREATIVITY PROMPTED HER TO WORK WITH SOME OF UK’S FINEST MUSIC ICONS LIKE
MOELOGO AND DIZZY VC. EARLIER, SHE DELVED INTO MODELLING AND PARTICIPATED IN
THE MISS EAST LONDON BEAUTY PAGEANT IN 2011 AND WON, A FEAT SHE DESCRIBED AS
ONE OF HER GREATEST ACHIEVEMENTS IN LIFE.
UNARGUABLY, LIFE DIDN’T START ON A BED OF ROSES FOR
LUCY, AS SHE HAD TO TIRELESSLY WORK HER WAY TO THE TOP. FROM MONDAYS TO
FRIDAYS, SHE WOULD WORK AS A RECEPTIONIST AT THE DOCTORS, A UK HOSPITAL, AND
THEN RESUMES FOR ANOTHER SUPERMARKET JOB ON SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS. ASKED HOW
SHE GOT SIGNED TO THE SOAR-AWAY RUDEBOY RECORDZ? LUCY SAID SHE SENT A VIDEO OF
HERSELF SINGING TO PAUL OKOYE, THE HEAD HONCHO OF THE LABEL. LUCKILY FOR HER,
HE WAS IMPRESSED WITH HER SINGING PROWESS, AND THE REST TODAY IS HISTORY.
AS A MATTER OF FACT, LUCY JETTISONED ONE OF HER
CLASSES IN SCHOOL TO PAINSTAKINGLY RECORD THE VIDEO. IT IS DREAMS INDEED COME
TRUE FOR HER. LUCY’S ASPIRATION IS TO BECOME THE BIGGEST FEMALE ARTISTE FROM
AFRICA. SHE WANTS TO EQUAL AND IF POSSIBLE SURPASS THE RECORDS OF BEYONCE AND
RIHANNA. SHE IS QUITE KEEN ON BEING A BLESSING AND SOURCE OF INSPIRATION TO HER
RACE. HER INSPIRATION COMES FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCES AND EVERYTHING AROUND
HER, INCLUDING GREAT ARTISTES LIKE P-SQUARE, BACKSTREET BOYZ, WESTLIFE, TUFACE,
RIHANNA AND CELINE DION.”