Nollywood actor, singer, songwriter and producer, Ray Emodi is a blend of all things entertainment. Buoyed by his wild imagination growing up, Emodi has lived the life entertaining self from childhood without knowing he would end up entertaining others. Emodi, who holds a degree in Business Management and International Strategic Enterprise from Nottingham Trent University, and a Master of Fine Arts (acting) from the New York Film Academy, tells
Ferdinand Ekechukwu about his passion for the craft, his plans and pleasure and also about his greatest influence, Senator Joy Emodi, who happens to be his mother…
How often do you get tied to that name “Joy Emodi” with your status in the industry?
You know if I was in the political world or in the civil service world, I guess the connection would be made a lot more than it’s made right now in the entertainment industry. Not that the entertainers are not into what’s happening politically, some people know because of they are from the east. But generally, I don’t get that a lot. And I’m not the guy that goes around saying my mum used to be a senator or something like that. I don’t like announcing that.
Has the goal always being entertainment for you?
The goal was always to do something that I would enjoy. The goal was never to do a ‘9 to 5’. I knew that for a fact that I didn’t want to do a 9-5, I didn’t want to do any paper pushing job that would be so regimented because I have a wild imagination. I wanted to do a job that I could use my imagination. So in movies first because that’s where I’m focused, I get to use my imagination. In music, I get to use my imagination. I actually have a single dropping on October 22, 2021. It’s called ‘Steph Curry’. It’s an Amapiano song. It’s a dope, dope, dope song.
I’ve been teasing it on my page and everything and people are like ‘you are an actor trying to do music’, they hear the song and they are like ‘oh wow he’s actually good’. But they don’t understand. I started writing music before I ever thought of acting. I started writing music when I was like 9 or 8. I was writing other people’s lyrics; it graduated to me writing my own lyrics. I was writing like songs like 2pac, Rick Ross, Snoop Dog so I could sing along with them when they rap. So when I got a little bit older like when I got to maybe 12 or something, I started being able to put down my own thoughts in the form of lyrics and melodies.
I have actually been holding down that craft at least, for almost two decades now. I turned 31 on September 4. I didn’t know entertainment was what I was actually going to do but with the qualities I have, entertainment was always going to be where I would land. And then it would be the ignition to what I would like to build up, an empire and would have businesses as well. Starting next year I would start producing my own films while being guided by a seasoned producer.
What genre of music do you do?
I’m eccentric musically. I have Afro songs, hip-hop songs, alternative songs. The one coming Friday is Afro, Amapiano to be specific. Called ‘Steph Curry’
Any plans of an EP or LP in the works?
Yes, an EP titled ‘My Queen’. The EP drops next year. This single is not part of the EP.
How about modeling because I read you do modeling as well?
That was earlier. I had like a few modeling gigs when I was in LA in America. But it’s not my thing like that. You know models like normally just look good and don’t say anything. I say too much to be a model. I think too much and have too many ideas. I’m not saying models don’t have ideas. I feel like models are limited you know; unless it’s to make a statement or project a cause. Unless it’s something significant then I can model. And not just to be a model.
Let’s talk on acting from the look of things now it appears to be your mainstay right?
It’s definitely my main thing. Because like in acting, you don’t need to push the film or you don’t need to have the distribution process set up. You just have to show up, do your job and go. And then they spread it all over the place. Music is the opposite. You have to push it. Because I don’t want to sign to a record label, I only signed that it’s a distribution deal with a distribution company. All the weight in the pushing lies in me but they just help me put it on platforms you know and stuff like that. That’s why my movies are popping much more than my music.
Still on your career you have a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Nottingham Trent University…
It’s actually Business Management and International Strategic Enterprise. It’s like a fancy way of saying marketing. I actually did well in Nottingham in terms of my graduating. I was actually the top graduating student. My mum is more proud of it than I am. She tells all her friends. She’s so proud of it. So I’m so happy for that. I’m happier for her about it than I am for myself.
And then afterwards you went for a Masters in Fine Arts…
Yeah I mastered in acting for film. You know acting is different like, especially in America. They address it specifically. You know there are two different kinds of acting; there’s stage acting and then there’s film acting. Stage acting is loud because you have to project; there are people in the back. Film acting is more subtle.
You can whisper because the mic will put it on. You don’t have to be too loud in your expressions and even the way you move your hands. It’s technical. I prefer film acting to stage; that’s why I mastered in acting for film.
And then you finished schooling and you decide to come back to Nigeria. Ordinarily one would have expected you to stay back and chase the acting and the entertainment thing in LA which is the world of entertainment…
Yes that was what I wanted to do but you know, first of all, LA is one of the most expensive places to live in the world. And that’s natural. But I wasn’t making as much money as I was spending. Because I finished schooling (my masters) and I stayed back for 18 months. And those 18 months I wasn’t generating much money so I was spending the money that I had. I was spending a lot of money. . . At a point my folks were like I should come back. My dad was ‘like come back, Nigeria is a virgin land; there are loads of things and ideas that has not been explored,’ which is factual. It’s faster here to get to the top than it is in America.
Let’s talk about your childhood growing up what was it like and what fond memories do you hold?
Childhood was interesting. You know I’m the last of four of two boys, two girls. So everybody was really in school, boarding school in different states doing their thing while I was still the last one in the house. I grew up a lot alone; so I got to listen to music a lot, watch cartoon a lot, and watch movies a lot. My whole life outside school then was just keeping myself entertained by listening to songs for hours. I could watch a cartoon for hours, movies for hours. I felt like it was study.
That’s why I said I spent my entire life preparing for what I’m doing now; for what I would do in future. I feel like I have been holding my craft since day one. My childhood was a lot of building my imagination and it was fun. I had fond memories obviously. We got to travel to England, go to Texas, go to LA, go to Ghana, it was fun. Just travelling during every break and then you come back the next term to Enugu, you come back to Abuja, come back to wherever I’m coming back to. I appreciate that because meeting and knowing and immersing yourself in other cultures is very important and can only help you.
A bit on your growing up… when you spent time watching movies, listening to music and watching cartoons you never knew you would turn out to be an entertainer?
I was entertaining myself but I never knew I would do it for other people. You know kids when you ask them what they want to be, you ask a 9-year-old he says I want to be an engineer, you ask him when he’s 10 he says I want to be a fireman, when he’s 11 I want to be a pilot. But they know what they want to be at different stages even though they change it every time. But me, as a kid, I never really said I wanted to be this or I wanted to be that. And in this profession, I get to have fun for a living. I get to play other people; act like a doctor, act like a chief, act like a good husband act like a bad husband you know I get to play different people. It’s stressful, don’t get me wrong, it’s stressful but fun as well.
There are certain productions that you might go on that will make you regret being an actor (laughs). But it doesn’t happen often. For the most part, it’s a beautiful job. We make more impact in people’s life in comparison to the financial reward. That’s why I said I’m going to start producing my own movies. I feel like to have more control and tell my stories and also to have more financial gain.
Who or what do you consider the greatest influence in your life?
The greatest influence in my life, wow, that’s a big question. Probably my mum I wouldn’t lie (he said repeatedly), because she molded a lot of what I am, especially while I was growing up. She preach humility, she preach respect, she preach being humble and nice, she preach that a lot and hard work. I saw her work hard. She is a hard worker especially back then. She was really, really, really going hard. She will be in law school and also selling clothes to people and also being a tailor you know while having kids while married. Women… She’s a multi-tasking legend (laughs). That’s why she could achieve what she achieved as the first Igbo woman senator in Nigeria, like you can’t beat that if you are not a hardworking person, a smart person, an industrious person. So I’m very proud of her. And I would say yes, she is the biggest influence in my life.
There’s something about your Instagram bio you know it says “I make movies, I make music and I make love. I enjoy all three.” You have talked about movies, you have talked about music, talk about the love aspect… what do you mean by that?
The reason I added that to complete the trinity is that in bio people talk about themselves, they distance themselves. So a description of me, the things I do, the things I love you know. I do movies and I enjoy them, I love it. I do music and I enjoy it, I love it.
So I feel like it’s up to people to know about me. I know that Nigerians don’t like talking about that kind of thing. I like being a bit funny in that aspect but with the truth.
Looking at you, you are a handsome dude, a good spec for a number of ladies, you are a movie star you get quite acknowledged and admired by people wherever you go and all that and most of these people are ladies I guess… one would have expected you to have so many women…
Yes, yes. I would say 80 percent of my fans are women. On Instagram its 79 or 78 percent of my followers are women, men are like 22 percent. I have women in my life more but that doesn’t mean I’m not single. I’m single but I am not committed to anyone of them yet. I enjoy their presence.
What is it that not too many people know about you?
I don’t even know. Erm let me see… How tall I am until they see me in person. I’m really, really tall. I’m like 6/4 and half almost 6/5 yeah. So when people see me the first thing I hear all the time is ‘wow, you are taller in person’ like all the time. Because the camera and everything the way movies are shot you can’t really tell how tall a person is. That’s the first thing you notice about me, whoever when you see me. If I was in America around basketball players I wouldn’t standout but being in Nigeria I standout for sure.
