Uché is the current winner of the Acuvue Advanced 1 Day Contest and a member of the Class of 2016 at SMU. This summer, his world drastically changed when Acuvue gave him a mentorship with Joe Jonas! Uché now has his own song, “Shoo Fly,” which you can find on Itunes along with a music video. His commercial with Joe played nationwide, making Uché a household name. We interviewed him about his experience and singing career.
When did you first start singing?
I started singing around the same time I started getting in trouble in school for talking too much… so like 3rd grade…ish. It was kinda like an outlet that I happened to be pretty good at.
How did you hear about the contest and what made you decide to enter?
God told me about it… lol… well kind of. Basically few days before I heard about the contest and entered I did some pretty intense praying, basically asking for a sign if I should like continue to pursue music. And literally a few days later, I saw the commercial for it in my dorm, with Joe Jonas saying “Acuvue… blah blah… 1-Day… dreams come true… submit video.” So I did… I submitted a video of me singing a pretty intense ballad I wrote and… I won.
What was the best part of the entire experience?
The best part of the entire experience was shooting the music video for my song “Shoo Fly.” It was so legit! Literally unreal! So many cameras were there flying in the air. Oh, and the clothing rack with like all types of clothing that I wear…Forever 21, Guess, H&M, and Express… it was just chillin’ there calling for me to take of it. And I got to keep it all. So yea that was pretty chill. I also went to the Teen Choice Awards and got to chill with some celebrities and walk/pose on the Red/Blue Carpet and had to go through a crash course on how to pose on it and act in interviews. I was interviewed by Entertainment Tonight (ET) and Clevver again. And I was feeling pretty cool because all the celebrities where saying, “You look so cool,” or “I love your hair.” and I was just like “Thanks… beautiful person I watch on television every day.”
How has your life changed since winning?
Since winning, things have just been happening. I have a manager now who ironically used to be on Beyonce’s management team as well as Chris Brown’s. He has pictures with him just chillin’ with Jay-Z on his Facebook. My mom loves him. And he’s putting me through Artist Development right now, hence the blonde streaks. I’ve still been writing with my producer… now up to 30 original, ready and recorded songs, but they aren’t released yet because I’m not signed to a record label. And for some reason, my agent has been finding all sorts of auditions and what not. Oh and the fans. I don’t have too many yet, but I have a few. Honestly, they can make you feel pretty good. I was literally sitting in the Teen Choice Award’s and a video of me came up on the screen and these little girls that were on the other side started screaming and crying… like tears. They were like “OMG It’s Uché, its Uché” and then One Direction walked by them and they just like died.
What is your goal for singing in the future?
My goal for the future…win a Grammy. NBD. Lol, Im gonna keep doing what I’m doing and just watch God’s plan unfold and see where it takes me. And ya’ll should definitely go buy my single “Shoo Fly” on Itunes. Follow me on twitter @UcheSings and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/music… . My manger told me, the more followers and likes an artist has the better he or she looks to record labels, and the better chance they have getting a record deal. And obviously I want a record deal.