Tebey
| Tebey | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Tebey Ottoh |
| Born | October 14, 1983 |
| Origin | Peterborough, Ontario, Canada |
| Genres | Country, pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer/songwriter |
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Labels | BNA (2000-2003), RAE/ Warner Music Canada (2014-present) |
| Associated acts | One Direction, Pixie Lott, Emerson Drive |
| Website | www.tebeymusic.com |
Tebey (born October 14, 1983 as Tebey Solomon Ottoh) is a Canadian country music singer and multi-genre songwriter. His only American chart hit to date is 2003's "We Shook Hands (Man to Man)", a No. 47 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts and a Top 5 single on the Canadian country music charts. He has composed several singles for other artists, in addition to releasing singles of his own.
Early life
He started singing in church at the age of five, spreading his wings to sing at local events. In 1990 and again in 1994, he won the 14-and-under male division of the Canadian Open Country Singing Contest, and in 1996 and 1998, the 18-and-under male division. At 15, he signed a development deal with a major Nashville record label and moved to that city with his father, a Nigerian-born electronics engineer, with his mother and siblings staying back at their family home in Burlington, Ontario.
After two years with very little movement, they returned to Burlington. Ottoh's was an average high school football player at Assumption Catholic Highschool which gain interest from some colleges, but his Nashville career took a belated turn as a friend successfully talked him up in the industry. Ottoh was signed to BNA Records as a singer and Warner Chappel Music as a staff songwriter, and signed fellow Canadian Bruce Allen as his manager.
Allen put Ottoh together with a fellow client, record producer Bob Rock. Working towards his first album, Ottoh both wrote for himself and collaborated with songwriters Annie Roboff, Bob DiPiero, Jim Collins, Naoise Sheridan and Rory Bourke.
Career
In 2002 and 2003, as Tebey, his performance of "We Shook Hands (Man to Man)" became a charted country radio hit in the United States and Canada. Tebey was the subject of a segment on CBC Radio's Sounds Like Canada, and nominated for a 2004 Canadian Radio Music Award for Best New Group or Solo Artist (Country), against Damian Marshall, Deric Ruttan, Heather Dawn and Jason Blaine.
Returning to Canada, Tebey became a professional songwriter in popular music outside of country. Artists for whom he has written include Sony BMG recording artist Rex Goudie (including co-writing the No. 1 Hot AC single "Run"), Shawn Desman (including co-writing his No. 1 pop/r&b single "Let's Go"), 2006 Canadian Idol winner Melissa O'Neil, Open Road/Universal country Tara Oram and On Ramp/EMI artist Brad Johner. Tebey also has a co-penned song on Big & Rich's million selling album Between Raising Hell and Amazing Grace" platinum.
In 2007, Tebey signed a worldwide co-publishing deal with Ole Media Management.[1] He subsequently then moved to Nashville, Tennessee where he currently resides. In 2008, Tebey has found himself traveling quite frequently to Stockholm Sweden, and Los Angeles to write for projects outside of the country music genre. His recent co-writers include production team The Runners (Chris Brown/Danity Kane), Francci Richard (JoJo, Keyshia Cole), Location Songs (Celine Dion, Westlife, Lindsay Lohan), Kristian Lundin (Backstreet Boys, Celine Dion, NSYNC) & Lonny Bereal (Beyoncé, Jamie Foxx).
In 2009, Tebey co-wrote the Teairra Mari single featuring FLO RIDA called "Cause A Scene". The music video was shot in Las Vegas on April 7. The album was released by Fo'Reel Ent/Warner Bros that summer. On September 11, 2011, Tebey scored his first-ever UK No. 1 single as a songwriter when his song "All About Tonight", recorded by Pixie Lott (Mercury Records), debuted at No. 1 with over 88,000 copies sold. On September 18, the song also topped the official UK Radio Airplay Chart, surpassing Maroon 5's "Moves Like Jagger".[2] The song was also nominated for Single of The Year at the 2012 Brit Awards.
In 2012, Tebey wrote and co-produced the One Direction songs "They Don't Know About Us" and "Loved You First". The album on which they appear, "Take Me Home" has sold in excess of 6 million copies worldwide.
As a country music artist Tebey has had several hit singles in Canada. His songs "Somewhere In The Country" and "Till It's Gone" were Top 10 radio hits in 2012 & 2013 respectively. In 2014 Tebey's country cover of Avicii's "Wake Me Up" reached #5 on the Canadian country music radio airplay chart and has sold in excess of 40,000 copies, being certified Canadian Gold. In 2014 Tebey became a member of the Warner Music Canada family, when he signed a record deal with Road Angel Entertainment, a sub label of the parent company. Warner Music Canada currently handles the radio promotion and distribution of Tebey's music.
Tebey is currently signed as a staff songwriter at BMG Rights Management in Los Angeles.
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| The Wait |
|
| Two |
|
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN Country [3] |
CAN [4] |
US Country [5] | |||
| 2003 | "We Shook Hands (Man to Man)" | — | — | 47 | N/A |
| 2007 | "Damned If I" | — | — | — | |
| 2011 | "All About Us" | — | — | — | The Wait |
| 2012 | "I'm in the Mood" | — | — | — | |
| "Somewhere in the Country" | 11 | 80 | — | ||
| 2013 | "Till It's Gone" | 8 | 88 | — | Two |
| "Let It Down" | 24 | — | — | ||
| "Wake Me Up" | 5 | 56 | — | ||
| 2014 | "Now I Do" | 19 | — | — | TBD |
| 2015 | "When the Buzz Wears Off" | 16 | — | — | |
| "Jealous of the Sun" | 19 | — | — | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||
Music videos
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | "Somewhere in the Country" | Stephano Barberis |
| 2013 | "Let It Down" | David Tenniswood |
| 2014 | "Now I Do" | Andrew MacCormack |
| 2015 | "When the Buzz Wears Off" | David Tenniswood |
| "Jealous of the Sun" | David Pichette |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Association | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Canadian Country Music Association | Rising Star | Nominated |
| 2014 | Rising Star | Nominated | |
References
- ↑ "OLE SIGNS TEBEY OTTOH TO WORLDWIDE CO-PUBLISHING DEAL". September 26, 2007. Retrieved 2010-02-03.
- ↑ "Official UK Radio Airplay Chart".
- ↑ "Tebey Album & Song Chart History - Canada Country". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
- ↑ "Tebey Album & Song Chart History - Billboard Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
- ↑ "Tebey Album & Song Chart History - Hot Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 1, 2013.