Tim Omaji – Back To His Nigerian Roots

By Scott Tweedie on May 27, 2015 in Arts

Tim Omaji, formally known by his stage name Timomatic, has come a long way from his talent show beginnings. Omaji arrived on the pop scene in 2011 when he placed third on the hugely popular television series Australia’s Got Talent and released his first single ‘Set It Off’, which sent radio stations and music lovers into overdrive.

After years of creating music he felt wasn’t true to his artistic self, Omaji has decided to shed his former moniker and begin the journey to share his truth. He is taking his love affair with music back to his Nigerian roots and incorporating his Australian upbringing to create a unique sound that is all his.

My hometown is… Kaduna, Nigeria. I lived there for ten months, then the fam moved to Canberra.

A highlight of shooting my latest video ‘Something Bout You’ was… having my two sisters, niece and nephew in the clip.

The most exciting thing about the local music scene is… that it is very experimental right now and there is a lot of fusion music happening. We gotta keep pushing the envelope.

I’d like to think that my music is… an eclectic melting pot of genres with a foundation in Pop/RnB. I hope that my music helps people get through their day.

I always thought my music would be… a derivative of Michael Jackson. I grew up studying MJ and I knew that as I evolved into an artist I would always use him as my biggest reference.

My earliest music memory is… my dad playing Nigerian gospel songs on his guitar. A couple of mornings a week we would get together as a family and have gospel jams while Dad shredded the guitar.

There was this one time when I was starting out that… people only knew me as a dancer, and when I told people I could sing, they’d say, “Stick to dancing.”

If I could have written any song, it would be… ‘Human Nature’ by Michael Jackson. I could listen to that song at any time of any day and still get chills.

Growing up, my parents listened to… African gospel, Elvis, Dolly Parton and Lucky Dube – a random mix but it fuelled a love of music real early on.

My biggest fan has got to be… my little sister. She has always got my back and she inspires me to be better. She happens to be a better singer than me too!

If you come and see me play, you can expect… a fusion sound of urban, rock and pop. The best way to describe a Tim Omaji show is N.E.R.D meets Timomatic.

My dream gig… is to play at Madison Square Garden. That would be epic. would be unforgettable.

I never want to get to the point where… I make music for purely for the sake of a pay cheque. The music has to excite in my soul. I am driven by my gut and if my gut is not feeling what I’m doing I just won’t do it.

For performance information and appearances, visit www.timomaji.com.