Timaya: Biography and Networth of the ‘Ebgeri Papa 1 of Bayelsa’.

Timaya popularly known as Egberi Papa 1 of Bayelsa is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. He is the founder of Dem mama Records Label. His music career began in 2005 with the release of his first single “Dem Mama”, which also appeared in his debut album.

Real name Enitimi Alfred Odon.
Date of birth 15 August 1977
Country of Origin Nigerian
Source of Wealth Entertainment/endorsements
Net worth $11.4 Billion

Timaya’s Background.

Timaya’s real names are Enitimi Alfred Odon. who was born in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on the 15th of August 1980 as the last of the fifteen children of his parents. His father was a banker while his mother was a trader and they all lived in Agip Estate, Port Harcourt.
He went to the Assemblies of God Nursery and Primary School for his nursery and primary education Afterwards, he attended secondary school at late Nkpolu Oroworukwo secondary school, Port Harcourt.
still a student ,his mother decided that changing his immediate environment was necessary to help young Eberi Papa 1 of Bayelsa. hence , she arranged for his relocation to lagos state in the company of his elder brothers and sisters. it was there that he attended ikeja Gramma school, Lagos.
As a student, he call attention by winning accolades during competitions held among students. After completing his secondary school, Dem Mama Soldier returned to porthacourt to start his university education. He studied Banking and Finance in the university, but he eventually dropped out when he failed his first semester exams.

Timaya Had A Difficult Start Before Fame.
Timaya was not successful in education, but he was determined with his music career and was ready to put a lot into it. However , things didn’t start as expected , so he went back to selling plantain in the streets of Mgbuosimini to make ends meet. Reports says he stayed with a woman older than him after been thrown out by his landlord .

Timaya’s Career.
Timaya returned to Lagos to explore, and harness the passion he had for music. So, he joined Idris Abdulkareem’s hip hop group as a backup singer for 3years before he left to focus on his solo career. However before he made it big ,he embarked onto the talent hunt organised by Nigerian actress Hilda Dokubo who gave the young Egberi Papa one year of attentive and challenging engagements.
In due case, he met Obaksolo; a producer he met in Mafoluko, Oshodi. It was Obaksolo who finally helped him produce his first hit record titled ‘Dem Mama’ after he heard him sing the acapella version of the song.

Speaking about “Dem Mama”, Timaya said it is “a musical description of how Odi; a riverside community in Bayelsa state in 1999 was destroyed”. His boldness in telling the story earned him street credibility. following this was the release of his first album, True Story, in 2017 at age 29.
The success of the song and album paved way for other collaborations with other big names such as Phyno, Spankie, and Terry G, others in this second album Gift and Grace, which was released in 2018. this gave room to more fame and collaboration’s with other big names in Nigeria and beyond .

At present in his career, Egberi Papa has sold more than 30 million copies of his works and has performed on stages across the world in tours ,among others . His most notable tours include.
.Timaya US Tour (2017)
.Timaya Live in Canada (2018)
.Timaya Chulo Vibes Europe Tour (2019)
.The Timaya US Tour (2021)

Timaya’s Assets And Children.
Timaya attends Living Faith Church aka Winners Chapel. He is blessed with three lovely children, a boy and two girls. He lives in the luxurious mansion he built at Lekki, Lagos. His brief of exotic and expensive cars is a reflection of how God has blessed him through his music. Some of his cars are a Mercedes-Benz G55 AMG, Range Rover Sport 2013, Range Rover Sport 2016, Mercedes-Benz GLE, Lexus SUV 2015. Asides the cars and his house, Timaya has other assets, especially landed properties.

Timaya Albums
True Story – 2007
Gift and Grace – 2008
De Rebirth – 2010
LLNP Long Life N Prosperity – 2011
Upgrade – 2012
Epiphany – 2014
Chulo Vibes EP-2019
Gratitude-2020

Selected Singles of Timaya.
Ekoloma Demba (Epiphany) – 2014
Bow Down (Epiphany) – 2014
Gbagam (Epiphany) – 2014
Lai Lai (Epiphany) – 2014
Sanko (Single) – 2014
Ukwu (Single) – 2014
I concur (Single Produced by Killertunes) – 2015
Amayanabo (Single) – 2015
Some more (Single) – 2015
I like the way (Single) – 2016
Bang Bang (Single) – 2016
Money featuring Flavour (Single) – 2016
Samankwe Ft. Phyno – 2018
2 Stoopid (Single) – 2019
I cant kill myself (single) – 2019
Balance (single) – 2020
Born to win (single) – 2020
Bob Dada (single) – 2021)
Cold outside ft. Buju – (2021)

Awards and Nominations.
.Album of the year -2018
.5x the Headies awards and one nomination for Best Collaboration with Kefee(2010),and P-Square(2009); Artist of the year (2009 nomination); and Best/Dancehall Album (2008-2009)
.Afrotainment-Museke Online Africa Music Awards for Best Afro-Dancehall song (2011).
.Nomination at the Nigerian Entertainment Awards for Indigenous Artist of the year(2014).
.AFRIMMA award for Dancehall act of the year(2017).
.Grammy for Morgan Heritage Reggae Night (Global Rmx, 2018)

Timaya’s Endorsements.
IIFWP Peace Ambassador.
The Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace (IIFWP) appointed Timaya as a Peace Ambassador in 2011.

Timaya as Glo Brand Ambassador.
Glo appointed Timaya as its brand ambassador in October 2016. The company chose him to be the face of the brand because of his successful music career. Also, for inspiring millions of Nigerian youths, especially those in the South-South part of the country, where he is popularly known as the ‘Egberi Papa 1 of Bayelsa.’