Humblesmith Humblesmith: The Volcano Humblesmith a.k.a The African Singercologist is a proud singer/songwriter and performer. He is proud of his art. He basks in the joy it brings to his growing list of listeners. He is also proud of the sweat that has gone into reaching this milestone. Incidentally, he knows that everything that came before (the toil and endeavour) will amount to squat if he fails to kick into a higher gear and embellish his art. Most of all, he is proud of his humble beginnings. Born on the 14th of May, 1991 in Abakaliki (Ebony State, Nigeria), Ekene Ijemba (real name) is the fifth of eight children of a stationery-dealer father and a teacher mother. Ekene discovered his penchant for entertaining, at a very tender age of 6. He led a group of his mates to perform at various SOCIAL and church events. They were known then as American Boys (after the then-popular song they always used for their dance act). Growing up was tough, Ekene recalled. His elder siblings had to put in a lot of efforts through menial JOBS to augment the meagre incomes of their parents. Ekene’s performances continued to attract attention. He often sneaks out from home at odd hours in search of shows to perform at. Clearly, nothing was going to stand in his way! Many years later, as a teenager, he went to Asaba, a town that was fast becoming synonymous with Nollywood. Ekene longed for the limelight to showcase his many talents. He was featured in some minor roles in a handful of movies, but the momentum was soon lost and he returned to Abakaliki. On his return to the laid-back town, he realised that he was completely cut off from entertainment OPPORTUNITIES. Abakaliki was better known for its huge rice mill. So, back to Asaba he went. This time, he was more determined to succeed. He combed the town for shows and scouted for movie roles with fervour. At a show, he approached the promoter with his demo cd and even begged to perform. After a long delay, the DJ gave him a two-minute spot. Ekene seized his 120 seconds and gave a performance of his life.