Before Efa Iwara became a well-known Nollywood actor, he was first a musician. He started his journey to stardom as an artiste in 2006 and made a full career change to acting in 2016. The ten-year journey between being a rapper and an actor tells the story of how his passion for rap music took a backseat to his success in Nollywood.
Efa The Rapper
He started making music as far back as 2006 in a group called X-Factor but he only released his first single in 2011. In an interview with NET, Efa said, “I was in a group called X-Factor with DJ Clem, Bolaji, Jide and Boye. Only DJ Clem and I continued to pursue music when the group broke up. And then, I went on to record demos by myself that I sent out in like 08/09 and then I moved to Lagos and I was signed to Just Kidding Records and I put out my first single in 2011.”
After releasing one project, the Waka EP in 2011 that contained 5 tracks and stashing tons of music that were never released, he made his first dabble into acting. Yet, Efa Iwara wasn’t quite done with the music and kept at it for a few more years. He released his last official single on February 14, 2014. It was titled “Fall in Love” and he featured Plantashun Boiz on the track.
The Early Beginnings of Efa The Actor
After years of working hard at his music, the release of his Waka EP and a few other singles, Efa Iwara began to look into more creative channels to express himself. He made his acting debut in a 2011 episode of the highly acclaimed soap opera, Tinsel as a debate moderator. However, at this point, he was still mostly focused on his music which meant he had to take a break from acting. He made another appearance in the first season of MTV Shuga Naija in 2013 before disappearing from the acting space again.
In 2016, he finally made a full commitment to acting as his music contract was about to expire. He said, “I started focusing on acting in 2016 because my record deal was coming to a close and acting was something I had a passion for and was interested in. And then, an opportunity came my way to be in Life 101 for Ebonylife and then it just became a rollercoaster ride since then and I never looked back.”
Efa The Nollywood Star
After Efa’s time on Ebonylife’s Life 101, he appeared in “Entangled” and season 3 of another series that was never released. He has gradually created a name for himself appearing in series such as Africa Magic’s “Ajoche”, Ndani TV’s “Rumor Has It”, Accelerate TV’s “Corper Shun” and Red TV’s “The Men’s Club”. He has also featured in movies like “Isoken”, “The Sessions”, “Put A Ring On It”, and more recently, “Seven”.
His performance in “Seven” landed him his first-ever Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Award (AMVCA) nomination in his career this year. Efa is one of the few Nollywood actors who has not been cast-typed to a particular role. He claims this is the best thing about being an actor as, “I get to play so many diverse roles and do so many things I wouldn’t normally do in real life.”
What’s Next For Efa Iwara
The rapper/singer has stated that he never gave up on music and he would be releasing new music soon. He said, “I’m currently working on a project that should come out as soon as possible. Once I’m done filming the current project I’m working on, I shall hopefully be able to return to the studio for a few days and wrap up the project.”
As an actor, Efa is currently filming a new project for Africa Magic called “Unbroken”. Season three of “The Men’s Club” is already in motion, and more projects are lined up for the year. This means we are bound to experience the many dimensions of Efa with the release of his new music project and his acting this year.