Rising Stars: Meet Voké Adeleke

Today we’d like to introduce you to Voké Adeleke.

Hi Voké, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Hi, my name is Voke which means “There is time for everything.” I am a singer/songwriter and recording artist. I have been singing since my childhood having been raised in a home where my parents loved music. My dad enjoyed country music from Kenny Rogers to Dolly Parton, Bob Marley, and Fela. My mum would always sing around the house, composing lullabies for us as we grew up.

I had the privilege of being in Sunday school (children’s church) choir Teens choir, and Youth choir and went on to be in Leadership for the church Music department across different churches where I served even before going on to have similar roles at the University, serving as the head of the Campus Fellowship and main church Choir for my local Campus church. All without formal singing lessons/training.

I loved to write songs from Rap to Ballards that I would share with my friends and we even used some of those songs for Sunday worship in our local church but I never felt the need to release anything. I just felt blessed to be able to use those songs in my local assembly for corporate worship.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Music has always been a part of my life and I have loved every moment and every opportunity to sing to anyone and everyone even on the streets. But that has not come without its own struggles. In 2009, when I was pregnant with my first child (I now have 3), I broke my voice during my 3rd trimester of pregnancy. I’m a natural Alto singer and could sometimes hit mezzo-soprano notes/ranges. When this problem occurred, I could no longer sing with ease. I would have an ache at the back of my head every time I tried to produce a note. It was devastating! I saw the doctor, but they couldn’t diagnose it initially. I knew it had something to do with my core (stomach muscles) but there was nothing to prove it. It was in those moments of realizing that singing was not just something I did, but a part of my life and that being able to sing the songs I had written was a gift not just to me but to my world, that I started recording and releasing my songs in spite of the condition of my voice.

I was referred to an ENT specialist who finally diagnosed me as having a condition called Laryngal Dysphonia and recommended speech therapy and then Vocal lessons for proper training on singing techniques.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?

I am a Singer/ songwriter and Recording Artist. I am also a Computer Engineer . Musically,  I write mainly Gospel/Contemporary Christian songs.

If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I would say the one characteristic that has helped me progress in my musical journey has been tenacity.

In spite of the setbacks and difficulties in singing, I have always believed that my voice would get better even though it has taken about 13 years. When I was assessed during an audition to be a part of my local church Worship team and Music ministry, I was put in the Tenor vocal range. I didn’t let that bother me, considering I was an Alto singer who could pitch Mezzosoprano ranges.

Instead, I have enjoyed the opportunity to still be able to sing at all, while my voice continues to heal and get stronger, and have carried on researching and learning ways to get better.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vokeadeleke/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vokeadeleke
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/vokeadeleke
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/vokeadeleke 

Image Credits
Mr. Kelly Samuel