Veteran Nollywood actor, Segun Arinze, has opened up about his real name, Segun Aina, and shed light on how he became known as Segun Arinze.
During a recent interview on the ‘TalktoB’ podcast with Biola Bayo, the 58-year-old actor shared that he adopted the stage name Segun Arinze while pursuing a career in music.
Arinze explained that although he was born Segun Aina, the name Segun Arinze stuck with him after an accidental introduction during a concert in 1991.
Recalling the incident, he said, “I was also singing. In 1991, I was told someone wanted to sign me. ‘We are going to sign you on’. He came from Sony Music. So he called me and I signed the contract. He signed. And then he said ‘Okay, we are going to start recording.’
“Then the National Theatre was running an open theatre then… ‘welcome new artiste Segun Arinze.’ I said ‘Excuse me sir, what is this? Why are you changing my name?’ The album came out – ‘Dreams.’ Everywhere was ‘Segun Arinze, Segun Arinze.’ That was how the name got changed from Segun Aina to Segun Arinze in a nutshell.”
Arinze’s revelation sheds light on the evolution of his stage name and the inadvertent shift from his birth name to the one he is now famously known by in the entertainment industry.
