Kechi Okwuchi: How Nigerian plane crash survivor became a contestant on America's Got Talent

Kechi Okwuchi, who survived the 2005 Sosoliso plane crash, talks about contesting on America's Got Talent, music as a therapy and being an inspiration to many.

Nigerian plane crash survivor, Kechi Okwuchi, inspired millions as a contestant on America's Got Talent.

On December 10, 2005, she became one of the two survivors of the Sosoliso Airline Flight 1145 crash that took the lives of 107 passengers. The crash occurred 20 minutes to landing on her way back to Port Harcourt for a Christmas holiday alongside about 61 other students from her school, Loyola Jesuit College.

Following the crash, Okwuchi suffered third-degree burns over 65% of her body, and has since gone through and survived over 100 surgeries.

In 2015, she graduated from the University of Saint Thomas, in Texas, USA, with a First Class Degree in Economics. She also got invited into six honour societies, including the International Economics Honour Society.

Two years later, she earned a spot on America's Got Talent with her performance of Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud" during her audition.

13 years after what many would call a life changing event, burn survivor Kechi Okwuchi has remained courageous and an inspiration to many.

In this interview with Pulse Nigeria, Okwuchi talks about how she became a contestant on America's Got Talent, music as a therapy for her and being an inspiration to many.

On what music means to Kechi Okwuchi

Singing is something that I have always loved to do. It has always been a passion of mine; pure love that I have had for the art since I was a kid.

My father's taste influenced mine from a very young age, so as I grew older, I loved not just listening to music, but singing as well. And after the accident, my voice went through a radical change that made me really happy because I was able to express myself even more with music and do what I love to do.

But I hadn't ever thought about taking it further than music being a part of my therapy as a burn survivor and singing in church and at home. These were things that I was doing that made me happy.

On how she became a contestant on America's Got Talent

The way that America's Got Talent happened was very interesting because I didn't actually sign up for the show myself.

It was actually a friend that signed me up. She has been telling me for a while that I should do it or she was gonna do it because she was sick of me always singing and nothing happening. So she just kind of took matters into her own hands and put me out there.

Before I knew it, they were calling me and asking if I wanted to be part of the show. So it just happened out of the blue and it was a complete God thing because I didn't have an input on how things turned out. I was in the middle of my MBA so I had no idea that music would become a primary focus at any point in my life.

It was just a wonderful surprise because I really don't do anything that I haven't purposely planned.

Why she went along with her friend's plan

The reason why I went on and continued with it is that, of all shows to be involved on TV, that would be my first choice. I like the family feel of the show, I like the varieties of talents that they put out there, I love that it gives any kind of person a platform; it doesn't matter your age, size or who you are.

So I just loved that there was a chance for everyone equally, and I thought, 'what better place to start getting exposure or building a platform for yourself than America's Got Talent.

Okwuchi's biggest takeaway from experience on America's Got Talent

The biggest takeaway from my experience on  America's Got Talent was a huge appreciation for behind the scenes work. Honestly, it blew my mind how amazing it was to see the staff come together to create this show.

It's a giant production, something that you really can't appreciate when you're just watching a 2-hour episode weekly.

The fact is, these things take a lot of time, a lot of work from thousands of people, day in and day out, and just working more than 9-5. I know that it has taken them years to perfect this system, but it blew my mind to see all the work that goes into a few of hours on TV.

They did everything themselves. They actually have a warehouse where they created everything you see on set; they built everything from scratch.

Also, the staff were really great. Despite how busy they were, they still took out time to be kind to us contestants and make us feel like we belong, make us feel at home. I really appreciated that.

On the positive feedback she got from all over the world

When I think back to those times, I still can't believe the kind of response that I got from people worldwide. Number one thing about that is that it gave me a lot of courage to actually continue.

It made me think that I had something to deliver to the audience and to the show. I just was humbled by how much outpouring of love and encouragement I was getting from strangers, people who just saw me online singing a few lines and felt the need to send me a little bit of prayer or like an encouraging word.

Getting support from Nigerians since her accident

The truth is that Nigerians have really rallied around me ever since the accident happened. It has been like that since 2005, and even after I moved to America, I have been consistently keeping up with my story and making sure to let me know that they are with me, especially through Facebook.

On being an inspiration to millions

That's just something that I kind of appreciate every single day because the fact that that's what people take away from seeing or interacting online with me, it makes me feel honoured.

I feel like every time I meet someone new, I want them to walk away with a positive memory or feedback from that interaction. And the fact that that's what people are really saying about me makes me happy because it means that me being myself is enough to make people feel positive, and it encourages me to keep being who I am.

 

On combining music and academics

I'm right in the middle of figuring it out right now. I'm definitely at a crossroads where I'm trying to figure out what to give most of my attention to and how I should split it.

At this point, I have decided that I don't want to give up either of the two. I have walked a long road towards gaining these different degrees and academic accomplishments. I want to stay on that part and finish that for sure. But at the same time, this whole music thing was something that happened completely out of my control, and I feel like that's a sign that it's something that God is definitely involved in.

And I don't want to regret anything, so I want to explore this as far as I can. Because of AGT,  a completely new path opened for me with regards to music and the possibility of me doing it as a career. I just feel like it would be cool to explore and see how far I can go and what is in there for me to do.

Am I going to become a motivational speaker? Am I going to have an actual career in music where I release albums and all that?

On releasing original music

I'm kind of working on that already. I have like an original song that I'm working on to release because I want to see how people respond to my actual authentic taste and the kind of music that I would lean towards if I had the complete creative licence.

On God's role in her decisions

100%. I won't even be here if I didn't have some kind of inner peace that it's all gonna work out somehow. I feel just blessed with this inner peace that I can't explain.

I'm walking a path that I don't quite know what's at the end of it. It's like even though I'm quite uncertain of the future, even though I know I might make mistakes, meet obstacles, I feel like all these downfalls will lead me to the right path in the end.

And that's really the way I have approached life since the accident; believing that it's all gonna work out the way he wants it to because I have tried my best to include him in all parts of my life. That helps me to kind of take risks.

On what is next for Kechi Okwuchi

That's the coolest thing ever because I really can't believe that people are actually waiting to see what I will do with music or my life.

It just makes me so humble and I really don't know how to react to that a lot of times, except to just pray that when the time comes, that I do something that people are responsive to, and that I get the honest feedback not based on Kechi  and her story, but like what they actually think about what I am doing.

Long story short, I want people to anticipate original music from me. That's what this year is about.

With her performances on AGT, Kechi wowed and inspired the judges, viewers and her followers. She made it to the finals and eventually emerged the 5th runner-up.

from pulse.ng - Nigeria's entertainment & lifestyle platform online