He started singing in church at the age of five, spreading his wings to sing at local events. In 1990 and again in 1994, he won the 14-and-under male division of the Canadian Open Country Singing Contest, and in 1996 and 1998, the 18-and-under male division. At 15, he signed a development deal with a major Nashville record label and moved to that city with his father, a Nigerian-born electronics engineer, with his mother and siblings staying back at their family home in Burlington, Ontario.
After two years with very little movement, they returned to Burlington. Ottoh's success in high school football there drew the attention of American college recruiters, but his Nashville career took a belated turn as a friend successfully talked him up in the industry. Ottoh was signed to BNA Records as a singer and Warner Chappel Music as a staff songwriter, and signed fellow Canadian Bruce Allen as his manager.
Allen put Ottoh together with a fellow client, record producer Bob Rock. Working towards his first album, Ottoh both wrote for himself and collaborated with songwriters Annie Roboff, Bob DiPiero, Jim Collins, Naoise Sheridan and Rory Bourke.
In 2002 and 2003, as Tebey, his performance of "We Shook Hands (Man to Man)" became a charted country radio hit in the United States and Canada. Tebey was the subject of a segment on CBC Radio's Sounds Like Canada, and nominated for a 2004 Canadian Radio Music Award for Best New Group or Solo Artist (Country), against Damian Marshall, Deric Ruttan, Heather Dawn and Jason Blaine.
Nonetheless, Ottoh and his label quietly parted ways, and no Tebey album or single appears to have been released to retail channels in either Canada or the United States.
Returning to Canada, Ottoh became a professional songwriter in popular music outside of country. Artists for whom he has written include Rex Goudie (including co-writing "Run"), Shawn Desman (including co-writing "Let's Go"), Melissa O'Neil and Cory Lee. Tebey also has a co-penned song on the upcoming Big & Rich record (Warner Bros Nashville) scheduled for release in June.
Tebey has recently shot the video for his first pop singled entitled "Damned If I". The single will be released in Canada in May, and plans are being made for a European release later in 2007.
All About Us
Tebey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's easy to forget just why we fell in love
I won't let that flame ever burn out baby
So let's close up all the blinds, take some time for us
The world will keep on turning, if we ain't around
No it ain't gonna miss us right now
Marvin Gaye and make some love, oh just you and I
Let's forget about all our worries
Girl there ain't no hurry for once, yeah we can do this right
Tomorrow ain't important
And yesterday don't matter because
Tonight we'll make it all about us
Yes we will
Pick up that phone tell em you're sick baby
No time for workin' when I'm waitin' at home
I'll drop the kids off at your momma's baby
I've been waiting too long to get you all alone
The world will keep on turning, if we ain't around
No it ain't gonna miss us right now
Let's just pour some red wine, and play some
Marvin Gaye and make some love, oh just you and I
Let's forget about all our worries
Girl there ain't no hurry for once, yeah we can do this right
Tomorrow ain't important
And yesterday don't matter because
Tonight we'll make it all about us
Oh the world will keep on turning, if we ain't around
No it ain't gonna miss us right now
Let's just pour some red wine, and play some
Barry White and make some love, oh just you and I
Let's forget about all our worries
Girl there ain't no hurry for once, yeah we can do this right
Tomorrow ain't important
And yesterday don't matter because
Tonight we'll make it all about us
Tonight we'll make it all about us
Yeah baby
In Tebey’s song “All About Us,” the artist sings about the need to take a break from the daily grind of life and rekindle the love in a long-term relationship. Through the lyrics, we hear the voice of someone who is determined to not let their love flame die. The song opens with the reflection of how easy it is to forget why we fell in love with someone in the first place after being together for so long. The artist promises to never let the flame die and invites the partner to take some time for themselves by closing the blinds and enjoying each other’s company.
The song recognizes that the world will continue to move on even without their presence, so it is essential to take the time they need to reconnect. The chorus encourages the couple to forget their worries and to live in the present moment. The lyrics also delve into making the necessary arrangements to create this sacred time together, telling the partner to call in sick and promising to drop the kids off at their mother's. The verses are interjected with a soulful chorus that emphasizes the importance of enjoying each other’s company, creating intimate moments with music, red wine, and passion.
Overall, Tebey’s “All About Us” is a heartfelt and encouraging love song that reminds listeners of the importance of taking time for our loved ones in long-term relationships. It underlines the fact that life is short, and we should not let it pass us by without prioritizing the things that matter most.
Line by Line Meaning
We've been together for so long baby
After being together for a significant amount of time, it's easy to forget what made us fall in love in the first place.
It's easy to forget just why we fell in love
Often, life gets chaotic, and it's easy to lose sight of why we fell in love with each other.
I won't let that flame ever burn out baby
I promise to do everything in my power to make sure the flame between us never fizzles out.
So let's close up all the blinds, take some time for us
Let's shut out the rest of the world and focus on us, the relationship, and the love that brings us together.
The world will keep on turning, if we ain't around
No matter what happens, life goes on, and the world will keep turning, regardless of our presence or absence.
No it ain't gonna miss us right now
We won't be missed right now, so let's take advantage of this time we have together.
Let's just pour some red wine, and play some
Let's indulge in simple pleasures and unwind by opening a bottle of red wine and listening to some soulful music.
Marvin Gaye and make some love, oh just you and I
Let's make love while listening to Marvin Gaye's music, and let this intimate moment stay between us.
Let's forget about all our worries
It's time to let go of our worries, both big and small, and focus solely on our relationship.
Girl there ain't no hurry for once, yeah we can do this right
We have all the time in the world to spend together, without the need to rush, so we'll take our time and do it right.
Tomorrow ain't important
We're living in the moment and not worrying about tomorrow.
And yesterday don't matter because
Similarly, we won't dwell on the past, but instead, focus on the present moment between us.
Tonight we'll make it all about us
Let's focus on our relationship, and make tonight all about us, and the love that binds us together.
Pick up that phone tell em you're sick baby
Let's find an excuse to spend some time alone by taking the day off and telling everyone we're sick.
No time for workin' when I'm waitin' at home
I'm eagerly waiting for you at home, so let's not waste time at work, and focus on us instead.
I'll drop the kids off at your momma's baby
We'll find someone to take care of the kids, and focus on our love without any distractions.
I've been waiting too long to get you all alone
I've missed being alone with you for so long, so let's not waste any more time and enjoy each other's company.
Barry White and make some love, oh just you and I
Let's indulge in some more soulful music, this time by Barry White, and make love, enjoying each other's company all night long.
Tonight we'll make it all about us
Once again, let's forget the world and focus on our relationship, as we make tonight all about us.
Lyrics © ANTHEM ENTERTAINMENT LP, OLE MEDIA MANAGEMENT LP
Written by: JASON GAMBILL, TEBEY SOLOMON OTTOH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Anika R.
INCREDIBLE VOICE..... Love every minute of it<3. God Bless you!!!
Colin Lagasse
Great song, one of my favourite country songs of all time. Nice work
lenalover132
You are an amazing singer, I am very suprised that there are only almost 5000 views :o I heard this song on the radio again today and it's been in my head all day, I love it!
Pie Yang
loving it!! :)
Nora Buck
Months have gone by n I still request same song still loving it sing my loudest each time I hear it
Leah Fluke
I love this song sooo much <3
Richard Patterson
Love this song it is fantastic a great song
Nora Buck
I request this song as many times as I can get a message to my bff who works at CJWW in Saskatoon I totally love this song I can listen to it over and over and over you get it ......cant wait till I am someday able to hear it live
cdjk123
Hearing your song "somewhere in the country" on country radio stations in Vancouver. I'm studying music education up here, and lemme tell ya, You're gonna make it big with that one! See yah on CMT!
Mike Y
I've been trying to find the name of this song for weeks since I heard it on the radio. I took to twitter and even emailed the station. I finally heard it this morning and used sound hound on my iPhone to find the name. Awesome song. Just bought it on iTunes. Are there anymore singles by this guy?