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.
See You Around
Tebey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Stuck in the middle seat flying to Toronto
Kansas City, saw you catch a pop fly
On the kiss cam bottom of the 9th
Could be sitting at a light in your Corolla
Mixing up a Big Gulp, Crush & cherry cola
Girl your love's like a shadow on the ground
CHORUS
Might be on a beach somewhere
Sippin 'on, sippin 'on Reposado
Might be in a downtown bar with your hair falling down
Road trip down to Mexico, or filling up at a Texaco
Yeah I'm telling you girl right now
Somewhere somehow
I'm gonna see you around
(Gonna see you girl)
Girl I'm gonna see you around
(You know I'm gonna see you girl)
Say I'm over you but baby I've been lying
Cause you're the only thing that's ever on my mind and
See you in a drop top driving down on the highway on a Friday
CHORUS
Might be on a beach somewhere
Sippin 'on, sippin 'on Reposado
Might be in a downtown bar with your hair falling down
Road trip down to Mexico, or filling up at a Texaco
Yeah I'm telling you girl right now
Somewhere somehow
I'm gonna see you around
I'm gonna see you around
(Could be standing on the pier up in Chicago)
Girl I'm gonna see you around
(Stuck in the middle seat flying to Toronto)
CHORUS
Might be on a beach somewhere
Sippin 'on, sippin 'on Reposado
Might be in a downtown bar with your hair falling down
Road trip down to Mexico, or filling up at a Texaco
Yeah I'm telling you girl right now
Somewhere somehow
I'm gonna see you around
(Could be standing on the pier up in Chicago)
Girl I'm gonna see you around
(Stuck in the middle seat flying to Toronto)
In Tebey's song "See You Around," the lyrics paint a picture of a man who is hopelessly in love and is constantly reminded of his past love through everyday activities and experiences. The song talks about how he could be anywhere in the world, from standing on a pier in Chicago or stuck on a plane headed to Toronto, and he still can't escape the memory of his lost love. The lyrics go on to describe how even mundane tasks like sitting in traffic or grabbing a drink at a convenience store are tinged with thoughts of his lost love. The chorus repeats the phrase "somewhere somehow, I'm gonna see you around" emphasizing that no matter where he goes or what he does, he knows that he will eventually run into her again.
Line by Line Meaning
Could be standing on the pier up in Chicago
I might be in Chicago standing on a pier.
Stuck in the middle seat flying to Toronto
I might be on a plane stuck in the middle seat going to Toronto.
Kansas City, saw you catch a pop fly
I saw you catch a pop fly in Kansas City.
On the kiss cam bottom of the 9th
We were on the kiss cam at the bottom of the 9th inning.
Could be sitting at a light in your Corolla
I might be in your Corolla waiting at a traffic light.
Mixing up a Big Gulp, Crush & cherry cola
I'm mixing Crush and cherry cola in a Big Gulp cup.
Girl your love's like a shadow on the ground
Your love is like a shadow that follows me around everywhere I go.
It follows me around
Your love follows me around everywhere I go.
Might be on a beach somewhere
I might be on a beach somewhere.
Sippin 'on, sippin 'on Reposado
I might be drinking Reposado tequila.
Might be in a downtown bar with your hair falling down
I might be in a downtown bar with you, and your hair will be falling down.
Road trip down to Mexico, or filling up at a Texaco
I might be on a road trip down to Mexico or filling up my gas tank at a Texaco station.
Yeah I'm telling you girl right now
I'm telling you right now, girl,
Somewhere somehow
I will see you somewhere somehow.
I'm gonna see you around
I'm going to see you around.
Say I'm over you but baby I've been lying
I tell myself I'm over you, but I know I'm lying to myself.
Cause you're the only thing that's ever on my mind and
Because you're always on my mind.
See you in a drop top driving down on the highway on a Friday
I picture us in a drop top car, driving down the highway on a Friday.
Girl I'm gonna see you around
I'm going to see you around, girl.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: BRANDON STILES, BRIAN LAYSON, TEBEY SOLOMON OTTOH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind