IT’S the teenage dream to be a music star or footballer… but Chelsea youngster Derrick Abu is planning on doing both.
The promising talent has been a regular for the Blues U18 side and has starred in their FA Youth Cup run.
The 18-year-old has provided stability and versatility at the back for Ed Brand’s team, playing in a variety of positions including right back, right wing-back and centre-half.
Off the pitch, Abu is just as diverse – pursuing his very own rap career under the moniker Cho$en.
He recently released his debut single Life’s Changing, and is planning on a second with new track Real Love.
Twin passions
Growing up in West London, German-born Abu had a love of both football and music.
Influenced by his Nigerian parents, he was a regular church-goer, where he sang in the local choir.
He wrote his first song when he was just 11, around the same time he joined the club.
Abu revealed: “I have been making music as long as I have been playing football, going to church with my mum and being involved with the church choir. My love for music only grew from there.
.css-qu9fel{border-top:1px solid #dcdddd;}.css-b9nmbi{margin-bottom:16px;border-top:1px solid #dcdddd;}
Most read in Football
.css-1gojmfd{margin-bottom:16px;}
“I think I had a natural talent and the most important thing is I enjoyed singing so from there it just became a hobby.”
Managing his time
Alongside the demands of playing for one of the world’s leading football academies, Abu manages to find time to get to the studio and work on his music.
Speaking to Chelsea’s website, he is keen to stress that he is willing to work hard to achieve success in both worlds.
He said: “Firstly, I want people to know that I have always wanted to do both, so I made sure that I was committed to both and ready for the workload of both as I do not want one to suffer at the hands of the other.
“I want to do both at a high level. It has been relatively easy because I have put my mind to doing both. I believe if I am putting in performances and developing as a footballer, there is no reason I cannot develop as a music artist too.”
Abu, who has featured for England’s U17s, claimed he gets the full support of his team-mates who love his tunes.
“My team-mates always tell me what they like about my music and that also gives me confidence as they are believing in something that I have made” he said.
Life’s Changing
Abu’s debut single, Life’s Changing, is out now and available to listen to on streaming sites including Spotify and Apple Music.
According to Spotify’s records, it has been listened to over 18,000 times – while he has attracted over 2,000 monthly listeners.
Calling himself Cho$en, he plans on releasing follow-up Real Love on April 7.
But it’s his first song that defines his journey so far.
“It’s an old song which I picked out of the archives and made a couple of changes to, but it has turned out well,” Abu divulged.
“It has such a cool beat and that helps me get across the message of the song.
“The song talks about how I am basically living two dreams at the same time and how I will keep working hard to make sure that I continue along this path.”
With such dedication, you wouldn’t put it past Abu succeeding in both. And maybe then, it’ll be his music that’s blasted out from a Chelsea star’s dressing room speakers.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
