The Day We Played Host To A Megastar - And I Wasn't Ready

Chinwe Oranye
Jun 7
5 min read

Updated: 3 days ago

One of the biggest flexes of my life as the Captain's Daughter happened on a day I was so jet-lagged I could barely keep my eyes open.

The day Seal came to my shop!

I remember my family and friends pointing out later how far away I looked from my usually bubbly self in these pictures without knowing what was really going on with me.

Meeehn, I was bone tired.

So tired that I didn't even have a chance to be star-struck.

I had just returned from a fabric-buying trip to the United States the night before. Normal people travel and go about thier business next day. Not me.

I'm always so dramatically jet-lagged, no matter how short the trip. It is so bad that after travelling, I usually avoid my shop for almost a week so I don't get tempted to lie down on the floor and sleep.

I was in this state when my phone rang.

It was dear Kiki, my neighbor and enabler.

"I’ve been calling your phone, why aren't picking up!" he said.

Before I could explain, he continued.

"Seal is in Nigeria and his team wants to buy fabric for an agbada. I recommended you. They are coming tomorrow."

I was so confused that I asked,

"Who is Seal?"

I know I was sleepy and not thinking straight, but for a few seconds, I genuinely didn't connect the name to Seal.

The Seal.

The megastar.

Kiki nearly lost his mind.

Very slowly, he said,

"Seal. Kiss From a Rose. Seal."

Then he sang a snippet of the song.

"They're coming to your shop tomorrow."

"My shop, for what?"

I was really struggling to process what he was saying. I told him I was too tired to be in the shop.

"Can't they go somewhere else?" I asked.

"Or I could get my manager to attend to them."

Kiki shouted, "Sis, c'mon! Get up! Do you know the publicity your shop will get?"

So, I sluggishly took down the details he gave me and the type of fabric they wanted.

The next day, bright and early, I was at the store.

I was excited.

I didn't tell anyone, because I didn't want to jinx it.

They were supposed to arrive by 4 p.m., but their schedule was packed and the Lekki traffic did not help, causing several delays.

Between Kiki checking in, my husband making sure I was still awake, and Seal's team apologizing for the delays, my phone wouldn't stop ringing.

The day dragged on.

By evening, I couldn't help it anymore.

I went to a corner and nodded off for a bit.

Then my manager woke me up and pointed towards the large glass windows at the front of my shop.

Outside was a convoy of cars and a small crowd that had already started to gather.

It was just beginning to get dark.

I looked up just in time to see Seal step out of an army-green Mercedes G-Wagon. He was wearing grey combat shorts and a forest green shirt.

Meehhn.

So this was actually happening.

I glanced at my watch.

It was almost 8 p.m.

I put a hand to my cheek. It felt warm.

I hadn’t told my staff who exactly we were expecting,

I had casually told them a celebrity would be shopping. That way they wouldn't go telling people.

I got up and went to receive him and his team at the door.

The first thing I noticed was how incredibly tall he was.

Like really, really tall.

Sometimes, this television of a thing can be very misleading.

His team introduced him, and from the very beginning, he seemed completely relaxed. We exchanged pleasantries, and he complimented the shop.

He had come with his son, a very polite young man who spoke German and English fluently.

Seal introduced him.

Meanwhile, my mind was still trying to catch up.

Seal.

In my shop.

He asked me a lot of questions about the business, he seemed quite fascinated with the name and asked its origin, how I got started. He was genuinely interested and laughed often.

I presented a selection of fabrics for him and his team to look through.

All the while, I kept thinking

Ehheeen.

So Seal is really standing in my shop.

He couldn't decide between two black cotton voile fabrics he had picked, which he liked better.

Eventually, he asked his son to choose.

The young man didn't waste any time.

And frankly?

He picked the exact one I would have chosen too.

I watched without interjecting. I never interfere in a customer's decision-making process unless they specifically ask for my opinion.

Unfortunately, I only had four yards of the fabric they selected, but they needed eight yards.

We agreed that I would source the remaining four yards from Dubai.

And before anyone asks, no, I didn't increase the price because he was famous.

In fact, he got a discount.

Once the transaction was concluded, I shyly asked if I could take a picture with him.

He didn't hesitate for a second.

He put his arm around me like we'd known each other all our lives, and we took pictures.

In these pictures, he had to bend quite a bit so I don't look like a dwarf.

I felt like a celebrity.

By now, a lot of people had recognized him and that small crowd outside had grown to a large one.

Many followed him into the shop just to see him up close.

I have to say, they were remarkably polite and kept their distance.

Seal was friendly, he chatted with everyone, and you'd never have guessed he was such a huge international star.

Through it all, my head never fully cleared because I was still operating on very little sleep.

His team was incredibly gracious and promised they would shop with me again in the future.

And they kept that promise.

By the time I left my shop that night, I was walking on cloud ten.

I remember hearing someone say,

"Ah, this captain's daughter, na so so celebrity dey come her shop."

I thought the excitement would end with Seal coming to my shop.

What I didn't bargain for was the attention afterwards.

I can't count the number of people who wanted to give me things for free, invite me to dinner, or somehow convince me to get Seal to come to dinner at their house.