How this self-taught, grammy nominated artist built his career on his own terms.
When twelve-year-old Michael Elemba was shipped off to a military boarding school in northern Nigeria, he had no idea this harsh beginning would forge the backbone of his future success. What seemed like punishment would become preparation for a music industry that, as he puts it, is really the survival of the fittest.
Today, the 2x Grammy-nominated artist, vocal producer, arranger, engineer, music director, and vocal coach known as M.E. stands as proof that life's toughest lessons often become our greatest advantages—and that the ability to take things apart and rebuild them better applies to everything from car engines to career trajectories.
The Foundation of His Fearlessness
M.E.'s story begins in Lagos, Nigeria, where he was the only boy among seven children. His troublemaking caused his parents to make a drastic decision. "They shipped me off real early," he recalls. The military boarding school in Minna, Niger State, was run with iron discipline—students received physical punishment for infractions as minor as dirty fingernails.
"It was extreme," M.E. admits, "but I don't think I would even be here if they didn't send me there. Lord knows what bad experiences I would have encountered that would have maybe taken my life or put me away for a very long time.” What seemed like punishment was actually preparation. This early exposure to tough discipline and almost unforgiving standards would prove invaluable later when facing industry rejection, creative disputes, and the brutal realities of the music business.
The Art of Deconstruction and Self-Teaching
Before M.E. ever touched a microphone, his gift for taking things apart and rebuilding them was already evident. Growing up, he watched his father—a master auto mechanic in Lagos—take apart entire cars with just his hands, a skill young Michael absorbed and eventually mastered himself.
"I've always been the type to break stuff down and put it back together," he explains, recalling the time he disassembled and then reassembled a whole car. For M.E., this was more than mechanics—it was a fundamental approach to learning that would define his entire career.
When music entered his life during his two years at boarding school, he applied the same deconstructive approach. Hearing Usher's "You Make Me Wanna" on cassette tape, M.E. listened, analyzed, and pulled apart the harmonies and backgrounds. "I was singing the backgrounds to the song, and knowing now what I didn’t know then, I was doing a good job," he reflects with pride.
M.E.’s self-taught, “under-the-hood” approach extends to just about everything he touches. He became a self-taught master of multiple crafts—piano, singing, engineering, producing, even contracting. "I've never been taught, I've always been self-taught,” he shares. “Even piano, singing, I just hear it and try to copy it, and once I get to a space of familiarity, then I create my own."
The Bold Move That Changed Everything
After moving to North Carolina as a teenager through his mother's visa lottery win, M.E. discovered his love of R&B through artists like Tank. But it was his audacious approach to covers that first garnered attention. He would take popular R&B songs, completely reimagine them, and boldly title them "This Is How It Should Have Been Done."
"This might sound arrogant, but I really wasn’t trying to be arrogant at the time," he explains. The strategy was pure M.E.—break down what already exists, identify how to improve it, then rebuild it better. The approach worked really well, generating massive local buzz and drawing responses from the original artists themselves.
This willingness to go against the grain and bet on his own vision became M.E.'s calling card. When parents insisted he finish his studies at UNC, Greensboro before pursuing music, he made another bold bet on himself: complete his mechanical engineering degree, then move to Atlanta to fulfill his songwriting contract regardless of their approval. "I kind of put my grown man pants on and told them, ‘yeah, I'm moving to Atlanta. So it is what it is.’"
The Room Where It Happened
Over the course of his career, M.E. has gained writing and production credits on projects like “Love and War” by Tamar Braxton, “Dolly Express” by Jermaine Dolly, “Gimme Love” by Seyi Shay featuring Teyana Taylor and many more. But maybe the boldest moment of M.E.'s career came in an unexpected encounter with Whitney Houston. While working as a songwriter in Atlanta, he found himself in a recording session where the legendary singer was preparing new material. As industry professionals showered her with praise, M.E.'s discipline and analytical mind kicked in.
"She was so focused on sounding good, and she was in the studio with these folks that were [saying] ‘yeah, you sound amazing," he recalls. "But you could feel in her spirit that that's not what she wanted to hear."
When Whitney Houston pointed to him and asked, "Hey, young man, what do you think?" M.E. didn't hesitate—every tough moment and bold choice from his past were in service to this very moment. He quickly told her the truth she was looking for. The room fell silent, but she asked him to stay after the session for more feedback. "I just said it boldly, and I became her vocal producer before she passed away."
The Price of Principles
Even though M.E.'s commitment to authenticity led to a win with Whitney Houston and the other legends on his list of collaborators like Bryan-Michael Cox, Rodney and Fred Jerkins, Xscape, Melonie Fiona, and Trey Songz—it came with other professional costs.
When his management demanded he apologize for writing a song alone instead of collaborating in a writers' camp format—even though Ne-Yo loved the record—M.E. refused. "I will never," he stated firmly, recalling his choice to prioritize work over partying. This pattern repeated throughout the songwriting season of his career: choosing integrity over industry politics, even when it meant walking away from lucrative opportunities or powerful players.
After years of industry battles and personal struggles, M.E. made one of his boldest moves yet: he stepped back from his music career entirely, returning to North Carolina and traveling back to Nigeria for soul-searching.
"God always shows up," he reflects. It was during this period that a chance church visit in Atlanta would redirect his path. Without any formal training or church protocols, M.E. was immediately hired to lead praise and worship at one of Atlanta's largest African churches before eventually becoming its music director.
His Return to M.E.
When M.E. returned to his career as an artist after his tenure as church music director, he did so from a completely different perspective. No longer the hungry, young songwriter willing to accept any deal, he now picks collaborators on his own terms. He’s making music, like his recent single "Red Corvette" that’s unapologetically him—blending his R&B roots with his African heritage into what he calls "Afro R&B."
"I'm already creating my own lane, and so far, so great," he says with confidence.
As M.E. prepares his upcoming album with plans for an "M.E. and Friends" concert series along with dreams of creating a space to groom and develop new talent with his wife—his ultimate vision remains unchanged from childhood: "I want to leave a legacy. Not just a little legacy, but all caps."
M.E.’s story shows us that successful creative careers aren’t built on talent alone—they're built on the willingness to make bold moves when it matters and to speak hard truths when others won't. From military school to music industry feats and fallouts, he has the hard-won wisdom of someone who learned that the only approval that ultimately matters in building your career is your own.
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