Singer, songwriter, and music producer Alex Okoroigwe, popularly known as Alex O, has revealed how he was attacked on stage after cutting off his signature jerry curl, a hairstyle that defined his image in the 80s and 90s.
In an interview with QEDNG publisher Olumide Iyanda, Alex O discussed how he used his hairstyle as a promotional tool during that era.
He explained that the idea for the jerry curl came after he signed with the record label Polygram, where he was encouraged to adopt a more marketable look.
“After I was signed to Polygram, the marketing manager took one look at me and said, ‘He looks like a second-class clothes seller.
“How are we going to market him? He needs to change his appearance.’ That’s when they decided I needed a new hairstyle,” Alex recalled.
Alex was taken to a hair salon in Ikeja, where he began sporting the jerry curl hairstyle.
However, as the hairstyle grew longer, it became increasingly uncomfortable for him, leading to the decision to cut it off.
What Alex didn’t anticipate was the reaction from his fans, who were so accustomed to his jerry curl that they failed to recognise him without it.
This confusion culminated in a near-violent incident during a performance at the Port Harcourt Civic Center.
“I went on stage after they announced my name, but the audience didn’t believe it was me. They were saying, ‘What kind of Alex O is this?’
“Before we knew it, bottles started flying everywhere,” Alex recounted.
In an effort to calm the situation, Alex instructed his band to start playing his hit song “Celebrate,” hoping that his voice would reassure the crowd.
“As we played, they finally recognised my voice and started to calm down,” he said.
Alex revealed that he paused the performance as he explained to the crowd that he had cut his hair, only to be met with disappointment.
“They asked, ‘Why did you cut the hair? That’s part of what we came to see,'” he said.
Alex revealed that he decided to grow the jerry curl back before eventually cutting it after he left the country in 1998.
