granted to Punch's Ademola Olonilua
Why it took me so long to launch my album
I just wanted to take out time and make good music. There are some
people who do yearly albums, I try to do like two or three years.
There are people whom I emulate. I feel that as music is a craft, you
must try to make sure you put out good materials that can stand the
test of time. It is not something that can be relevant for only two
months or a year. You want something that is good.
My Lasso of Truth album
I'm very happy; I have got a lot of positive feedback. The sale in the
first week was great. They made about 500,000 copies and it is almost
sold out. The sales did very well because the demand is high. I did
not even know that the demand was this high, even outside Nigeria, We
have been working out platforms where we can sell the album. People
outside the country ask whoever is travelling abroad to buy the CD in
bulk for them. The demand is that high.
If not music, I would have loved to be a teacher
I might be fun to be with, but I'm not a comedian. My mother wanted me
to practice law, but I wanted to teach. I have always wanted to teach,
I would have been a teacher. I don't know why I have the capacity to
get people to listen to me. Right now, I'm part of an organisation
that mentors young girls. You know when you sit with young girls and
you are advising them, if it is someone else advising them, deep down
they might not listen and think the person is spoiling their fun. But
I come across as somebody who has been there, done that and got the
T-shirt. So they listen. I think it would have been a beautiful
challenge for me to be a teacher. I'm sure I would have been worried
about the pay but it would have been flexible enough for me to have a
family as well as enjoy what I'm doing if I was not into music.
My early days
I had many experiences but I'd like not to embarrass myself. I was
very mischievous as a kid. I used to get into a lot of trouble. I had
a lot of older ones, so they used to deal with me a lot. They would
say, 'Omawumi don commit again'. I was the sort of person that would
steal my elder sister's bra and put socks inside; that was when I was
bare-chested. The sad thing is that when the thing now came out, it
just came out at once. I did the usual things that children do. I
can't say most of it in print. If my older ones should read it, they
would discover some things I did back then. I was pretty much a normal
kid. I used to play a lot but my parents made us understand the value
of education.
Year 2013 so far
I have got four endorsements this year. It has been fantastic. The
thing about it is that I have been working towards things like this
for a while. The way my work is, I have a healthy fan base. I have the
kind of music I make and the kind of people who like it and it appeals
to. When it comes to endorsements, I'm really grateful to God. It is a
process, if you work and you put out good material and you are
relatable, it's a good thing. The fact that I can market so many
products proves I'm a true Nigerian. Without blowing my horn and in
trying to be as modest as I can, I am educated. Most parents want
their children to be educated and even if they want to pursue their
dreams, they use me as an example. I pursued my dream but at the end
of the day, I got the basic education. Is she street wise? They use me
as an example. Even though you are educated, it doesn't mean you
should be dumb. There are some parts of my life I feel people make
comments, like 'she is a single mother'; it is not supposed to be
celebrated. The plus side of it is that I have a beautiful daughter. I
figured that it is better for me to keep a life that God has given me
as opposed to killing. That it didn't work the way it should work or
that I am not married, it is still a process, I am still a human
being. That is also relatable. It is not like they say that when you
get to a stage and you don't get someone to marry you, you go and get
pregnant. Some of my friends, when they look at me and say they want
to be like me or that they don't have time for men, I tell them no.
Circumstances and life brought it upon me, I would not regret one day
of it. I am happy with my daughter, I am happy about the family that
she has and the one I have. Nonetheless, it is not something someone
should come out and say this is the way to go.
Criticism
I'll tell you the truth, I'm indifferent. I have developed a thick
skin. I would not say that from the outset it never affected me. But
it didn't mean I put my hand under my cheek and started brooding. I
was just worried why this sort of thing happened. I am a solutions
kind of person and so I started looking for solutions. I found out
that there was no solution. Whether you like it or not, people must
talk about you. The more mysterious you are, the more stories would be
woven around you. I figured that you win some and lose some, you
cannot have it all. The day you are the focus of the press, you just
say by God's grace, this too shall pass. I don't like it when people
form an opinion about me out of negative publicity, especially when it
is not true and it affects my career. That is the part I don't like
because I believe everybody puts a lot of hard work into their music.
That's why I always tell people, I'm not an angel. That is why I
encourage people to just enjoy the music. It is the music I am giving
you, not my personal life, not who I am.
My first crush and boyfriend
I can remember him. I think I 'died' for him so much I cannot remember
how he toasted me. You know when you like a boy so much and you try to
catch his attention. He was my elder brother's very good friend and it
was like a taboo to have anything to do with your elder brother's
friend. The elder brother would beat both the friend and the sister.
That was the sort of position I was in. I still collected the beatings
because when you are blinded with love, you would stick with the boy
no matter what. Eventually, we were so in love for a long time.
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