11th January, 2013
Since Nigeria’s singer, Chidinma Ekile, a sociology student of the University of Lagos, emerged the winner of MTN sponsored Project Fame West Africa (Season three), she has moved on to become a celebrated singer on the African continent. She tells BAYO ADETU about her rise to stardom
When you were announced as winner of the KORA Award’s Best Female Musician (West Africa), what came to your mind?
I didn’t even know that my name was called because I was speaking to my manager. I was telling him that now that we were here, I hoped we would win. And when I looked at the screen and realised that I was the winner, I was overwhelmed.
Did you expect to win the award, considering the calibre of other artistes in your category?
Not really, because there were a lot of strong artistes in that category. Even if I didn’t win, I’d have been contented with the fact that I was nominated for the award alongside heavyweights in my category, considering that others in the category are much bigger, more experienced. My career is just about two years old. But basically, I think I deserved the award because last year, I was on a tour of all African countries. I deserved the award, but I was scared of the other artistes at first. There was Yvonne from Cameroun, and of course, Omawunmi, who I regard as one of my godmothers in the industry. They are all strong vocalists and contenders. But like I said, winning it is a result of my hard work.
What gave you an edge over the others?
I don’t really know what it was. The truth is that the other artistes are doing well too, so I never really thought I could win.
How will you describe the experience after you won?
I just thank God because even before I got the award, I had been around the continent performing at concerts. I believe the award is more like a reward for my hard work. The award is challenge to me; I need to keep doing better than what I have done. More people from the world are monitoring Chidinma now, and I promise, by the grace of God, not to let anybody down. I should be able to run as fast as I can with this award because it has given me more visibility on the African continent than I used to have, even in Nigeria. This is a big deal and I hope to capitalise on it to penetrate other continents.
Is it right to say that you are more popular on the continent than Nigeria?
Yes. I didn’t know how popular I was until I started travelling out of Nigeria. I saw and felt love more outside Nigeria. At a point when my song, Kedike, was actually big out there, some radio stations were not playing it in Nigeria. I don’t know why that happened, but I just felt that I’m that African brand. I don’t represent just Nigeria, I represent the continent.
As an artiste, what is your strength?
My strength is actually in God.
That is applicable to everybody, but there should be something else. It could be your voice or stage craft?
I don’t really know, but some people say that I’m small and my voice is big. I don’t know if that is the only thing, but I just do my thing. Another thing I can think of is that whenever I’m performing, I use facial expressions to back every single word in my song.
What legacy do you intend to leave behind?
I don’t want to be seen as an artiste who has many songs, but nobody wants to follow her footsteps. For instance, Onyeka Onwenu is one of my icons. I love her music, what she represents and everything about her. That is why I have chosen to make my music this way. It is all about culture. I love my culture and I’m ready to take it to the next level.
Female artistes are assumed to be inferior to their male counterparts. Do you agree with that?
I have not experienced that before and I don’t intend to have such. I just know that we ladies need to be stronger and believe in ourselves more. People say that the industry is dominated by men, but that is not meant to be. Thank God for the likes of Sasha, who stood out; Omawunmi and Onyeka Onwenu are still strong, but we need more female artistes.
In what areas do you think female artistes need to be strong?
We really need to meet up with the guys. Whatever a man can do, a woman can do better. We need to be as strong as the men are in the industry. It can be tough, but we will get there.
Aside music, what else does Chidinma do?
I’m into broadcasting. I do a little bit of acting.
But I haven’t seen you in any film?
I have worked with the Big Friday Show on MTV Base for a while and I did something on Yours Sitcom. It will be released very soon. There are others in the pipeline.
What is your plan for the year?
This is actually a year of many works for me, a year of rewards. It is actually a combination of a lot of things. I will be dropping more songs and even do stuff apart from music.
Should we expect you to do more of TV presentations?
Yes, I have been doing that for a while and I will put more effort. I will even do other things different from that.
When should we expect your album?
I’m not rushing anything, but it is going to be released later this year.
How do you combine academics with music?
Honestly, I don’t know. I just try my best all the time to make sure that one doesn’t suffer from the other. Ultimately, it is by the grace of God that I have been able to come this far. Combining both is extremely stressful. It takes a whole lot of time, but I’m sure God will see me through.
What are the privileges you enjoy as a celebrity?
As a star, people recognise you. There are some things you can get away with; you don’t have to be on queues for anything. Everything just goes on smoothly. But the pain is that you no longer have privacy. People want to know everything about you. It now depends on you; how you can let the people know only the things you want them to know.
Since you won Project Fame, what has been your greatest moment?
Whenever I’m holding the microphone, I have got to understand that they appreciate me, even more outside Nigeria. Apart from the fact that they love my music, they love me as a person. I remember the first time I went to Cote d’Ivoire, they called me Soso (a cute baby). The people really like me and that is overwhelming. The turnout at the show was also crazy.
In Nigeria, winners of music talent shows rarely live up to expectations. But you and Iyanya have been the exceptions to the rule. How did you achieve this?
It is God. I think it has been destined to be this way. Besides, I think it is about me pushing very hard. I didn’t just want to be a winner; my target is to be different in anything I lay my hands upon. That is one of the factors that have kept me going.
You have changed your look. Why?
I just decided to do that. I just tried to be different. I didn’t have an idea of what I wanted to do, but decided to wear a low cut. I was wearing a red punk, at some point, it was wine colour Mohawk. Then I wanted to do a photo shoot; I was looking at the mirror and felt the hairstyle would not blend well with my brand of music. I told the barber to cut it off. The low cut looks really nice to me; I never knew it was going to be that nice because it was just a try. Later, I added jerry curls to it.
What does fashion mean to you?
I just try to look good in anything I’m comfortable with. Mostly, I’m more comfortable with my African fabrics. I prefer to be seen more as an African ambassador, so I don’t really patronise foreign designers like Gucci, CK and all that. I’m not a designer freak.
There have been rumours that you are dating Adams of Soundcity. How true is that?
He is just a colleague of mine. We work in the same industry.
Okay, you see yourself as a broadcaster too?
I can remember we did Two For The Shoots together. One was for Viva Lasgidi and one was for an online magazine. Those were actually the two times we have worked together.
Are you in any relationship?
I don’t want to talk about that.
What is your greatest fear about life?
I don’t think I have any fear. I just do the things that I’m supposed to do and leave the rest to God. I’m actually not afraid of anything because whatever will be will be.