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The Ijoya Queen stressed that a lot of people have been asking when she will tie the knot.
According to her, the answer is very simple, If I don’t see the right man, I won’t get married.
Below is an interview she granted an online magazine couple of weeks ago.
You generate a lot of energy on stage. Where does it come from?
It is natural. It is in-born. I am someone who gets excited once music is turned on. Like Michael Jackson would say, “I am a slave to the rhythm.” When the music comes on, something just hits me, especially when I am on stage with the fans yearning for more. It just hypes me. I remember shooting the Busy Body video and Peter was like ‘hope say you no dey take anything? It was really funny. When we went on stage to do a song, the energy was so mad.
But people feel you are masculine?
I don’t think I am masculine. I think life is about perception. I am somebody who believes in simplicity. I just like my top and trousers. Yes, growing up, I was more of a tomboy. I played football with my brothers. We went hunting together. I was very curious. I tried my hands on a number of things. I loved to hunt with them. At some point, I learnt how to repair cars. That one amazed my father. One day, when his car broke down, I just went in there, touched a few things and it came alive. He was just looking at me. I tried every skill that came my way. Apart from that, I grew up to love simple things. I feel comfortable. This is my comfort zone. I don’t call it masculine. My publicist told me last week that there were elements of masculinity in your brand, but that doesn’t mean you are masculine. It is all about perception. Mine is when you put me on stage, I do my work. I deliver. That is what matters to me. Do I connect with the crowd? Do I bring value to your brand? These are the things that matter to me.
How was growing up like?
Growing up was very interesting. I was a rebel in the house. I come from a Muslim background. There was always a clash of authority and stuff. As a woman, you were not supposed to have a voice. I demanded to be heard. I had a very strong sense of independence at a young age. I was very confident. I don’t think it was being stubborn, it was being confident. And my mother spotted that very early. But somewhere along the line, my parents converted. We became Christians. So, it was interesting. I loved going to the village to see my grandparents.
Were you the only female child?
No I wasn’t the only female but I was surrounded by a lot of men, my brothers, cousins. When you are surrounded by men, it is natural for you to blend. They play football, you play with them. They play drought, you play also. Before you know it, you have learnt how to fix cars. I think it is just natural.
Do you sometimes miss the girlie aspect of you?
Not at all. I am girlie anyway, so what am I missing? I played ten-ten. I did kondo. I did everything everyone did. I was a very curious child. And my mum was always there to put me in check any way.
Can you wear a weave on?
I don’t think I can wear that. It is artificial. I like natural things. This is one of the main reasons I admire Lauryn Hill. She is herself in every way. She is a naturalist. What you see is who she is. I don’t like too much embellishment on my hair or my nails. When I can, I advise young ladies to be natural. Let the guy see who you are. I have heard my brothers joke about women. They say things like, ‘when I carry the babe na different thing I see o. It was like I was with a different person’. Anyway, that is my own philosophy about life. I am a naturalist. I don’t take anything less.
When are you planning to get married?
Someone even asked me the other day. At the right time, to the right person. If I don’t see the right person, I would never get interested in marriage. This is the point people miss. One cannot bow to people’s pressure. People want you to get married but the point is they are not going to be there with you in the marriage. They would not know what you are going through. They won’t be there when things go rough. So, for me, it is to the right person at the right time.
What will be the qualities of the right person?
You have to be real. You have to be down- to- earth. You have to be able to accept what I do for a living. Not just the appeal, he has to accept the brand and the personality. He should not be intimidated by what I do.
Have you been into any relationship?
I do not want to talk about my relationship. It is private.
Who are those you admire in the industry?
I like real people. I can smell a fake person a mile away. Someone like Kate Henshaw is a real person. I have associated with her. Someone like Yinka Davis, I have known her like forever. Salt N’PepaPepper, Queen Latifah, Lauryn Hills. There are the people I admire.
What are the challenges you have faced as a female rapper in Nigeria?
Coming into the industry at the time I came in was very difficult. I remember when I was trying to establish myself in the industry a lot of people wanted to bully me; but I made them realise very quickly that I was the wrong meat. It is a male- dominated industry, I knew that I had to stand my ground if I was to succeed. There were people who encouraged me. Onyeka Onwenu, Lagbaja, Ras Kimono, Sir Shina Peters were very helpful to me.
Tell us more about how you were bullied as a female rapper?
I don’t want to go into details. It was direct and indirect. But I made them understand I was not the type that cringed for a bully. There was a time a major male artiste said to me, “you see that energy wey you dey burn, make you tone am down, make I no have problem on stage.” He made a big mistake. When I got on stage, I doubled the energy. To me, it was indirect bullying. Though I didn’t say anything to him, I replied him on stage. Some tried to bully me. Some tried to discourage me. But all of these have made me stronger.
You are also going into politics?
I don’t think it is my calling. I can do things for a candidate who decides to help community. But I don’t know what God has in store for me.
What things trouble you about Nigeria?
I have been talking about the Chibok girls, I have been talking about rape, I have been talking about tribalism. I talk about how we can see one another as citizens of one country, not as Hausa, Igbo, Yourba, Efik and so on. There is no such thing as Hausa blood, or Igbo blood. I feel that tribalism is such a huge problem to the development of Nigeria. It is time for us to address it. I am actually scared that the younger generation is imbibing those negative tendencies more than the old. Tribalism is a virus. We need to take care of it before it kills us. Then the girls held in captivity, I pray that they get released soon. There is also the talk of gang raping. Sometimes I ask when did we start gang raping in Nigeria? It is really sick. There is so much domestic violence going on. Those are the things that bother me.
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