Singer, songwriter, and producer Blessing Raphael is widely known as Queen Bebra. The Cherubim Vibes record signee recently opened up on the inspiration for her new single amidst other issues.
Who is Queen Bebra?
My name is Blessing Rapheal a.k.a Queen Bebra. I’m from Imo state, born in Ibadan but raised in Lagos. I’m a musician, a songwriter, a jingle producer, soundtracks producer and also a business lady.
How did you come about the nickname, Queen Bebra?
Bebra is an acronym with the fusion of my name in it. The B stands for Best, the E stands for Entertainment then B. R. A, stands for Blessing Rapheal that is, Best Entertainment of Blessing Rapheal.
Tell us about your foray into music and how the whole journey has been?
Back in the years, an introduction was made by my elder sister (Mrs Joy Oladele) to a pastor who needed a back up singer, so I was fortunate to be chosen as one of the singers and when the whole recording was over, the producer started giving me more jobs which led me going from one studio to another. This went on till I met some other prominent artists like sir Rex suru, Jesse king, Joe Praise and many others. The journey so far has been so impressive and I learned a lot from these great people.
You are signed on to Cherubim Vibes Records, how did you come about the deal?
I’ll say God’s intervention and his faithfulness over my destiny…the CEO of cherubim vibes records Mr Rex Suru, one day, called me up for a backup which I humbly honoured and in the process I was given an opportunity to record some of my songs and then Ranti became the chosen song by many, that was how this deal came about.
Your new single, Ranti, has been trending for a while, what’s the inspiration behind the song?
What gave me the idea to compose Ranti was because of an experience a friend of mine had. Again, looking at the marital settings today, there are many factors affecting marriage today that often leads to divorce, separation, heartbreaks and so on, meanwhile, the major source of these factors is simply faded love once this surface in any relationship, that union is over, except God’s intervention takes place. So, this is why I decided to do a song anyone in relationship can reflect on especially when they are going off the track.
You released your debut album, Lubulubu. What has changed about your music between then and now?
The difference is that, Lubulubu was purely a folklore songs drawn from tales stories and based on what is trending today in the music industry one needs to improvise as the world is changing into mordern kind of music. The reason the current style I’m bringing now is purely an afropop, we have to follow the trend.
You have stayed true to being a contemporary African folk singer, how did you discover your passion for this genre?
I was once an Afrofolk singer but doesn’t really mean I’m still into this. As a matter of fact, I classify myself as a versatile music act. I may have released a folk lore song back in the years and then releasing an afropop today, who knows, I may decide to go into gospel or any other kind of genre of music in the next phase. So, it all depends on how I am inspired.
As a singer with years of experience, what are the challenges facing the industry and artists?
First, the vast majority of artists make no money, long term record deals are becoming a thing of the past and that could be due to controversial events that may likely take place between the artist and the promoter or the label. Another issue is that, popularity duration of the artist are shorter than ever and finally, no sales or marketing plan cum structure.