Aituaje Iruobe is professionally known as Waje, which is the first letter from each word in the phrase ‘Words Aren’t Just Enough.’ She has worked her way up the entertainment ladder to become one of Nigeria’s female songstresses. She first gained recognition after being featured on the remake of P-Square’s ‘Omoge Mi’ and also went on to feature on the duo’s 2008 hit track ‘Do Me.’ The super singer and vocalist have gone on to release albums and hit songs including ‘One Naira’ with rapper, M.I. In this interview with REPORTER TUNRAYO ILESANMI, Waje opens on her relationship with God, her personality, her budding acting career as well as how she copes with social media trolls.
WHO is Waje?
Waje is a woman. I guess I will describe her as a very simple person. Someone, who understands the value of living life and living in the moment. Waje is someone who is unlearning and relearning. Everyday of my life is a learn and unlearn situation. That’s who Waje is.
You recently featured in a series, ‘She Must Be Obeyed’. Was there a particular message the series was trying to pass across in the entertainment industry amongst celebrities? Unhealthy Rivalry, show off?
The entertainment part is part of it but it also tells stories of peoples’ experiences. Rivalry and show off is not only in the entertainment industry. In my own knowledge of the world and the way it works, I find out every day that the world can be toxic regardless of the industry. The only reason we have highlighted Afrobeats as an industry is because we are entertainers and that’s the space we wanted to focus on. Rivalry happens in every industry. We wanted to entertain people while also teaching them lessons about effects and consequences.
Did you go to any acting school or it’s just natural talent ?
I haven’t gone to any acting school yet. I applied to Del York and I’m hoping I have the time to go there and learn what I need to learn about acting. Toni Tone is my friend and she knows about my desire to be an actor and she’s one of the Nigerian actors I truly respect. When I told her about my desire to be an actor, she encouraged me a lot even when I doubted myself. Sometimes when I’m even done with a role, I’d buzz her and tell her I don’t think I did well or did my best. She’d tell me to keep working on myself and so when the script came, I shared a few things with her, she gave me a few tips that could help me. Recently, I had an audition and sent her the audition script and she helped me out. Honestly, if she had a school, I would be a student there. I haven’t formally gone to an acting school yet but I look forward to doing that.
So if there was no Toni Tone, do you think you’d have embodied the character as much as you did?
Well, because of the sort of person that I am, I think whatever I do, I should do it well enough for people not to insult and abuse me. I still think I would have worked hard enough. Do I think I did great? I think I did awesome but I want to do more. It’s a journey for me and I’m not putting myself under any pressure. I am in my learning phase. I’m not just a singer, Waje is a creator.
Do you have certain hobbies?
I love doing interior design. That’s how I calm down. You know how people tell you they watch TV to calm down? Interior decoration is how I calm down. I even do it for my friends. I don’t do it as a business yet, that part of the company hasn’t fully started. It’s an interior design company and I have a partner who is an events person. We haven’t fully started. For now it’s just a passion.
Are you willing to take more roles in Nollywood?
Yes of course, more challenging roles in fact, roles that would stretch me emotionally and stretch my range. I was having a conversation with my friend the other day, and I was telling her that I wanted to take more acting roles outside the character of being a singer. Like just a regular person who you are not able to marry any of Waje’s talent as you know her to be. No similarities with Waje. Could be a psychological thriller or anything. Something that you would not be able to marry the Waje that you know and the character in the movie. A different personality from Waje.
How have you been able to be a judge on THE VOICE for the past four years?
I love inspiring people. Because of my personal experience, I was signed to a record label at a young age and it was a long sign of 5 albums and we did not have the capacity to do things the way we wanted to and because of that I have never really wanted to own a record label. I always felt like I didn’t want to put anybody’s life on a standstill considering everything that happened with MohBahd. I didn’t want to take someone because I passionately like the talent of that person and then two years later find out that we can’t work because of my own personal experience with a record label. So, The VOICE gave me the opportunity to still inspire musicians without having a record label. That’s why when I’m a judge on The VOICE, I literally can’t do anything else. It takes nothing less than four months of my life. I am there at their rehearsals, some of the coaches come, others don’t but I’m always very hands-on with them. From the rehearsals, I must see what they wear, even their hair too. I work on them psychologically because in a competition, you feel like you are not the best, you feel other people are better than you. I even bring them to my house, I cook for them. I’m letting them see what their lives could be. From the first season to the fourth season, every contestant in the finals has been to my house. I would cook a three course meal for them, fine dining as well. And the reason why I do this is because in my mind, I feel God gave me an opportunity to inspire them. And I guess that’s why I am always called back. You actually can measure the growth of my talents if you’re truly watching the Voice.
What is inspiring you to start a record label?
I haven’t started my label yet. What I do for now is that I just inspire and mentor artists and the truth is that artists need record labels. Now, what can a label do differently? First of all, it’s not about the label, it’s about the artist. The only thing a label can do differently is to make sure the artist has a lawyer and someone who can defend them who is not part of the label when conversations are going on because the artist has to be very clear about what he is signing into. We both know if we put 1 million Naira into a business, we are not hoping to get 1.150million naira. So for everything we are doing, we are doing it hoping to get returns and the truth about the music industry is that it’s so volatile that unfortunately record labels don’t get their profit till probably the fourth year, by then the artist is tired. So what’s the balance? I feel like people should go and sit down with the likes of Tiwa Savage, who was signed to Mavin and other record label owners like Olamide and ask what their artists did differently. The thing is that the labels need to understand that it’s a risk with every artist. You can sign an artist and the artist would never make you one Naira. What do you do as a record label owner when that happens? I didn’t make my record label owner any money after 10 years but they did not even push my music so it was a failure for both of us, so are you able to live with that as an investor? These are the questions that people need to start asking themselves. People also need to start seeing the artist as a product. If I see you as a product, I would not go and start renting a house for you or buying a car, it’s not my job. My job is to make sure that your talent is harnessed. The money I will use to buy a car or house, I will use it in pushing your music.
How do we protect our talents and their intellectual property while record labels make their return on investment or do you think record labels demand too much from their artists?
Let me paint a scenario for you. The only thing you have as an artist is the talent which is great. Production, video shoot etc I paid for as the label owner. For me, it’s a very sensitive conversation and so I don’t want to stand on the fence because I have experienced some of these things artists experience. I ask people what they signed into. Saying a record label is unfair after you have signed is where you have a problem. Did you agree to their deal?
So what would you say about artists who desperately sign into record labels?
The answer to that is about the person’s circle and who has their interest at heart. This is where parents come in, communities and friends too. I have mentees like Chike and others. Everytime they came to have a conversation with me, their parents were not there but you could tell that they had a community of people. It’s true that some do not have a community of people but could it also be true that sometimes, we don’t want to tell our friends the truth because we have been taught in Nigeria that your friend ‘go steal your star’. Someone has to have your back other than the record label because the record label is more interested in their pocket. It’s a philanthropist that will build a company and not expect returns. The same way Dangote is selling sugar is the same way a record label owner is selling music. The record label owner is not your father or uncle or brother so don’t expect him for charity. My point is there’s definitely a percentage of people that have nobody but the ones that have people, leverage it.
Don’t think that everyone is out to get you. The truth is that in this life, God uses people to bless people. He would not call Angel Michael from heaven. You’d be foolish to go into the industry without having people’s backing. Even if it’s that one friend that would make sure you are not robbed. We have to get to a point where we teach young people and labels and hold them accountable. Even if you do not have anyone to look out for you, we at least have a justice system. The justice system should be able to look out for you. And what’s even the worst that can happen? Aren’t you a creator? You lose one album…all the albums you created under the record the label doesn’t become yours but you create more albums. Is it enough for a life to be lost?
So, what inspired you to become an independent artist?
I didn’t sign with a label because I could tell these labels wanted to take advantage of me. We could be in a meeting and they’d tell me ‘Waje sign’ and I’d say okay but give me a figure of what you are going to put for my content and work. I didn’t need a car or house because I already had them. So if you’re coming to me, put a figure to what you’re bringing so when you make your figures back, the royalties can change but they were not willing to do it. I had to make the decision and told myself ‘you are not willing to compromise because you have been there’ and so I funded my career overtime. Looking back, 10 years later, because it’s exactly 10 years since the record label approached me… do I feel bad that I didn’t not sign? No. And that’s because if I had signed to them, I don’t think I would have had enough drive as I have to have been pushing my music. If a record label does not have money to push you, why are you there? They want to do ‘pay as you go’ and so if you as an individual, you’ve been doing ‘pay as you go’ as an independent artist, what then is the use? The only thing they can do extra is maybe if they have media presence which is great because we can’t do much without the media. But if that’s all there is to it, I have media friendships which have sustained me all these years and I’d leverage that. I don’t regret not signing to any record label.
Does criticism from social media move you, especially when you performed for Tinubu and got criticised by your fans?
To be fair, I understood why they were talking when I performed at Tinubu’s concert. I have never really been a political person. For me at the time, I was making a business decision. It was a decision my management and I made. But when they came for me, I understood and that’s why I never responded because everyone is in their right to feel aggrieved seeing we’ve been through so much that it can feel like you’re turning a blind eye. However, I performed for an institution, not a person. The presidency is an institution not a person. You’d never see me at the campaign rally or all of that I stay away from them.
But generally, how do you handle critics especially on social media?
Before, I used to actually cry. I honestly believe that people who criticise and troll people are just trying to focus on something to take them away from their problems. Because if truly you are fulfilled and focused on something, you would not have the time troll others. 24 hours is not even enough for me. By the time I deal with my daughter and family issues, deal with work, mental issues and even surviving, how many hours do I have? That’s why I do not even do clapbacks. When I see someone troll me, I feel that person is subtly venting. Let me tell you a story, when I was very active on X (twitter), I had a boy who always insulted the living daylight out of me but by the time we finished our conversation, we were best friends. He became one of my armies. Sometimes, people need to understand that everyone is going through something and the fastest way to get through what we are going through is to make the person feel worse than we feel. For the first few minutes of trolling, I might be upset but I move on, I no send them. If you vent to me by trolling me, won’t it to be foolish of me to also respond?
Your songs are either addressing societal or emotional/romantic issues. What influences your songwriting?
It depends on where I am at the point of creating. For love songs, it could be a futuristic daydream type of situation. I could be imagining if my love life was a certain way and I would write a song concerning that. For the inspirational part of me, it is who I am, I am a Christian and I love Jesus, I am born again. And because I am light, it is what I exude so I only produce content that speaks of the life that I am surrounded by. I am a mom too, I’m not just a mom to the child I gave birth to, I am a mom to several other kids, so I am careful of the content I put out. I believe that I am accountable to the people under my care and they inspire my music and of course God too.
There was an event you ministered as a gospel artiste that got people talking ? How did you feel about that?
Those ones are assistant Holy spirit and God will help them. When God needs a CIA agent for his police force, he’d call them. But like I said, I do not pay attention to such things. I’ve always been a woman of the Spirit and that’s all that matters. The only thing that God is checking is my heart posture. By virtue of my heart posture, I do right by him and I’m a work in progress. At every stage of my life, He’s teaching me how to be a better person and how to react to things, how to live and react to people. He teaches me how he wants me to inspire. The only thing I owe the world is obedience to God and nothing else which is my response to people like that. I can be sanctimonious and do things the way people would rather have me do it in the typical way but my heart would be as decayed as ever but they would not know. In the world, work is what prevails but with God, it’s your heart. Your works mean nothing to God.
How do you balance motherhood, singing, acting and everything you do?
I honestly do not know how. I believe God gave me a very rare gift and the gift is not in my music, It’s in my nurturing which is why I create the music I create. One of the major attributes of Waje is that she nurtures. I don’t nurture because I am a woman, I nurture because that’s the gift God gave me to explode, it’s my ministry. When I am being who I am to kids who are not mine, I don’t think about it, I just ‘be it’. I have a lot of young women who are like my mentees and I make myself available to them. I’m always present for them. I just feel like that’s how God formed me. I don’t think about having a structure to the many things I do, I just do them. It’s not a role that I would say I have structured just to sound eloquent and l have established, it’s just who I am and how I’ve survived.
You’ve done quite a number of collaborations over the years, which is your most significant?
It’s like asking which of my children is my favourite. I would say ‘One Naira’ with M.I which is over a decade and it is still relevant till date. There are not a lot of love songs that has made people feel a sense of ownership to love without thinking of the erotic love asides ‘African Queen.’ When you sing ‘One Naira,’ you see people’s faces light up. The song had gone beyond a relationship between a man and a woman and that’s why I think it’s the most impactful. There are other songs that have made a great impact but I would say ‘One Naira.’
What are the hurdles you’ve faced so far being a musical artist, and how have you overcome them?
I think the biggest challenge I have faced as a female artist would be representation. In this industry, outside when money comes, the biggest thing you can achieve is how you’re represented. My challenge hasn’t really been money, before now I could have said money was the problem but it’s not. Been able to sit in a room where what I was doing was leveraged and lauded. I might be doing the work, but am I getting enough representation with the stakeholders and media? Knowing what I know now, I’d say representation is a hurdle.
How have you been able to stay consistent all these years? Have you ever felt like giving up?
We feel like giving up everyday…even bankers want to give up sef. You’re allowed to feel those emotions but after feeling it, you wake up and do what needs to be done…that is life. There is no job that doesn’t come with its challenges. I’ve definitely thought of quitting once or twice but I’ve now come to the understanding I know feeling those things is not a bad thing but it’s how I channel and use it. I go for breaks when I need them. This year I have needed a break more than anything and that’s because last year, my management made me do 3 albums in five months and 11 days. I didn’t have a life last year. My last album is being considered for the Grammy nomination this year. I was so exhausted this year. Sometimes, exhaustion is not just your body, It can also be your mind. I was not in any creative space whatsoever. It’s fine and okay to be exhausted. This month on the 27th, I’m now coming out with the first musical content release this year. That’s one of the things I love Beyoncé for, it’s OK to go off the radar and feed yourself and come back.
