Rap sensation, Eva Alordiah, aka Eva, has been creating quite a buzz ever since she stepped into the music industry, and the buzz doesn’t seem to be fading any time soon. The songstress and fashion entrepreneur tells ADETUTU AUDU she finds fulfilment in being creative.
YOU are a rapper, entertainer, make-up artist, fashion designer and entrepreneur. How are you able to combine this talent of yours?
I haven’t been able to combine things as best as I would, I really just have enough time to focus on something at a time. But I love being all these different things and they all find a home in my career as a music artiste. I supervise the business end of my music. I do my makeup for my shoots and videos. I design and style my outfits with some of the most talented designers across Nigeria. These are just extensions of me being a creative person at heart. So whether it is writing, designing, drawing, creating music or makeup artistry, as long as I am creating something then it’s just relatively natural for me. So, I guess you could say I am being of service to Eva right now. When I get breaks from music, I exert my creative energy to makeup and fashion on their own. What I do is focus on what it is I am doing one at a time. So if I am at the makeup school teaching for instance, I couldn’t be bothered with what’s going on with my music in the studio and so on.
You dabbled into makeup artistry at a very early age. Can you tell me more about your start?
Yes, I did start very early. I was 15 at the time and I just knew I could do it. My first love was eyeliners and it gradually built on from there. I guess thanks to the fact that I could draw, being a fine artist at the time drawing on paper; it was an easy transition for me to draw and paint on people’s faces. I found it amusing, exciting, powerful just to be able to create different looks time and again and be in control of how something or somebody looks.
I started from doing my own makeup and having all my friends admire it every time, then I began to do makeup for all my friends and it picked up from there.
What thrills you the most about makeup?
That would definitely be special effects. It’s more challenging than the regular beauty and fashion looks, especially if you are working whole body pieces. I have loved horror movies since I was a child. I mean, I don’t even think I enjoy a movie if it isn’t horror or action where there’s a lot of blood and special effects going on. I think that’s where my interest in SFX stems from.
Special effects makeup is like my getaway drug. Zombies, dead skin, bruises, scars, animated characters, missing limbs, skeletal frames, the works; I just sit there and create realistic life forms and it fuels my creative senses, makes me happy.
What other celebrities have you worked with asides yourself?
I have had the pleasure of working with Chidinma, Toolz, Toke Makinwa and Vvonne Vixen.
All of them beautiful in their own right. I really love Toke Makinwa’s face. She’s like a perfect canvas for any makeup artist. Vixen has cheekbones to die for. I could contour her face all day.
Which is more fulfilling for you?
I find fulfilment in just being creative. So whether it is music, movies, makeup, writing or fashion, as long as I am creating something, I am fine. I find them both fulfilling in their different ways. I guess music and makeup both serve their purposes for me. I can’t exactly say this is how much satisfaction or joy I derive from doing music and performing, or compare that to how I feel with make-up artistry. Everything I do satisfies me and fills me in its own way. I’m very grateful to God for being able to do the things I do. Really they are all hobbies. I don’t necessarily treat them like tedious work.
You’ve had a successful music career, how has the journey been?
Though it would be nice to know your measurement of success. It has been very challenging but I face it and try to get by without complaining.
I love music, I love what I do as an entertainer and I would much rather do this than do anything else.
Beyond the songstress, who is Eva?
Eva is a laid back, I-don’t-wanna-go-out type of chic. I love to stay home, cook and serve people food. I’m a go-getter, very calm but aggressive with my work. I believe in the gifts that abound from sharing. I believe in the satisfaction derived from personal worship with God. I am a strong-willed person.
You are one of Nigeria’s fashionable divas, what is the constant item in your wardrobe?
I love jackets! I’m planning to have a collection of jackets custom-made with every fabric I can find. A jacket, depending on the style, is the quickest way to look sophisticated. When I design the jackets, I come up with most eccentric ideas; the crazier, the better for me.
Your debut studio album released in January was a hit. What inspired 1960?
I have put my everything into this album. It is titled “1960”, very synonymous with independence, which is a direct reflection of how I have felt for most of my life.
The album allowed me to be raw and expressive in ways I didn’t think I would have wanted, so that is a surprise even for me. The stories are straight off the bat and totally genuine, and I expect a lot of side talk and a lot of speculation about the things I dared to do with the album. It is my first ‘no holds barred’. I worked with two amazing producers “Tintin” and “Gray Jon’z”.
Female artistes usually have challenges when competing with their male counterparts. What would you say are your challenge(s)?
I have never tried to compete with anyone. I am just here trying to be the best version of myself every day. Instead of seeing competition, I see people I can learn from, and I focus on my bit.
Why did you choose rap music?
It was love at first listen for me, really. I have always been a writer and lover of music all my life. My brothers brought hip-hop to the house and I got hooked on that. Rap challenges my writing process and I guess I like a challenge. I love how so true rap can cut across globally and it is fun to be part of that, maybe even create over here with people who love it enough to keep doing it.
What would you say is your strongest point?
My voice. It is a blessing to be able to use that as an instrument to communicate on a global scale. It is even more humbling to have people affirm that they connected to my songs in this way or that. At the end of the day, I think that is what truly counts.
What’s the experience like working with guest collaborators such as Darey Art Alade, Femi Kuti, Yemi Alade, Olamide and others?
When great people like that agree to work with you, it is a sign. On my album “1960”, I have gone a whole different path and I needed everyone of these people to align with the vision we had for the album and they all did. It is so amazing. It is not every day you wake up and decide you want to work with Femi Kuti or Darey or Olamide and have that delivered to you. It is a dream come true.
Despite the huge investment on your education, how did your parents take your decision to go into music?
My parents are the best. They are very supportive, very understanding. And with what little or more they have they push you whatever way you wanna go. If the kids are happy, they are happy.
Growing up, who influenced you for the good, the bad and the ugly?
My mom, Sade Adu, Michael Jackson and Eminem.
You have a very strong personal style which has come to be accepted as the “Eva” brand. How would you describe your style?
My style is full of funk and flare. I guess I could say that. I am very edgy, very spontaneous and I like to stay younger and younger with it. I don’t like it difficult. I like it extra creative and well put together. For the most part, I am at my best when a lot of people do not agree with my choices. That’s how I know I satisfy myself.
