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Tag: Single

  • FOR THE RECORD, I’M Single – CYNTHIA ONUOHA

    FOR THE RECORD, I’M Single – CYNTHIA ONUOHA

    She first cut her teeth in the industry in 2003 but Nollywood actress and filmmaker, Cynthia Onuoha, had to leave to pursue her education. Armed with a degree in English and Literary Studies from the University of Calabar, she returned in 2012 and has never looked back. She talks about domestic violence, sexual harassment and other issues, in this interview with OVWE MEDEME.

    IN these past four years, how receptive has the industry been?

    It’s been fruitful, and I’ve done a lot of jobs in-between; some of them challenging, some not so challenging.

    Which of them do you find most challenging?

    That would be Assemblies of God. I acted alongside Bob Manuel Udokwu. It was challenging playing his wife. Playing a pastor’s wife is something I’d not really done before.

    What’s the idea behind your recently released movie?

    It’s a short film based on domestic violence; the things people pass through in marriage, its ups and downs and how to go about them. It is titled Game of Seven.

    Why domestic violence? Have you been a victim?

    No way. For the records, I’m single. A lot has been going on in the society. A lot of females in there don’t know what would become of then if they decide to quit. They don’t know whether they would be stigmatised. So I just needed to show them that if they choose to go out, they would be ok. If they choose to stay, then they need to talk about it and see how it can be curbed.

    But men too are victims of domestic violence. Does the movie address that?

    I don’t know how a man can be a victim. Does his wife beat him? (laughs)

    Is there anybody close to you who has been a victim of domestic violence?

    I have this friend of mine on Facebook; I’ve never met her in person. She couldn’t finish her secondary school because of some issues and she got married to this older man. As time went on, the man started physically abusing her.

    So when she sought me out and asked for advice, I told her if she feels she can’t stay, she needs to leave with her children and look for something else to do with her life. If you are bothered about what would become of you or your children when you leave, the question is, if you die, what become of you or your children? Her story was one of the factors that pushed me to really go into it to enlighten people that they don’t have to stay in a marriage because the man is rich. If the man decides to seek external help like going for counseling, then he should, so that both parties would be happy.

    What are you plans for the movie? Will you be starting a campaign with it? Not really. I’m not planning to set up an NGO, although there are some I’m affiliated with. Once in a while, I reach out to people. I’m not starting a campaign. It’s out there. It is left for them to see it and advice themselves.

    How challenging has your career been?

    It has been quite challenging based on the fact that there are lots of actors out there. Some are professional, some are not. Some pay money to get roles that the professionals should merit. So, it has been so challenging because there are talents out there who are chasing the same goal.

    How do you stand out in all of these?

    I try to interpret my roles very well. I try to improve on my facial expression, delivery with a little bit of swag. (laughs)

    So far have you had any cause to regret toeing this career path?

    Not at all. I love my job.

    What is next for you?

    I will be going into movie production fully from next year. This is just my pet project. So stay tuned and watch out.

    Won’t that distract you from acting?

    My personal job is my personal job. If I have external jobs to do, it won’t distract me. I know how to balance the equation. I’m working on something, but I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag.

    How big is it?

    It is very big. This one is going to be massive.

    Aside acting, what else are you into?

    I’m into clothing and I do interior decoration as well. I do beautiful bed sheets and I can make your house look as beautiful as those you see in the movies.

    This is the 11th month. How would you say you fared this year?

    I give God all the glory. This year has been so beautiful; I don’t even know how to say it.

    So you made a lot of money this year?

    A lot of money, a lot of investments, and a lot of charities. I believe in giving.

    About your singing abilities, will you be releasing an album soon?

    My voice is so tiny, so I spoke with this friend of mine and she promised to coach me. So by next year, something would drop.

    Among fame, glamour or money, which factor inspires you most?

    If it’s just about the money, then I don’t need to stress myself so much. It is passion. It is what I love doing. I sleep, I wake up and I’m always acting. I like to be out there. I like to preach to people via acting and singing.

    In being single, is it right to say you are you driving suitors away?

    I’m not. What can I say? Mr. Right is close by.

    Is it that your standards are too high?

    No way. I’m a very plain person. I’m down to earth but you know how it is. Sometimes, the wrong people come at the right time or the right people come at the wrong time. It’s all about chemistry. I’ve seen him but I don’t want to blow your mind.

    Is he a popular person?

    No. I don’t want to marry somebody who is in the same profession with me. We cannot all be entertainers.

    People do it and they are happy…

    Yes, they are but it’s something I don’t want.

    What exactly do you look for in a man?

    First of all, I look at his carriage, the way he carries himself, the way he dresses. I love to smell good, so I love when my man smells good. You need to smell good, you need to be tall, dark and of course you need to be able to take care of me. And above all, he needs to be God fearing. He must not be a pastor or go to church from Monday to Sunday. He doesn’t need to cabash. He just needs to have the fear of God in him.

    What if he pretends to be all these and you find out after marriage that he has been faking it?

    How will he fake it? He doesn’t need to pretend. By the time I’m with him for about a month, I will know that if he’s God fearing man. He can’t pretend to be rich because he needs to show me that he’s rich. Did I say that out aloud? (Laughs)

    What defines your style?

    I don’t really have a particular style. I wear what suits me. I love looking sexy. Growing up, I usually loved going on skimpy outfits. It was like a trademark. So whatever suits me at a particular time. It depends on my mood though. I’m not particular about what’s in vogue.

    Have you been a victim of sexual harassment in the industry?

    When you talk about the industry, people tell you it is Sodom and Gomorrah. I can’t say that I’ve been harassed directly by anybody, but they just drop hints here and there. When they do that, I tell them not to go there. It is when you encourage them that they try to blackmail you. I keep telling people not to use shortcuts or to go via the back door. Always go from the front door. Because somebody calls you for auditions doesn’t mean you should start going to his room. What are you looking for in his room? You’ve done your audition, go home. If you pass, they will call you. So, I can categorically say that I’ve not been sexually harassed in the industry.

    How true is the Sodom and Gomorrah perception?

    It is not. It’s just make-believe. Maybe because of some of the sex scenes we act or how free we are with each other, they think that a lot of evil things happen in the industry. Somebody I was having a relationship with before told me that he cannot marry an actress because they are loose and they can’t stay in their marriages. He said a lot of things, giving me instances of people whose marriages failed. So I asked him, what happened to the ones whose marriages work? Can’t people look at the bright side? Why do people always like to look at the bad side of things? Nollywood is not Sodom and Gomorrah. In every profession, there is always a Judas somewhere.

    What are your hobbies?

    I love sleeping, I love travelling, I love dancing and I love swimming, even though I don’t know how to swim. I do read as well but because of my job, I don’t really have time to start a novel and finish it like I used to.

  • Tolu Odukoya drops new single, My Heart

    Tolu Odukoya drops new single, My Heart

    Tolu Odukoya-Ijogun, daughter of late renowned preacher, Paster Bimbo Odukoya, today, dropped a new single titled My Heart.

    According to Tolu, who recently got ordained as a pastor, My Heart is a simple song of gratitude.

    “When I think about all God has done for me, everything I’ve been through, how He has remained faithful, I think about how I can tell Him how grateful I am. How can I give back in return. The human way of showing gratitude is doing something; and I thought giving him my heart would do it. My heart is the most important part of me as a human being. If I can give God that; that shows how much I’m thankful for all that he’s done,” she said.

    Married with two children, Tolu revealed that aside singing, she’s very passionate about God, relationships, marriages and family.

    Her first musical outing was in 2011 in a duet with Onyeka Onwenu titled Gifted and Proud which she did for her later mother’s foundation.

    “I’ve always been singing. My mum actually prayed when she was pregnant with me that I would be a singer. So I’ve been singing in church for a very long time, so I think this would be the best time to dab into my ministry because I do see music as my ministry,” she said.

    “When I sing or I worship, I realise that I touch people and I turn people back to God. It’s my own way of ministering. I might not be the most eloquent person at preaching the word, but I believe when I sing, I get people to see God and feel God.”

  • Gabzy drops new single, Take Time

    One Nation recording artiste, Gabriel Akinyemi, aka Gabzy has dropped a banging new single titled Take Time.

    The song, according to the US based rapper and singer, is inspired by his encounter with someone he thought was an exotic dancer.

    “When I first came to America, I met a girl who I thought was an exotic dancer. Well I was wrong but she inspired me to make a song about a stripper as I felt nobody in the Nigerian industry had done so before. That’s really how the song Take Time came to be,” he said.

    Born and raised in Peckham, he did most of his schooling, in London. He relocated to the US where he is currently studying.

    ”I have always had a passion for music, I used to sing in my primary school choir and love writing poems but as far as taking music seriously it was never the plan for me. In secondary school at lunch times we used to have rap battles but one of my friends called Muizz saw something in me and told me I should take music seriously,” he said about his journey.

  • SEYI SHAY FEATURES NINIOLA IN NEW SINGLE

    NIGERIAN RnB artiste Seyi Shay has released her latest single, the first since dropping her album, Seyi or Shay, last year. Titled Juba, the song features rising Afro House singer Niniola is already available on iTunes and Cloud9Music. ‘Juba’ means ‘Bow Down’ in Yoruba language.

    In the song, the two songstresses deliver playful lyrics and catchy hooks on a melodious beat. The jiggy tune would easily get listeners and miming to the tune.

    Promotig the song on her Instagram account, Seyi Shay posted a clip of two dancers furiously dancing to the song. She also commented on the girls’ dancing skills and urged fans to send in their dance videos.

    ‘These girls are too dope,’ Seyi Shay who is signed to Island Records wrote. ‘Send in ur dance videos.’

    The song’s release prove doubters of the R & B artiste wrong.

    Following the announcement of Seyi Shay’s involvement in the Wannabe remake by Spice Girls for the United Nations campaign to empower women, the raving songstress has gone on to feature on major global platforms like Rolling Stone, Billboard, Perez Hilton & The Fader, even as she waves Nigeria’s flag.

  • NEOPHLAMES WORKING ON NEW SINGLE, ‘GOOD LOVER’

    UP AND COMING artiste, Neophlames, is about to drop a new dancehall single titled Good Lover. The single expected to drop before the end of July is coming on the heels of Soke.

    According to Neophlames whose real name is Adewoyin Adeniyi, Good Lover is a song about expectations between lovers.

    “I think lovers should question themselves whether they are doing what is right for their partners,” said Neophlames on the inspiration of the song and what it is about.

    “When in a relationship, as a guy or a lady, you should always ask yourself whether you’re treating your partner right or you care enough, if you make your partner cry or smile. And once you figure out that you’re not making him or her happy as expected, you should accept the fact and find a means to make amends.”

    Though Neophlames sings more dancehall songs, he has recorded songs in other genres. Some of his songs include, Down Low, Slow and Steady, Be Mine, Without You featuring Ghanaian rapper Kwobi Jones, Booty Belong and others.

  • Sammy drops new single, Story

    Up and coming singer, Sammy Davies, who recently dropped a dancehall single, Story, has decried lack of support by top shots in the industry, piracy, among other challenges he is facing.

    “One of the major challenges I have been having in this industry is that most stars find it very difficult to support up and coming artistes. Some of them feel that as an up and coming artiste, you either do not have something to offer or that you are too small to work with them thereby not giving you the needed support,” the budding artiste who also identified piracy as  a major challenge stated.

    Story is coming after the success of his 2015 track, Down, even as Sammy says that he is determined to break through the barriers to his passion.

    “My latest single, Story is a thanksgiving song to God Almighty for his blessings upon my life and it was inspired by the challenges up and coming artistes face in the industry,” he said.

    The talented singer has also worked with artistes like Reekado Banks, Toby Grey DJ Spinall among others and is set to release the remix of, Down anytime soon.

  • Charly Boy advises single mothers

    Charly Boy advises single mothers

    Popular entertainer, Charles Oputa, aka Charly Boy has drawn from his wealth of experience to advise Nigerian female folks on social media.

    Charly Boy who is in his 60s, said in his post on Tuesday, April 19  that he was concerned about the struggles of single mothers to provide for their families, and advised them to avoid men who were unwilling to shoulder the responsibility that comes with being men, saying they should “shun irresponsible men,” if they really wanted to be happily married.

    Decrying the dearth of ‘real’ men (and women), in the true sense of the word, the Area Fada, as he is fondly called posited: “They don’t make men like they used to anymore; and women have become something else.” Continuing in a similar vein, he reminisced on times past when the sexes recognised their roles in marriage, and lived up to them, unlike what exists today. He said, ”Long time ago, men used to be very proud being the bread winners, the sole providers in the home but nowadays, many don’t mind being a house husband. Women used to be seen, not heard.”

    He also wondered why some women were willing to put up with anything; staying in purposeless and/or abusive relationships in the name of being married. “Why do some women stay in a relationship that is not going anywhere, worse off, in an abusive, psychologically draining, and energy sapping relationship?”

    He counselled women to eschew laziness, and seek any means of livelihood, as long as it was not illegal, or criminal. He wrote: ”You cannot afford to be lazy, don’t discriminate on the kind of job you can, or cannot do because of an illusionary class. As long as the job is not prostitution, drug peddling, and trafficking in any of the vices, you must give your best at what work you find to do to earn a living.”

    Eschewing the faulty notion that single parents cannot raise responsible children, he stated that far from it, it only happened when their parents did not give parenting their best. He surmised, ”I’m sure you know that children raised by single parents only turn out poorly and terribly because those parents didn’t give their best or their best wasn’t good enough”

    He concluded his post by reiterating his stand that he did not approve of women remaining in sham relationships, when in actual fact they were the sole parent in the home. He concluded, “I am strongly against a lady pretending to be under a man when in the real sense, though her man is not physically demised, she’s the only parent in her home.”

  • O Black out with new single

    Budding hip-hop artiste, Olumide Owolabi has released a new single under the Port Novo based record label Joneliz Records. Titled My Name Is O Black, the artiste says that the new track is due to enter into the market on Friday April 8.

    According to him, the new single is sequel to two other tracks titled Real Love featuring Terry G and Stand Up For The Champion featuring Vector and Iya Gbogboyin.

    A graduate of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic Abeokuta, O Black started his musical career right from childhood. His love and passion for entertainment culminated in his forming the group called, The New Faces which includes himself and two other artistes, T Black and Bigiano. The group, which later split, produced three solo artistes both at home and abroad.

    The new single produced by O Black and Lala was mixed at Joneliz Studios in Port Novo, Republic of Benin by B’mine. An exhilarated CEO of Joneliz Records, Prince Olaniyi said; “I’m sure O BLACK and this new single will go places. We have so much confidence in his talents.”

    Born on Valentine’s Day Feb 14, O Black revealed that he will be featuring as star and supporting act in some shows, which had been slated to begin very soon.

  • 2Baba drops another single

    2Baba drops another single

    Coming on the heels of Coded Tinz, his first single in 2016, Hip hop star, Innocent Idibia, aka 2Baba, has dropped another single titled, Officially Blind.

    Produced by Spellz, the song comes across as a Valentine’s offering by the award-winning singer.

    With Officially Blind, 2Baba delivers yet another memorable song with his trademark style. Promoters say the just-over-3-minute track is a fitting tune in the month of love.

    Also, 2Baba has continued the weekly giveaways of ‘coded gifts’ to winners of the ongoing Coded Tinz Dedication Competition. The presentation of this week’s gifts took place, yesterday, at the Airtel shop, Ilupeju, Lagos, where the winner, Mr Odesanmi Seun went home with an iPhone 6s while the runners-up, Mr Elusade Olukunle and Mr Fabunmi Oladipo got Airtel modems.

    The competition, which began after the exclusive release of his new single “Coded Tinz”, involves the dedication of the single to friends and family using www.musikgenie.com.

    Coded Tinz was released online three weeks ago. The Sarz-produced track features Phyno and comedian Chief Obi.

  • Jerry Wizzy enters with One Chance single

    Jerry Wizzy enters with One Chance single

    Ayo Adeyemo also known as Jerry Wizzy has released his much anticipated single titled One Chance. The song focuses on the how persons are jilted in relationships.

    Dayo who is ready to take the music industry by storms got his stage name “Jerry Wizzy” from his love for jerry curls hairstyle back in the day.

    His love for hip-hop genre of music started in high school. He would mime songs of rap legends like Notorious Big, Nas and Jay-Z to classmates during school hours and did get into trouble with his teacher. “Listening to these hip-hop legends helped me honed and developed my own unique rap skill,” said Jerry Wizzy.

    Dayo was born and bred in Lagos and hails from Ondo State, Irun Akoko northwest. Dayowho is in his mid-20s studied Computer Science in Lagos State University. His hobbies are reading and playing football.