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The press has been very good to me - Omotola
Jalade-Ekeinde
Don’t you just love Mama
Princess, aka Omo T or Omosexy? Well, SAMUEL OLATUNJI
does as this interview shows.
You seem to be more passionate about music now. Is it
because of the ban?
No, it is not because of the ban. You don’t
run away from problems, you face it and solve it. I am not running away from
the movie industry, I am going to solve whatever the problems are because this
is my career we are talking about. It is just unfortunate that in Nigeria we
don’t think very hard when things go wrong. I am not doing music because
of the ban, it is something I’ve already started since the beginning of
the year.
What statement do you hope to make with your music?
I’m not trying to make too much of a
statement other than to say we can all have fun with music. There are a lot of
guys representing through music but I’ve not seen too many babes, so
there is a real vacuum on ground as regards female performers and a lot of us
have been watching from afar and we can bring in some razzmatazz, glamour and
fun. We can make it all good. I’m probably not the only one singing.
I’ve seen some other female singers coming up. We are all entertainers
and we are going to entertain ourselves.
That song I heard has more of the Beyonce kind of
music. Is she influencing you in any way?
Yeah, I won’t lie that Beyonce has not
influenced me. For the first time in my life, I think she is the only female
I’ve idolised. I’m awed by her. I think she is awesome. I probably
don’t have her voice, her voice is something else; I probably don’t
have the kind of energy she has but I can look to her and say this is what I
like. It is not that I’m trying to be her, it is just that I know this is
something I like and I wish I could do something close. I like her personality.
How soon should we expect the album?
I’m going to bring out singles to test the
market. It will be before the end of next year. I’m going to say that to
put you guys (pressmen) off my back. I was going to bring out a single before
the end of December but I can see everybody is now asking, “when is it
coming out?” and the likes and I don’t like that kind of pressure.
It makes me jittery.
How many tracks and on which label?
For now I don’t have any label
I suspect Kennis
You are on your own and you can keep
suspecting for all I care. I don’t have any particular label; I have a
lot of offers from labels in Nigeria and out of Nigeria but for now, I am not
sticking to anybody. I want to be extremely ready, I want to show them what I
have. A lot of them are approaching me because I’m Omotola, they are not
approaching me because they’ve heard my songs and see that the music is
very good, it is like Omotola is singing and that is money. I think I’m
going to come out with an album of 10 tracks. Anywhere in the world, when an
artiste comes out with a debut, it is not particularly the best, but as time
goes on, it gets better. I’m just telling you now so that you people will
not yab me so
much.
Since the ban, have you been called to location for a movie?
Let’s leave this ban thing
alone. I’ve said so much, there is no big deal about it. I think we are
giving it more credit than it really deserves. We will sort out the problem; it
is no big deal. Every relationship has its own problem, they are like our
husbands or boyfriends and we are
their babes, girlfriends or their wives. We are fighting, it is a known thing
that we are fighting.
What have you been doing since the ban?
Obviously you can see I’m doing so many
things. I’m not just an actress. Your career is just a board to lift you
and present you to the world; it doesn’t mean it is the only thing you are
stuck with. Omotola is bigger than movie, that name has gone bigger than movie.
I’m responsible for so many other things. I am responsible to a lot of
children and adults who want me to do so many things for them. It is just that
this my career brings me to their
face all the time, so you don’t want anything to disrupt that, otherwise
there are so many other things I’m doing, and as times goes on, people
will see them.
You started at 18, how have you being able to stay relevant ever since
then?
With all sense of modesty it is God.
There is no way you can say you are the prettiest. I’m sure I’m not
the prettiest person in the industry let alone in Nigeria and I’m sure
I’m not the most talented. It is just God’s favour on my life.
Besides that, I want to thank a lot of people that believe in me, my fans most
especially. I have fans that are very emotional around me. If it were abroad we
would have called them stalkers.
My fans’ base cuts across. You
won’t believe the kind of men that call me, you will not believe women
that call me. Once in a while, I have people that upset me or say negative
things about me. Without mincing words, the press has been extremely kind to
me. If people are crazy about you and the press think nothing about you it
won’t take them much to damage you. They will do so much damage to your
image which you have to struggle extra hard to build again. Even when we are
chiding a lot of press guys for doing bad things, let’s be realistic that
there are a lot of beautiful people too and I have been very lucky. And if I
don’t say it, God will be annoyed with me. And the producers, directors
and the marketers who we are fighting with now, they respect you and believe
that if they use you, you will sell their stuff. People like Zeb Ejiro, Fred Amata
Tchidi Chikere, these are people that I’ve been with since when Omotola
was that baby. Please publish these o. And the biggest of them; all my husband
who has been my Rock of Gibraltar, he is always behind me. It’s been a
beautiful ride.
Why don’t you guys like talking about their fee?
It is Nigerian wahala jare. Ok, now it is you people that put
us in trouble. You have gone to publicise our money now and they are angry that
they are paying us so much money. I personally don’t see any big deal in
it. It is just like people don’t like to say how old they are or as they
say in my place, we don’t count children.
Ok tell me your fee
I’m not earning any fee now as you can see;
we are fighting. We all know what we are earning now.
How did you hook your husband
at such a tender age?
I didn’t hook him o, God sent him to me. I
would have been a super hero to find him. I think God just pitied me and said
‘you this small girl, how would I reward you for your life or how will I
make your life good for you? Let me just bless you with this man,’ and he
did and I’m grateful.
After your children you still look so firm, though
it seems you have added some flesh now
Don’t let your eyes deceive
you o
How have you been able to keep
your husband?
I don’t do anything extra. You
can’t be too careful about anything. The most important thing is to
recognise your creator and hand everything over to him no matter how small. I
know he is a very fine guy and I won’t just sit to say na me marry am. I pray for him all the time that he should not be tempted
above that he can manage. I pray for him and he prays for me because me too I
find I dey public eyes too. Before he travelled this morning, we had some quiet time.
I think a lot of couples should try and do that, praying together. And you as a
woman, don’t let your body be too hot, so that when your husband tells
you something about a babe, you would start shouting; you would scare him next
time and he won’t be able to tell you anything again. I try to make him
relax so that he can confide in him. I’m not just his wife, I should be
his best friend, and I know I’m not the finest babe in the world, he must
have met a lot of fine girls. He must look at them once in a while and say this
one is fine, just like I meet cute guys everyday.
Let’s talk about temptation, have you ever
been tempted so much that you
almost gave in?
You wan make I say I’ve never been tempted? We
all get tempted once in a while. May be you see this dashing guy and he is
flaunting everything in front of you and you wish you are still single and that is probably going to happen
for the rest of your life. There are times in your life that you just meet
somebody and you think he is awesome, handsome and gorgeous. The truth of the
matter is, God has a perfect plan for you and the perfect plan is what you
already have. Any other thing that just comes is just a flash and who can come
and flash any other thing in front of you is the devil. If it is not God, it
must be the devil. As long as you realise that and you start to deal with God
as blunt and as harsh as it can be, then it can help you to move on. So I look
at it and say I have a perfect husband, a perfect home with beautiful children
and if I’m looking at any other man it can’t be God. I better start
dealing with it or na me sabi wetin happen afterward.
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