Ever since the release of the nominees for this year Channel O Music Video Awards, different people across the world especially in Nigeria has been mistaken the identity of one of the nominees known as The Dream. The artiste was nominated for Best Newcomer Video.
Inasmuch as we are proud of The Dream as a Lagos Based Nigerian artiste, lots of people have been mistaken his identity as another artiste in America who bears the same stage name. In respect of this, he has contracted a Lagos based publicist company, New Age Media, as his publicist.
The video that won him the nomination, ‘Plenty Plenty’, is currently the number one video on the viewers’ edition on Channel O. He revealed to Glitz Stage during the week why he won’t change his name. “I have been bearing this name for a long time before the other guy came up. I have done lots of production with it and so many other stuffs. I can’t afford to drop it at this point of my career because of a guy in America”.
In case you don’t know, aside being a recording artiste, The Dream doubles as a music producer and a video director. Having produced songs for different acts, he was the assistant director for the following videos: Kaha featuring Tu Face (Heart Robber), 2 Shot featuring Terry G (If you don't mind), G.O.P featuring Terry G (Kolo), Desperado (Alanta), Muma Gee (African Juice) and Ray G featuring W4 & Jonsen all under AK One Productions. He also produced soundtracks for movies like Omo Meji and Ijoya which had Olu Maintain as one of the casts including a jingle for Music Africa.
Real names Olatunji Hakeem, he was born on the August 20th, 1985. He attended Day by Day Nursery school & Alhaleem Pry School for his primary education and Mahmud Amadiay College & Akintan Grammar School for his secondary education. He dropped out from Lagos State University (LASU) and started his music career as member of a group called the Dominance before going solo. With this Channel O nomination, The Dream is more determined to take his career to an enviable height.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
FOLU GEE BACK WITH A BANG
Truly, almost everyone is gifted in one way or another in order to enhance their wellbeing and also impact on others. But some of us are much more gifted than others, sometimes it seems unfair how much capacity one possesses compared to others. Follu Gee is one young man who possesses such uncommon talent and capacity. Balancing the sheets as a banker and pursuing a music career has stood him out as a special breed.
Born Folusho Gbenga Adeyinka, this 2004 Kora Awards nominee on the strength of just a single is back with a brand new album title Dream For Naija. This time around, the gospel inspired Jazz impresario is looking at the bigger picture and dreaming dreams for his beloved country Nigeria .
Follu Gee who has overtime successfully struck a balance between demands of a bank job and artistic pursuit is poised to drop his sophomore offering titled “Next Level”, after making a lasting impression with his 2004 project. The artiste is leaving no stone unturned by assembling the best sessionmen in the industry in his quest to replicate the same magic that gave him a Kora nomination in 2004, for the best artiste in Africa, a category which had Yvonne Chaka Chaka and the late Lucky Dube both South Africans, a category also where the likes of Femi Kuti, Sunny Ade and Lagbaja have been previously nominated
Born Folusho Gbenga Adeyinka, this 2004 Kora Awards nominee on the strength of just a single is back with a brand new album title Dream For Naija. This time around, the gospel inspired Jazz impresario is looking at the bigger picture and dreaming dreams for his beloved country Nigeria .
Follu Gee who has overtime successfully struck a balance between demands of a bank job and artistic pursuit is poised to drop his sophomore offering titled “Next Level”, after making a lasting impression with his 2004 project. The artiste is leaving no stone unturned by assembling the best sessionmen in the industry in his quest to replicate the same magic that gave him a Kora nomination in 2004, for the best artiste in Africa, a category which had Yvonne Chaka Chaka and the late Lucky Dube both South Africans, a category also where the likes of Femi Kuti, Sunny Ade and Lagbaja have been previously nominated
Cally Ikpe Son Clocks Five
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Caesar, the only son of the CEO of Callivision Network LTD and the initiators of Nigeria’s first ever Music Video Awards (NMVA) as well as the executive producer of Da New Livebeats, Nigeria’s longest running music programme on television, Cally Ikpe, is five years old. He clocked five years on Wednesday July 22nd and his father made sure he gave him a treat. There is no doubt that he takes a special place in his heart being the only son out of the four children.
Kani Shoots New Video
Fast rising act, Kani, is in the news again. The multi-talented act that featured in Olu Maintain’s debut album in a track titled Second Chance is back with a bang. He disappeared after the release of his first single, Swaka Swaka, which received lots of airplay then. As one of the ways of replanting himself in the industry, he recently shot the video for his new single, Man Be God at Philips Building in Ojota, Lagos . There is no doubt that Kani is an embodiment of talent and he is definitely one of the artistes that will do the country proud in the nearest future. He reached the quarter final at the MTV Advance Warning Competition where Durella was declared the winner. Kani is also working on his new album titled Talkurmind Unlimited. His record label, New School Records, is currently doing everything possible to put the artiste at the top of his game. Another fast rising act, G.I Joe, is also on the label.
ID Cabasa Releases Debut Album
Rave producer, ID Cabasa who has distinguished himself in the production of beats for different artistes is now finally set to release his debut album. Seun Apara gathered few days back in Lagos.
Cabasa signed on to Yes Records few weeks back as an artiste cum producer and according to him it has been a great experience. "Ever since I signed on Yes Records, everything has been working fine for me. They have taken the burden of self promotion off me which is a now a norm with Nigerian artistes", he said,
The on-coming album contains tracks like Day by Day, Street Credibility and 12 others. It features artistes like 9ice, Banky W, Durella, Jah Bless, Lord of Ajasa and others.
The release date for the album is Monday August 23 along side other Yes Records signed-on acts which include Steel, G-Xpoits, Jah Bless and Angelica. Steel and Jah Bless albums are made up of 14 tracks while that of G-Xploit is made up of 11 tracks. The record label later revealed to This Blog that each album will contain the theme song performed by the artiste with their fellow Ghanaian artistes on sanitation and all the albums will be marketed and distributed by famous Alaba marketer, T-Joe.
Yes Records is a sister company of Yes Media run by brilliant and intelligent young guys with great sense of humility.It operates as a media and entertainment company in Nigeria and internationally in three segments: movie, Music and Publishing. The Film and Music segment produces and distributes theatrical motion pictures, sign, manage and promote artists, television shows, and other programming, as well as distributes home video products, and licenses rights to its feature films, television programming. The music segment handles the music business aspect and the publishing segment publishes magazines and operates a range of Web sites.
Westside Battles Lara George, Djinee
The CEO of Westside Music, Solomon Arueya, is very pissed at the moment. He is heartbroken and vexed that some of the artistes that have passed through his record label have not been keeping to the terms of their contract. At the moment, he is poised to fight the battle legally to a logical conclusion.
Over the years, artistes like the defunct group; Da Natives, Djinee, Tosin Martins, Freestyle, Niyola, Faze and Lara George have passed through the label. It has not been an all rosy relationship between the artistes and the Solomon Arueya. They all complained at different times that their royalties were not paid; an allegation that Mr. Arueya had always described as untrue and malicious. This was one of the reasons he and Freestyle were almost had at logger heads at the time. Mr. Arueya maintained that there are documents to back up all their transactions. He said the artistes are just un-necessarily ungrateful and greedy.
At this point in time, he is ready to make good his threat that who ever plans to release the albums of Lara George and Djinee are merely wasting their time. He said the albums will never see the light of the day unless they adhere strictly to the terms of disengagement.
Djinee left the label after the success of his hit single, Ego. He declined commenting on his former CEO’s threats saying he had no problems with him. “My album is out already. It hasn’t got everywhere probably due to distribution problem”.
In the case of Lara George, her album release is tentatively scheduled for August 2009. The first single from the album, Ko Le Baje, was released last week. Lara had earlier told This Blog that she was out of the label for good. Some of the reasons were that her debut album was not properly handled.
The CEO of Westside Music, Solomom Arueya, however said he would explore all legal options available to fight the two acts. “It is pertinent to note that Lara George in the existing contract she signed with Westside Music is obligated to do two albums in which she has done just one titled ‘Ijoba Orun’. This action we found most common with Nigerian artistes who do not observe the terms of contract with their record labels and this accounts for the reason foreign record labels are not willing to sign on any Nigerian musician. Most record labels do not even find it essential to conduct a search to know if the musician they are about to sign have any existing and binding contracts elsewhere. The industry sure needs to be properly re-organised. Let everybody be aware that Lara George and DJinee have binding contracts with Westside Music. We won’t join issues with them on the pages of newspapers but will not hesitate to explore all legal options open to us”.
Over the years, artistes like the defunct group; Da Natives, Djinee, Tosin Martins, Freestyle, Niyola, Faze and Lara George have passed through the label. It has not been an all rosy relationship between the artistes and the Solomon Arueya. They all complained at different times that their royalties were not paid; an allegation that Mr. Arueya had always described as untrue and malicious. This was one of the reasons he and Freestyle were almost had at logger heads at the time. Mr. Arueya maintained that there are documents to back up all their transactions. He said the artistes are just un-necessarily ungrateful and greedy.
At this point in time, he is ready to make good his threat that who ever plans to release the albums of Lara George and Djinee are merely wasting their time. He said the albums will never see the light of the day unless they adhere strictly to the terms of disengagement.
Djinee left the label after the success of his hit single, Ego. He declined commenting on his former CEO’s threats saying he had no problems with him. “My album is out already. It hasn’t got everywhere probably due to distribution problem”.
In the case of Lara George, her album release is tentatively scheduled for August 2009. The first single from the album, Ko Le Baje, was released last week. Lara had earlier told This Blog that she was out of the label for good. Some of the reasons were that her debut album was not properly handled.
The CEO of Westside Music, Solomom Arueya, however said he would explore all legal options available to fight the two acts. “It is pertinent to note that Lara George in the existing contract she signed with Westside Music is obligated to do two albums in which she has done just one titled ‘Ijoba Orun’. This action we found most common with Nigerian artistes who do not observe the terms of contract with their record labels and this accounts for the reason foreign record labels are not willing to sign on any Nigerian musician. Most record labels do not even find it essential to conduct a search to know if the musician they are about to sign have any existing and binding contracts elsewhere. The industry sure needs to be properly re-organised. Let everybody be aware that Lara George and DJinee have binding contracts with Westside Music. We won’t join issues with them on the pages of newspapers but will not hesitate to explore all legal options open to us”.
Eddy Remedy Drops New Album
Ex-Remedies member, Eddy Asiegbu popularly known as Eddy Remedy is set for another album since his departure from the Kennis Music label in 2008.
A single from the album, Sentimental, will be released in few days time according to a source close to the act. This Blog was informed that the likes of 9ice, ID Cabasa, Terry G and K-Solo were part of the album which will be released on Eddy’s record label, Remedy Records billed for launch soon.
Ever since he left Kennis Music, he has been making frantic efforts to come up with an album. The first person that offered him help was the late Sammie Needle but they had serious disagreements before the album could see the light of day. Afterwards, he recorded another set songs and promoted it for a while but they didn’t strike the right cords. In another development, his former group, Remedies made up of him, Tony Tetuila and Eedris Abdulkareem are planning a re-union album. This Blog was also informed that some of the tracks in the re-union album have been recorded
A single from the album, Sentimental, will be released in few days time according to a source close to the act. This Blog was informed that the likes of 9ice, ID Cabasa, Terry G and K-Solo were part of the album which will be released on Eddy’s record label, Remedy Records billed for launch soon.
Ever since he left Kennis Music, he has been making frantic efforts to come up with an album. The first person that offered him help was the late Sammie Needle but they had serious disagreements before the album could see the light of day. Afterwards, he recorded another set songs and promoted it for a while but they didn’t strike the right cords. In another development, his former group, Remedies made up of him, Tony Tetuila and Eedris Abdulkareem are planning a re-union album. This Blog was also informed that some of the tracks in the re-union album have been recorded
Ryhmzo, 2Face Collaborate
Self styled reggae artiste, Rymzo, is currently doing everything possible to make his next album as successful as possible. Though his new album has been ready since last year, he is not ready to release it anytime now.
He and multi-talented award winner, 2Face Idibia, are presently working on a track titled Salute Jah. The choice of 2Face was informed by his dexterity and gifted ability to transform any song into an instantaneous hit.
His new album, comprise 14 tracks including tracks like Showboy Killa, Signs, Thanx N Praise, White N Green, Lioness, Wicked Minds, One Bullet and others. He declined revealing the title of the album for fear of piracy.
However Rhymzo revealed to this blog that he is yet to release the album because he needs a credible record label to handle the marketing and distribution effectively. He is avoiding the artiste to marketer practise which is fast becoming the norm in Nigeria .
He and multi-talented award winner, 2Face Idibia, are presently working on a track titled Salute Jah. The choice of 2Face was informed by his dexterity and gifted ability to transform any song into an instantaneous hit.
His new album, comprise 14 tracks including tracks like Showboy Killa, Signs, Thanx N Praise, White N Green, Lioness, Wicked Minds, One Bullet and others. He declined revealing the title of the album for fear of piracy.
However Rhymzo revealed to this blog that he is yet to release the album because he needs a credible record label to handle the marketing and distribution effectively. He is avoiding the artiste to marketer practise which is fast becoming the norm in Nigeria .
STYL-PLUS IN A COME BACK BID
Styl-Plus, the trio that once had us eating from their palms, winning lots of converts to the contemporary Nigerian R&B songs in droves in the process and appealing to all music enthusiasts with their debut album, ‘Olufunmi’, is plotting a come back to the music mainstream if the gist available to this blog is anything to go by, the glory of the latter might be greater than the former for the brothers.
The brothers recently returned from Freetown , the capital city of Sierra Leone where they had gone to perform for the president to mark the country’s independent anniversary. Reports made available to Seun Apara state clearly that the success of their performance won them more fans in Sierra Leone .
As one of the strategies to return to the mainstream music, the manager revealed that the group will be relocating to Lagos in a matter of weeks. Aside that, they are working on their new album which is believed will help them achieve their dreams of a mainstream comeback. It is also widely rumoured that they turning over every stone to achieve the desired results.
As part of their social responsibilities, and one of the ways of giving back to the society the brothers plan to stage a N50M concert for the less privileged soon. Styl-Plus can not thank God enough for his goodness in their lives, not long ago, they acquired some parcels of land worth millions of naira for a real estate project although the location remains a secret for now.
It is assumed that when they eventually migrate to Lagos , they will do a concert tagged Styl-Plus and Friends which is believed will create the needed awareness of their relocation and present a perfect opportunity to perform a brand new single from their forth coming album
The brothers recently returned from Freetown , the capital city of Sierra Leone where they had gone to perform for the president to mark the country’s independent anniversary. Reports made available to Seun Apara state clearly that the success of their performance won them more fans in Sierra Leone .
As one of the strategies to return to the mainstream music, the manager revealed that the group will be relocating to Lagos in a matter of weeks. Aside that, they are working on their new album which is believed will help them achieve their dreams of a mainstream comeback. It is also widely rumoured that they turning over every stone to achieve the desired results.
As part of their social responsibilities, and one of the ways of giving back to the society the brothers plan to stage a N50M concert for the less privileged soon. Styl-Plus can not thank God enough for his goodness in their lives, not long ago, they acquired some parcels of land worth millions of naira for a real estate project although the location remains a secret for now.
It is assumed that when they eventually migrate to Lagos , they will do a concert tagged Styl-Plus and Friends which is believed will create the needed awareness of their relocation and present a perfect opportunity to perform a brand new single from their forth coming album
OPE BANWO RE-POSITIONS
Industry enthusiasts thought that he had gone for good after he threw in the towel at Dove Media where he held sway as the Managing Director for a period of time. Today, Ope is back and poised to take the entertainment business to the next level.
His name was suggested to the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God few years back as the authentic man to take over the challenges of Dove Media. He was immediately invited into the country then from the United States of America where he was based as the pioneer MD of Dove Media. Somewhere along the line, they fell apart and he returned to the States where he has been living since 1994.
Ope opened up to Glitz Stage few days back on how it feels to be involved in the business of entertainment. His new company, Stiglomania, is an all round entertainment solution provider. He is offering what has continually eluded most of our stars especially the movie stars.
He admitted to Glitz Stage that he made quite some number of mistakes when he was at Dove Media due to politics of religion. “I made major mistakes while with Dove Media. Not managing the personalities that I was supposed to deal with and not understanding the mindset of Nigerians probably because I was new in the media then. I accept responsibilities for all actions at Dove Media”.
He did well as the Managing Director of Dove Media due to his track records. While at Dove Media, he was able to market some movies. He marketed Covenant Church and Madam Dearest. “I guarantee 100,000 copies of Madam Dearest before I saw the film. I believe the power is in having lots of Distribution outlets. I don’t believe in Government doing things for us. Entrepreneurs should be the ones doing it while the government regulates”.
Dove Media is a full Christian company that is meant to evangelise and win more souls to the kingdom. Banwo had a different view of how to win more souls but some of his colleagues didn’t share his views. “Best form of evangelism is the sortie one. The problem with the Christian movies is that they are not evangelical movies. They are discipleship movies. In a situation where you act Jesus films, only Christians would watch”.
In his church in the United States , a day is dedicated to watching movies and other activities that brings lots of youth to the church and they later preach Jesus.” Being a pastor does not make everything I do biblical. I even invite people to my church to watch movies every last Friday before we talk about Jesus. It’s like a club but drinking is excluded”.
Banwo has a great love for Nollywood and he is presently helping to take it to the next level by connecting different Nollywood stars with their fans all over the world by opening a fan book for them where they can chat with their fans all over the world. He also believes that actors and actresses shouldn’t be limited to their performance fees only.” Actors and actresses are one dimensional. There are problems in the industry which I want to look into. I want to set up a Christian Base Entertainment Company to exploit and help the people to the Next level. The actor and actresses are making the problem in Nollywood grow bigger because there are less matured stars. Their income comes from acting only. The income of what they do should be less than their total income. Example is Tiger Woods; he makes $10M in Golf playing and $300m a year”.
Ope sees himself as an innovator, dreamer and philosopher. He wants every body to operate in their specialised areas. Marketers should market only, and Directors should only direct while distributors should focus on distribution. “My coming back is not just to produce and market films. I have built over 17 websites for different actors and actresses. I have also signed two new artistes, Natural and Edu, on my label. It’s about time we take the game to an unprecedented level"
Ope Banwo is so passionate with what he is doing at the moment and he is putting all he has into it. “The websites creation is one of my most passionate projects at this point of my coming back to Nigeria . I’m trying to have a facebook kind of site. I’m also working on my ‘farm books’ for the stars in Nigeria . It’s about creating an atmosphere for the stars to relate on-line with their fans all over the world. I construct it for them for free”.
His name was suggested to the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God few years back as the authentic man to take over the challenges of Dove Media. He was immediately invited into the country then from the United States of America where he was based as the pioneer MD of Dove Media. Somewhere along the line, they fell apart and he returned to the States where he has been living since 1994.
Ope opened up to Glitz Stage few days back on how it feels to be involved in the business of entertainment. His new company, Stiglomania, is an all round entertainment solution provider. He is offering what has continually eluded most of our stars especially the movie stars.
He admitted to Glitz Stage that he made quite some number of mistakes when he was at Dove Media due to politics of religion. “I made major mistakes while with Dove Media. Not managing the personalities that I was supposed to deal with and not understanding the mindset of Nigerians probably because I was new in the media then. I accept responsibilities for all actions at Dove Media”.
He did well as the Managing Director of Dove Media due to his track records. While at Dove Media, he was able to market some movies. He marketed Covenant Church and Madam Dearest. “I guarantee 100,000 copies of Madam Dearest before I saw the film. I believe the power is in having lots of Distribution outlets. I don’t believe in Government doing things for us. Entrepreneurs should be the ones doing it while the government regulates”.
Dove Media is a full Christian company that is meant to evangelise and win more souls to the kingdom. Banwo had a different view of how to win more souls but some of his colleagues didn’t share his views. “Best form of evangelism is the sortie one. The problem with the Christian movies is that they are not evangelical movies. They are discipleship movies. In a situation where you act Jesus films, only Christians would watch”.
In his church in the United States , a day is dedicated to watching movies and other activities that brings lots of youth to the church and they later preach Jesus.” Being a pastor does not make everything I do biblical. I even invite people to my church to watch movies every last Friday before we talk about Jesus. It’s like a club but drinking is excluded”.
Banwo has a great love for Nollywood and he is presently helping to take it to the next level by connecting different Nollywood stars with their fans all over the world by opening a fan book for them where they can chat with their fans all over the world. He also believes that actors and actresses shouldn’t be limited to their performance fees only.” Actors and actresses are one dimensional. There are problems in the industry which I want to look into. I want to set up a Christian Base Entertainment Company to exploit and help the people to the Next level. The actor and actresses are making the problem in Nollywood grow bigger because there are less matured stars. Their income comes from acting only. The income of what they do should be less than their total income. Example is Tiger Woods; he makes $10M in Golf playing and $300m a year”.
Ope sees himself as an innovator, dreamer and philosopher. He wants every body to operate in their specialised areas. Marketers should market only, and Directors should only direct while distributors should focus on distribution. “My coming back is not just to produce and market films. I have built over 17 websites for different actors and actresses. I have also signed two new artistes, Natural and Edu, on my label. It’s about time we take the game to an unprecedented level"
Ope Banwo is so passionate with what he is doing at the moment and he is putting all he has into it. “The websites creation is one of my most passionate projects at this point of my coming back to Nigeria . I’m trying to have a facebook kind of site. I’m also working on my ‘farm books’ for the stars in Nigeria . It’s about creating an atmosphere for the stars to relate on-line with their fans all over the world. I construct it for them for free”.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Kate Henshaw-Nuttal; Soaring High Like Eagles
Kate Henshaw-Nuttall is no doubt one of the most respected Nollywood actresses and one of the few who doesn’t have air around her. The easy going actress who got married to a Briton, James Nuttal, few years back is also one of the few in her industry that has been able to keep her marriage and still be at the top of her game.
Her journey into Nollywood started in the year 1993 with a film titled Sunset and ever since then, she has featured in more than 200 movies which include Broken Tears, Stronger than Pain (Winner- Best Actress AMAA 2008), Rivals, Games of life, Tears in my eyes, The Stolen Bible, The Search and many others. All this however has not prevented her from giving thanks to late JT Tom West who brought her into the industry.
She has her hands on many things at the moment and they are all begging for attention. She is the ambassador of Project Alert Violence Against Women and Children. An organisation that is meant to care for abandoned children and women that have been abused in one way or the other. They are busy working towards the success of the fund raising dinner slated for the end of the month. Aside this, she is also an ambassador of telecommunication giant, Globacom and Onga food seasoning.
With all these, Kate remained humble and undeterred with the ovation that keeps coming her way as one of the most sought after actresses in the country. She didn’t even see herself as one. “Are you sure am one of the most sought after actresses? Who told you that (Laughs)? Well, I believe is God’s plan totally. When you as a human being believed you have reached the peak and it can’t get better, something else will come up and it get more better”, she said.
What she loves most about what she is doing at the moment is the fact that it gives the opportunity to affect people lives in a positive way. “I believe am in an environment where I can touch lives and do a bit for the people around me. If you have good visibility and you are well sought after by people, that means they like you. But in all, I give God all the glory”, she said.
She just shot a TV cooking programme for Onga Food Seasoning titled ‘Time Out with Kate’ as part of her responsibilities as the company’s ambassador. “So far, we have recorded 13 episodes and it was fun all through. They made a place for me that served as my home and I had lots of important personality from music, movie and entrepreneurs who came as a guset. We ate, gist and had fun. It was a cooking programme with a difference. A must watch for everybody”.
Kate Henshaw-Nuttall is also very passionate about the industry she belongs to, Nollywood. She admitted that Nollywood is sick and she is one of those losing sleep to bring about a change in Nollywood. “I believe everything in life is stages and Nollywood will definitely get better one day. We had a meeting with the Minister of Information and Communication few days back and we told her some of the problems we are facing in the industry. We discussed piracy, funds and the challenges we faced before we can shoot in places like Airport, Prisons and Police Stations. The most serious of all the problems in Nollywood currently is piracy. What made the whole thing even more frustrating is that the government is not doing anything about it and they claimed they are re-branding Nigeria. Nollywood is just the veritable tool to use in this re-branding exercise. Americans will show us through their films that they are the best in the world. Not that they don’t have slums over there but they prefer to show us the most beautiful places and present everything to be the best in the world. We can do the same with our films promoting a better image of our country. Nigeria is a good place and is not all about kidnapping and corruption that they show on CNN. What the government don’t understand right now is that our movies are being watched all over the world”.
She is not one of the people that run away from challenges but instead, she sees it as a stepping stone. Probably why it is working for her is because she is disciplined and loves everything about her job. “Am in the right profession and I love everything about it. I don’t have any regret ever since I started. The only thing about this job is that you don’t have your piracy but we have gotten used to it”.
Will she ever release an album like her other colleagues? “I don’t have anything like that in my plans. That can never happen (laughs). Not that I don’t sing well but it’s totally out of my agenda”.
All this while she has been making money from endorsements, she has been paying her tithe. “I don’t joke with my title and am very faithful about it. I pay it as at when due because the money is not mine”.
She also told us how he has been able to keep her family considering the nature of her job. “I have a very understanding husband. When am away on location, I make sure am always in touch with my family on phone and when ever am around, I spend quality time with them. And most importantly, they understand the nature of my job”.
Her style is very simple and not OTT (Over The Top) li. She wears what makes her comfortable and feels appreciated. All the same, they are some dress you won’t find her in.”You ca3n never catch me in hot pant and bra. I wear short and mini skirt but I can’t put on a hot pant”
Seyi Sodim To Realese New Album
Afro-soul singer, Seyi Sodimu, of the ‘Love Me Jeje’ fame is back in the country to release his fourth album. He revealed to Glitz Stage few days back.
Having left the scene for a long time, Seyi is now ready to take his act to the next level.
The new album has promotional tracks like Gbedu, Set Me Free, Boys Will Be Boys and Sophisticated Woman featuring Wayne Wonder. He shot the video for the track ‘Boys Will Be Boys’ few days back. It was directed by Clarence Peters.
Seyi released his first album in 1997; with a follow up in 2002 and a third was released in the year 2005. Now, he is working hard on his fourth album which is yet to be affixed a date.
He is also nursing the plan of relocating his record label to Nigeria and assist in promoting some younger artistes. This will serve as his contribution to the music industry
Seyi’s style of music takes traditional African rhythms of Juju, Highlife and Afro-beat, with a fusion of modern sound of Jazz, R&B and Hip-hop, which he refereed to as "a unique blend Afro Soul. His music celebrates life, love, truth and the spirituality of a higher being. Aside from music, Seyi has diversified into other businesses which include a clothing line, oil and hotel business.
The 2Face Idibia 10TH Anniversary Interview
On Saturday June 20, 2009, friends, fans and colleagues of mutiple awards winner, Innocent Ujah Idibia popularly known as 2Face, gathered at the Thisday Dome in Abuja to celebrate the 10th year anniversary of the star singer. The hype was very strong on TV and both fans and critics of the artiste caught the frenzy. He performed alongside some other top Nigerian acts. Seun Apara caught up with him in a private place and he spoke at length about his struggles in the past ten years.
Excerpts-
How can you describe your struggles in the last ten years?
Well, in the last ten years there has been so many ups and downs moment. I have been praised and criticized as well. But I thank God for giving me the strength to carry on till now and stay true to my music.
Which was your greatest challenge in the last ten years?
The greatest challenge is still being able to come up with good music till now. The challenges to overcome the sophomore jinx after the successful release of my debut album.
What is your greatest regret so far? I have a couple of regrets looking back but I don’t want to call them regrets. I would rather say things I should have done differently. Probably if I haven’t done them, I would have made worse mistake. So I don’t really look at them as regrets but as stuff that happened and I have learned from.
What inspired you most in the past ten years?
I think the MTV Europe Music Awards really gave me whole lots of inspiration but right now my children are my major inspiration.
What about the people that contributed to the success of your career in the last ten years?
There has couple of people that has been part of my movement in the past years. These people are God sent and I really appreciate them.
Over the last ten years, what is the greatest decision you ever made in your career?
Wow! The greatest decision I ever made was leaving school for music. It wasn’t easy but I told myself have to do it then.
Which of your decisions did you regretted most?
I don’t want to use the word regrets but there were mistakes that have learnt lots of lessons from.
What were those mistakes?
I can’t really pin-point but there were some things I would have done right or better. But in all I think I have also made some fair decisions.
Is it true there are crises in Hypertek at the moment?
There is nothing like that.
We heard you kicked out some staff?
That is not true. None of my staff has left. The truth is that I don’t want to use anybody to experiment but use myself as the experiment over the release of my last album. Hypertek is a relatively new company and we are getting some things right. We have been able to identify the weak and the strong points of different individuals. We are re-organizing the company for better positioning so that when we start releasing our artistes’ albums, there won’t be any lapses.
Was that why you returned to Now Muzik for management?
Hypetek has never been my management outfit.
But Nazi has been handling different management projects for you and for Hypertek?
Nazi is my personal manager. It has nothing to do with Hypertek. In life, certain things should be given to those that have the qualifications. This explains why I decided to work with Now Muzik.
We heard you are currently working on your fourth album?
I am actually working on my 6th, 7th, 8th and 10th album now all together.
Is there any possibility of working with Kennis Music later in the future?
I will. They are veterans in this business and we have to respect that fact. They have the experience and they know the terrain very well. There is nothing we can do without one or two advice from them and working with them in some areas. Even as I speak right now, there are some things I still do with them.
Some people are of the opinion that you shouldn’t have left Kennis Music at the time you left?
One thing about growth in life is that you have to stand up and take up challenges. It’s not easy to decide that you want to do something. It’s possible you encounter some difficulties or completely bewildered. That is exactly what I did with this album and I have learned a lot in the process. Hypertek Entertainment might not have much money to do massive promotions like others but the album is not doing badly. It’s picking up. Another reason is that I have lots of things am working on at the moment which probably didn’t allow me to concentrate more on the album. But I must tell you that is a good experience. You can’t wait for people to do things for you all the time. Sometime you just have to take up the responsibility by yourself.
How have you been coping with the stress of fending for five children?
Well, I thank God for their mothers because they have made things easy for me. They are very understanding and that reduces lots of pressure on me. They know the nature of my work and they are very co-operative because am not always around. If not for them, probably I would have run mad by now. I appreciate them a lot.
Is it true you are getting married to one of them?
I don’t know who I will marry yet but I want to get married. I don’t know my wife to be yet. May be it would be one of them and may be not; I don’t know but let’s leave everything to God. I don’t want wahala (problem) o.
What does it mean to be successful?
To be successful is having fulfillment in what you do and been able to reach the height of your career. At the end you are still very calm and peaceful; you are not worried that some people are after your life probably because you have wronged them. This is success to me. Achieving all the heights in your career and still be at peace with your God and the people around you.
What do you think is the way forward for the Nigeria music industry at the moment?
The way forward is that people should get professionals to do the work. If you want to sign a contract, get professional entertainment lawyers. If you want management, talk to the people that are well grounded in that area. If it is also PR that you want, get the professionals to do it. The truth is that we need more professionals in the industry because there are lots of talents. In the aspect of distribution too, we need professionals.
How will you rate the Nigeria music industry at the moment?
We are getting there.
What is your most priced possession at the moment?
I am not actually a materialistic person so I may not be able to lay claim to anything. Without sounding partial, I have wonderful people around me but my most priced possessions for now are my children.
One of your sons, Nino, is in a football academy. Why not a music school?
Yea Nino, that is true. He still learns music and freestyles once in a while. He is free to do whatever he wants to do but you know he is still a very small boy to make a decision right now.
What is your worth at the moment?
I don’t know actually. I’m just like a normal guy next door.
Cally Ikpe Steps Up
CALLY IKPE STEPS UP
The CEO of Callivision Network LTD and the initiators of Nigeria Music Video Awards (NMVA) as well as the executive producer of Da New Livebeats, Nigeria’s longest running music programme on television, Cally Ikpe, has stepped up big time.
He recently stepped out with his newly acquired Lexus Jeep V8 GX470 2007 model and it was a delight to the eyes. The silver coloured jeep with a customised number ‘Livebeats’ replaced his former Lexus V6 RX300.
Some of the features of the car include rear view camera, a six loader CD changers, a 32 valve engine and so many others. He however declined to comment on the new wonder on wheels.
The CEO of Callivision Network LTD and the initiators of Nigeria Music Video Awards (NMVA) as well as the executive producer of Da New Livebeats, Nigeria’s longest running music programme on television, Cally Ikpe, has stepped up big time.
He recently stepped out with his newly acquired Lexus Jeep V8 GX470 2007 model and it was a delight to the eyes. The silver coloured jeep with a customised number ‘Livebeats’ replaced his former Lexus V6 RX300.
Some of the features of the car include rear view camera, a six loader CD changers, a 32 valve engine and so many others. He however declined to comment on the new wonder on wheels.
Kenny Saint-Brown Breaks New Grounds
In an industry that is chock-a-block with different ups and downs and that have made many to abandon the terrain due to vicissitudes of the industry, frontline gospel artiste, Kenny Saint-Brown is still marching on and exploring new grounds. More than ten years in her career, she still remains a moving train that seems not to have a final destination.
Sequel to her hit single, Turn Me Around, the never-say-die gospel artiste recentlyreleased another single titled Motigoke Motiso produced by Terry G and Sheyman. The song which featured Terry G is an inspirational song to the downtrodden urging them to put their faith in God. The song portrays the high tempo signature tune of Terry G and the rich depth of Kenny Saint Brown as an artiste.
In another development, the artiste has finished working on another song titled Sugar Sugar featuring MI. She is actually doing everything possible to making her forth-coming album one of the best albums that will come out of the country before the end of the year. Due to this fact, she is exploring a new ground by working with different producers and Naija reigning acts.
So far, seven tracks are ready from her album. Terry G, Jesse Jags and Sheyman produced two songs each while ID Cabasa produced the last one. According to the act, she is working on four more tracks to complete the album.
Sequel to her hit single, Turn Me Around, the never-say-die gospel artiste recentlyreleased another single titled Motigoke Motiso produced by Terry G and Sheyman. The song which featured Terry G is an inspirational song to the downtrodden urging them to put their faith in God. The song portrays the high tempo signature tune of Terry G and the rich depth of Kenny Saint Brown as an artiste.
In another development, the artiste has finished working on another song titled Sugar Sugar featuring MI. She is actually doing everything possible to making her forth-coming album one of the best albums that will come out of the country before the end of the year. Due to this fact, she is exploring a new ground by working with different producers and Naija reigning acts.
So far, seven tracks are ready from her album. Terry G, Jesse Jags and Sheyman produced two songs each while ID Cabasa produced the last one. According to the act, she is working on four more tracks to complete the album.
Nigerian Artistes Lead Channel O Nominations
The fifth edition of the Channel O Music Awards has been slated for October 29, 2009 in Carnival City in Gauteng, South-Africa. And as expected, due to the video music revolution in Nigeria, Nigerian artistes topped most of the nominations.
The nominees for the 2009 DStv’s Channel O Music Video Awards were announced at a press conference at Melrose Arch, Johannesburg on Tuesday 14 July. Now in its fifth year, the awards honour music videos that have been played on the channel over the past one year between June 1, 2008 and May 31st, 2009. There are 14 categories, with a 15th Special Recognition Award - which hasn't been announced yet.
The nominees were chosen by the channel looking at the quality of the music videos as well as their popularity on the channel, the number of times they were played, viewers feedback and the number of requests for the videos. Home boys like Naeto-C and Darey have two nominations each. While Naeto-C was nominated in the Best Hip-Hop Video and Video of the Year categories with the song Kini Big Deal while Darey was nominated in the categories of Best Male Video and Best R&B Video with the song Not The Girl. German based Nneka has three nominations in categories such as Best Female Video, Best Newcomer and Best African West with the song Heartbeat. Other Nigerian artistes nominated have one nomination each. Sasha was nominated for Best Female Video with the song Only One and Bantu for the Best Reggae Dancehall category with the song Where Di Water. G-Exploits and 2face Idibia were nominated for Best R&B Videos with Tear Rubber and Enter the Place respectively while Durela and Kelly Hansome were nominated for Best Afro-pop with the songs Enu Ose and Maga Don Pay respectively. P-Square and Mo’Hits Crew were nominated for the Best Duo or Group with the songs No One Like You and Pere respectively while the likes of Ikechukwu, J-Martins and 9ice will slug it out in Best Africa West Video category.
KIDNAPPERS RELEASED DAYO ADAENEYE'S FATHER-IN-LAW
Joy and happiness returned to the house of Chief Negbenevor, the founder of Negbenevor Schools and also the father-in-law of respected music business man and Senior Partner of Primetie Africa, Dayo Adenye, on Friday July 17th, 2009.
According to the information available to Seun Apara, the elder state man was kidnapped at his residence on Wednesday July 15 by unknown men. Glitz Stage was also informed that the particular car that was used to take away the respected community leader has been packed in the street for more than three days. This incident we gathered got the whole of the family very worried and pressed every necessary buttons towards the eventual release of the business man.
This reporter tried to speak with some members of the family on Friday July 17, 2009 after the release to know the actual course why Chief Negbenevor was kidnapped. No matter how much we tried, there were not ready to let out any information. “The most important thing now is that the man is released. We want to keep it very low”, a family source said.
According to the information available to Seun Apara, the elder state man was kidnapped at his residence on Wednesday July 15 by unknown men. Glitz Stage was also informed that the particular car that was used to take away the respected community leader has been packed in the street for more than three days. This incident we gathered got the whole of the family very worried and pressed every necessary buttons towards the eventual release of the business man.
This reporter tried to speak with some members of the family on Friday July 17, 2009 after the release to know the actual course why Chief Negbenevor was kidnapped. No matter how much we tried, there were not ready to let out any information. “The most important thing now is that the man is released. We want to keep it very low”, a family source said.
TONY OKOROJI WRITES NAME IN GOLD
Former PMAN President, Sir Tony Okoroji, has written his name in gold. On Tuesday April 28, he launched the most needed book right now, Copyright, Neighbouring Rights & New Millionaires at the Nigerian Institute of Internal Affairs in Victoria Island, Lagos.
Present at the occasion were Chief Leo Stan Eke, the chairman of Zinox Computers, Emeka Mba, the Director-General of the National Film and Video Ce
nsors Board, Mr Saemund Fiskvik from Oslo, a member of the Board of Norwegian Copyright Development Association, NORCODE, Onyeka Onwenu, Stella Damascus, Segun Arinze, Sammie Okposo, Cally Ikpe, Efe Omoregbe, Rasimono, Muma Gee, Stephnora Okere. Others are John Njamah, Bob Manuel, DJ Jimmy Jatt, Lara George, Dele Abiodun, Tee-Mac Itselli, Patrick Doyle and many others.
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