Oseyiza Oogbodo Blog

Olutanmole King Olutanmole Agbaye of the Kingdom of Heaven Mission is a very unique man of God. He says he is the Another Comforter who’s representing Jesus Christ on earth and that anyone who wants to be saved and delivered can only do so by accepting his rulership.  Congrats on the successful staging of your annual festival this year. How do you feel about the success of this 22nd edition of your annual festival?   I just have to thank the Lord. It’s a success that I think anything that God has ordained will be done in an ordained way.  How easy or difficult was it to organize this particular edition? Would you say it was smooth sailing, or there were major hitches that you surmounted?  It was smooth because this is the 22nd year anniversary of the 1,000 years reign of Christ in heaven, so it has been a very glorious event.  What’s the essence of the festival?  Well, we are celebrating, that is, Christians are celebrating the...

In a recent research study, 78% of Nigerian students confirmed that the End Sexual Harassment and Bribery in Nigerian Colleges campaign by Dream Project for Africa has greatly discouraged rape and bribery in their colleges. 91% believe that the campaign could eventually help eradicate sexual harassment, rape and bribery from their colleges, and 98% believe that the eradication of sexual harassment and bribery from Nigerian colleges will boost their careers. The above was made known by Nelson Oluwabukola Michael, CEO, Dream Project for Africa, while making public the results of the ESHBNC campaign and its follow-up research study. Speaking further, Michael said, “The Nigerian school system is fast collapsing. Research shows that many students are not even sure why they are in school. Many students in their final years at Nigerian schools have no clue how or where to market their degrees. The easiest way out is knowing someone who might be able to help secure a job. “Aside the case of t...

The Olugbon of Lagos, Senator Anthony Adefuye, has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to give total amnesty to the soldiers who have been handed 10-year jail terms. In a press release titled Boko Haram Insurgency, THE SIXTY-SIX HITHERTO CONDEMNED SOLDIERS WHOSE SENTENCE NOW COMMUTED TO 10-YEAR JAIL IMPRISONMENT, Adefuye first of all thanked President Buhari for reviewing the cases of the soldiers. “I want to thank Mr President for reviewing the sentences of these unfortunate soldiers,” he said. “If not for your coming, they would have been executed.” Continuing, he said, “Mr President, I want to appeal that these soldiers be given total amnesty. In recent times, my telephone has been bombarded with messages from some of these condemned soldiers who want me to plead on their behalf. I then asked them to give me one reason why I should plead further for total amnesty, and they gave me several reasons. “In view of recent revelations, that the $2.1 billion meant to equip our soldiers ...

The winner of the dance reality TV show, Dance with Peter, will emerge this weekend. Amazing Amy, G-Xtreem, Julius Faktah, C-Fly, Da Octopus, Kelvin and Mali Hot Boy are those contesting for the winner’s positions. Though all seven finalists are indubitably talented dancers, the three best who, going by their consistency and dance energy, are likely to win, are Julius Fakta, Kelvin Ayanruo and Amazing Amy. Fakta, a 23-year-old student of the University of Ghana, dreams to be one of the world’s most awesome and fantastic choreographers. 24-year-old Kelvin who hails from Delta State came for auditions as a member of Elevators NG dance crew and was subsequently picked out by the judges to stand as a solo contestant. Amazing Amy is touted to win by many watchers owing to her amazing dance skills. The 17-year-old Amy is currently seeking admission to the university and desires to become a professional dancer. However, many watchers also think Julius Fakta and Kelvin may stand in her way. ...

“Sir, is it possible to have my face back?” Those were the words of Master Great Okechukwu-Morgan after exchanging greetings during Who Deserves To Be A Millionaire’s initial visit to the Morgans. Great, a 13-year-old SS 1 student of P & P Comprehensive College, Mushin had been involved in an auto accident 7 years before then. His limbs and face were so badly affected in the incident that, even after series of medical treatment, the scars left on his face region were quite unpleasant. He was rejected by schools on the pretext that his face would scare their pupils. And the undue attention that fellow pupils always paid his physique at the school that grudgingly admitted him so disturbed him psychologically that he always felt like absenting himself from school. To help him, his parents sought assistance from the high and low in our society, from many organizations, and engaged in series of consultations to enable them raise funds for surgical operations in India, but all to no ava...

Controversial personality and struggling singer, Dencia, has reportedly granted an interview in which she claimed that she makes the whopping sum of $20m a year. According to the report, she granted the interview to the France-based Le Monde, and she claimed she makes cool millions in US dollars every year from her skin whitening cream, Whitenicious. If this is true, then it’s very good for Dencia. However, she’s not yet behaving like other people who make as many millions annually like herself, and her music career, which should be benefitting from her access to millions in US dollars, is floundering instead.

The return of Tiwa Savage to the music industry has been expected for some time now. And the singer, who has been performing without much fanfare in the past few weeks to gauge the sort of reception her return would receive, has now come out boldly to make her return official by announcing that her sophomore album, R.E.D, will hit the market next Monday. While her return is definitely good news to her fans, her rivals, who shone in her absence, will be shaking in their boots now as many good things came their way while Savage was off the scene. Most notable among them who’ll be wondering what her faith will be now is Yemi Alade who this year won the MAMA award for best Africa female artist which Savage won last year.

Saying that Korede Bello is flying high is an understatement. He’s flying very high and is exhibiting signs that he can go even farther than initially expected of him as a musician. With his latest music video, Romantic, it has become apparent that Bello means business and is constantly thinking of how to advance his career. One step he takes thereby, though it can’t really be said to be a positive one, is to style himself to look more and more like one of the greatest Black music artists ever, Michael Jackson. And just like Jackson, he’s also capitalizing on the power of dancing to sell his brand. In his first video, God Win, he came up with a dance style that was unique to him, and he has done so in Romantic as well. And the move seems to be paying off for him. In this day and age when Youtube views determine to a great extent the rating of an artist’s brand, his Romantic, released on the same day with Wizkid’s latest music video for his song, Final (Baba Nla), has amassed double of ...

Traditional drumming, cultural dance, chanting of festivity songs, beauty pageant contest amongst many other activities ushered the commemoration of the 5th edition of Oya festival held in Ira, Kwara state. The festival was put together by the Olokun Festival Foundation. Prior to the festival in Ira, the night before, guests and facilitators of the event converged on Offa to witness the beauty pageant. Kekong Angela Oyinkansola defeated 12 other contestants to win this year’s edition of Miss Oya Pageant which held at Avalon Hotel, Offa, Kwara State. Oyinkansola, an undergraduate of Tourism Management from the National Open University, NOUN, went home with a brand new car among other items while Sunday Nneka Loveth emerged first runnerup and Amos Foluso Abosede emerged as second runnerup. Speaking during the competition, the Chief promoter of Olokun Foundation Festival, the organiser of the event, Otunba Gani Adams said, “Our girls are the beauty and brains of the younger generation...

Tamara Eteimo, one of Nollywood’s hottest actresses, and former winner, The Next Movie Star, tells OSEYIZA OOGBODO BLOG how she got into acting. Why did you become an actress? Well, being an actress for me has always been on my mind as a kid. It started from when I was in secondary school. I performed in all the social activities up until I finished and started getting ready for university. I always saw myself as an entertainer, someone who can mimic because I know I’m good at that, mimicking. I just needed to equip my skills and that was one of the reasons why I went to the University of Port Harcourt to study Theatre Arts. How did your family react when they knew you wanted to act? Well, my dad, at first, he wasn’t receptive because he didn’t like it. He just felt actors are wayward people. When I said I wanted to study Theatre Arts, he didn’t like it. He just felt these people (actors) are unserious people. You can’t really go there and be a serious student. So, I told him, “Just ...

Upcoming indigenous act, Seyi Adeneye, who goes by the stage name, Olus, has released his first song for the public's listening pleasure. After years of underground rap battles and rhyming competitions, Olus has burst onto the scene with a classic tune to celebrate the festive season. Translated to English, Odun Ti Dey means ‘The festivities have arrived’ and it features and is produced by Mallam T Bass. Olus shows his lyrical prowess as he delivers hard-hitting yet playful rhymes that key in to trends and phenomena for an average Nigerian celebrating this Christmas season, the overall tempo depicts taking the holiday slowly and enjoying it as each day passes. The video directed by Dmitri was shot across Victoria Island and Ikoyi and it depicts scenes from very popular and memorable locations around Lagos, especially the Zenith Bank roundabout in Victoria Island which gets decorated in the Christmas theme during the Yuletide period.

One of West Africa’s most successful movie stars, Juliet Ibrahim, has posted a tweet in which she attacked her fellow women. Baring her mind on the issue of why men cheat in relationships, she absolved such men of blame and laid all the blame instead on her fellow women. Her tweet, which says it all, is below. “Wondering why a man will cheat? Simplest answer among all others: because there’s always a woman out there willing to cheat with him #facts.” Do you women agree with her?

JJC is one entertainment personality that needs much introduction, having attained massive success in music both in and outside Nigeria. Having grown up in the UK and lived there most of his life, he’s back in Nigeria now, and he tells OSEYIZA OOGBODO BLOG how he’s faring in his new environment. You came into the Nigerian music industry knowing it’s fiercely competitive. What gave you the confidence to do so? It’s because I’m very different and my orientation in life is different. I grew up in the UK where I learnt a lot about music at a very young age. I got signed by Sony Music while I was 22. I was also writing songs for record companies. Every day, I had to write new songs. Which means I had to come up with concepts, new ideas and something people can relate to and impact their lives. I brought that part of me back into the Nigerian music industry. Majority of Nigerian music is based on dancing, and there’s not really a lot of message. That is where I stand out, because lots of my...

When Iyanya posted a video online, of him dancing with some girls, he did so obviously with the intention of entertaining his fans so that they’ll remain loyal to him. Sadly for him, though, those same fans came at him instead, flaying him over the video which they feel is not worth their while. “What legacy are you leaving? What are the youths going to learn from you? Heartbreaking,” one of them commented. The ire of the fans was actually drawn by one of the girls whom they said needlessly exposed her bosom. And they made their opinions known about the brash nudity. “Please am I supposed to be interested in the dance or her boobs? Which one?” another one commented. “Please she should cover the upper region. It’s a private part also.” “It’s really pathetic. I can’t even wear my boxer shorts in front of my siblings, yet a lady who is supposed to be modest is not even wearing a bra in public,” was yet another comment. Clearly, this is one Iyanya post that didn’t strike the right chord wi...

The news currently in town about popular rapper, Olamide, is not a really good one. According to widespread reports, he has been accused of copying the lyrical ideas of D’Banj, his senior colleague whom he’s worked with both in the studio and on stage. The accusation was made not by D’Banj, but D’Banj’s producer, Deevee, who even apologized to D’Banj for the disclosure, saying that he’s been keeping quiet about Olamide’s alleged copying of their own creative efforts for a very long time now, but he can no longer keep quiet about it and is ready to face any consequences of his disclosure. Through a series of tweets, he asked Olamide if he was losing the necessary inspiration to come up with song lyrics of his own and came right out to say that any time Olamide comes to their zone, they end up hearing him using their concepts in his songs. Needless to say, Deevee’s accusation is already leading to a lot of raised dust and divided opinions. Some are saying that he and his boss, Deevee, a...

The current looks of ex-Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria, Omowunmi Akinnifesi, and promising singer, Emma Nyra, are definitely something to talk about, when you compare the two. Akinnifesi became known in the nation many years before Nyra when she won the MBGN crown in 2005. Nyra only became known in 2012 when Iyanya featured her on his smash hit, Ur Waist. Both of them became celebrities sporting slim physiques that are generally preferred by most people for the female gender over the plump ones. It’s therefore astounding to note that while Akinnifesi who hit the limelight ten years ago is still doing her best to maintain her initial shape, even after becoming a truly household name, Nyra, who is still struggling to really become known, is losing her shape. The two attended the Corporate Elite concert which held in Lagos last weekend and a look at their pictures from the event tells the tale better. Akinnifesi is almost the way she was ten years ago while Nyra is blowing up like a ballo...

When in late 2014 beef suddenly broke out between established singer, Wizkid, and upcoming singer, Saeon, what people really wanted to know was why they were fighting. Though the apparent reason, as forwarded by Saeon was that she was at daggers drawn with Wiz because she paid him the whopping sum of N1.5m to feature him on her song, Boogie Down, and he refused to tweet the link to the song, even after she requested him to please do so. As expected, a lot of reactions trailed their beef, especially after Wiz came out to say that he doesn’t just tweet for anybody but his friends and that Saeon wasn’t his friend. Maybe because Wiz is so popular because a lot of people really do like him, he came out the better in his Saeon faceoff, with many people supporting him that he didn’t have to tweet the song, that it wasn’t part of his agreement with her that he must tweet it, and that he has every right to not tweet what he doesn’t want to. Heavyweight celebrities jumped behind Wiz and tore Sae...

Respected female singer, Azeezat, has weighed in on the issue of why female music artists in Nigeria are not as many as they should be. Peaking candidly, she said, “Well, honestly, even in America and Europe, if you calculate the percentage of female artists compared to their male counterparts, you will know that males are also more there. I am a die-hard fan of Naija, and I don’t like it when people bring Naija down, comparing it to US, UK and saying one thing, one thing, nahhh. “As it happens here, it happens there. It is just that the scale could be higher. Number one, I wouldn’t say females don’t have a voice, compared to then. We have a voice now, strong voices that are heard. We are being heard. It could be better, because some girls allow us to be labelled as wack. I am not being judgemental, but such girls don’t do their homework well before coming out.” Touching on how she discovered her talent and rose to prominence, she said, “The journey between when I discovered my talent...

Talented singer, Temi Dollface, who’s out with a new singer, School Your face, has revealed what her ultimate goal is. According to her, it’s “to change the way music is experienced. To shatter pop stereotypes by proving that pop music can be alternative, experimental and exciting. Also, I want to give back what I get out of music. I realise that what I get to do is such a privilege because with music, we have the ability to touch other human beings who are reaching out looking for the same things most of us are.” And on what she has achieved, she said, “A whole lot. I’ve opened for Chris Brown, Keziah Jones, D' Banj, Bez and many other notable artists. I had an MTV USA nomination for MTV Iggy Artist of the Week for which I came in second by a tiny fraction. I was in the running with artists from Germany, America, the United Kingdom and Ghana. “My Pata Pata music video has been played on heavy rotation on notable TV stations including MTV World, Channel O, SoundCity, 1 Music, TVC...

Movie director and producer, Emmanuel Eyaba, is one Nollywood personality who has been privileged to go and study filmmaking in America. Now, he says that “studying filmmaking in America changed my total orientation on how we made films. I am more detailed in my work now. A good script starts from the story, the script, and the cast, down to the interpretation of the characters. So I try to infuse all of these elements into my work now.” Adding that he has created a platform where he shares the knowledge he got with the younger generation “so that the industry can improve,” he concluded that he also intends to set up a film school and TV station soonest so as to be able to “help Nollywood grow the way it really should.”

One of Yoruba Nollywood’s most successful actors, Kunle Da-Silva, has revealed why he loves acting. “What I love most about acting is the knowledge we impart to the audience. We have a lot of problems in this country, social, economic, cultural, and you really need to pass messages to the people and one of the best ways of doing that is via movies. So the first thing that comes to my mind is the message I want to pass. “Then also the popularity, the clamouring of people to meet you, but it’s not easy. I’ve walked on the streets and my clothes were almost torn to shreds. People will want to greet you. Imagine a scenario where people you see on the road, expect you to know them, and if you don’t greet them, they will just start accusing you, we buy your films, we watch your films, you don’t want to greet us. “But how would I know who watches my films at home? So you have to be very cautious when you are out, you have to smile and greet everybody. “Atimes, they will walk up to you and sa...

Popular Yoruba Nollywood actress, Iyabo Ojo, has said that she has a dream that is bigger than her with regards to her Nollywood career, and she hopes to achieve it in time. “I’ve not really achieved what I want to in Nollywood,” she said. “I still have a dream that is bigger than me and I hope to achieve it in time. I'm very patient about it. Our market is not that good, piracy is really killing us. We spend a lot of money to produce movies that we don't make money from because piracy doesn't allow the marketers to buy them like they are supposed to. When you produce a movie with N2m, you're supposed to make like double that money, but at the end of the day, you don't make up to one-third of it. So that's the main problem I'm having.” And on the constant debate of English Nollywood is better than Yoruba Nollywood, she said, “No. Never. The English sector is definitely not better than the Yoruba. Yes, the English sector might be preferred because we do Yoru...

Pearl is the second place winner of this year’s Project Fame West Africa. She stood out during the show, not only because of her talent, but also because she and her twin sister were both in the competition. In this interview, she tells OSEYIZA OOGBODO BLOG her plans. How do you feel as the second place winner of this year’s Project Fame? It’s an amazing feeling. This is something I’ve always wanted to do, and first of all, I’m excited that I even got the opportunity at all because my entering Project Fame is a story. It was obvious to me from day one that it was something God wanted me to do. Things just somehow kept on turning in my favour, and I got there, and God kept me through, and I’m so grateful. So what’s your secret that made you successful in the competition, considering that many were evicted along the way? What’s your secret? Did you do something different? I can’t say I was better than anybody that was there with me. We all had different voice textures. Everybody was sp...

Dr Alistair Soyode is one Nigerian who has made his impact felt both at home and abroad with his establishment of BEN TV which is based in England and projects Nigeria and Africa to the world in a positive light. He told OSEYIZA OOGBODO BLOG why he established it and his plans for it. Why did you start BEN TV? BEN Television was set up to bridge the gap in the Black-oriented communities in the UK as well as to become a platform to promote Nigeria as a country with immense opportunities and natural resources as well as showcase Nigerians in a better way than done by other outfits and people. How easy or difficult was it to get the license? Back in those years, it was not as easy as it is now. The technological advancement now has contributed to lesser demands by the authorities compared to a decade ago. But they are still overly strict and demand programming that appeal to all viewers. What has BEN TV achieved? BEN Television over the years has been the bridge to our Black and divers...

Nowadays, Banky W is rapping more than he’s singing. Initially, it seemed like he was displaying his vocal prowess by rapping to prove that he can rap as well. But it seems that there’s more than meets the eye over his sudden love for rapping. Though he has been rapping all along in his career, he has never done so as much as he’s doing now. And it seems he’s rapping more than usual now because his singing voice doesn’t seem to be as good as it once was. Though it’s still good, it’s not like before. And while his singing voice might be having hitches, his rap one isn’t. And if indeed he loses his singing voice, he won’t be the first, nor the last singer to lose his, her voice. International stars, Adele and Sam Smith included, have also lost their voices at one time or the other and only bounced back by having surgery on their vocal cords.

There’s definitely nothing like a good piece of criticism, or scolding for that matter, to get someone headed in the right direction. And with regards to Victoria Kimani, this is just nothing but the truth. A Kenyan, she became an overnight celebrity in Nigeria when respected record label, Chocolate City, announced her as one of its artists. But despite the label’s backing, she failed to shine. Though nobody was willing to say it, it was obvious she wasn’t yet a ready product musically and that much work still had to be done on her. But one person finally spoke the truth, and since then, Kimani has been on the upward swing. That person is fellow female singer, Saeon, who shocked the whole industry a couple of years ago when she described Kimani’s EP as crap, rubbish. Needless to say, everyone was shocked, basically because it’s just not accepted for colleagues, close or not, to criticise themselves in such a manner in the entertainment industry. So they forced Saeon to apologise for...

It’s said that whatever goes up must come down. Nowhere is this adage truer than in the music industry where musicians rise and fall so rapidly that it’ll take your breath away. Without mentioning names, it’s a well-known fact that there are many artists out there who were relevant three, four, five years ago but nobody wants to listen to them anymore. Likewise, there are those who have been relevant for decades and are still relevant. And if we bring the relevance issue to bear on Kukere singer, Iyanya, it’s as clear as day that he’s struggling to remain relevant. Back in time when Kukere was the hottest song in town, Iyanya was also the hottest artist and in very high demand. But nowadays, he’s relying on hype to remain relevant. A music artist is supposed to let the success of his songs speak for him, not that he’s throwing lavish parties and flexing about town. In a nutshell, Iyanya’s songs are not really catching on with people again to the extent that Tekno, one of the artists on...

Kehinde Bankole is one of Nollywood’s most recognized faces. She has starred in both soap operas and movies. But she isn’t just an actress. She’s also a model, singer, TV presenter and all-round entertainer. The question one would then want to ask her is how she’s able to do all she does in entertainment. Is it because she’s talented or because of some other reason? And when the question was put to her, she was equal to answering it. “The urge to make money is what drives me to excel in everything I do,” she said. “In order to make money, you have to be excellent, and that’s why I strive to be excellent at all times.” Explaining further, she said, “I’m an entrepreneur, but more into anything that has to do with the media, that’s what I do. I can present, I can anchor shows, anything that can bring money. I can sing, I can act, I can model and all that. “And my multimedia career started with the need to make money. It wasn’t even a decision actually. It was just something that happened ...

It was an unlocking of creativity and talent as sixty pupils from several schools in Lagos and Port Harcourt gathered to paint and battle for prizes in the Yojus Painting Star contest themed ‘Our Beautiful World.’ At the second edition of the Yojus Painting Star Contest, three pupils emerged winners in a process which was considered fair and transparent. Chiziteram Onyia, a primary five pupil from New Fountain School, Amuwo-Odofin emerged first. Iyoha Peculiar of Stee School, Festac came second, and Franc Uche Egbuchilam from Mbari Mbayo School, Jibowu emerged third. Brand Manager, Yojus Fruit Drink, Foluke Makinde, drew attention to how Yojus as a brand refreshes and explores the colourful and fun loving nature of children and engages their imagination. She explained that one of the ways children love to express themselves is through painting and Ranona has used Yojus Painting Star Contest to help discover talents, get them noticed and rewarded. Makinde added that “Yojus will continue...

It’s not easy to become a successful Nollywood actress. So when such an actress advices the upcoming ones who are hopeful of, and aspiring to attain success, it’s just best they listen. The successful actress in question is Darlene Benson. And when OOB asked her what her advice to upcoming actresses would be, she said, “My advice to them is to be focused. If you know for sure that this is what you want to do and you have the talent for it, give every role you play your best, constantly try to outdo your last performance, and pray always.” Admitting that she hasn’t achieved all her set goals in Nollywood, but is sure that she will, she said it was a very easy decision for her to become an actress because “I’ve always loved acting. As a child, I always pictured myself singing and acting, so I went ahead to study theatre arts and I obtained a diploma from the University of Calabar and my degree from the University of Lagos. “But I actually started out as a singer before I got into acting...

Is Genevieve about to make a stunning Nollywood comeback? For now, that seems to be the case as there’s been more buzz about her since it was confirmed that she’s producing her very first movie, Road To Yesterday, starring her, Majid Michel, Oris Erhuerho and other big names. And as if in confirmation that big movie things are about to return her way, RTY was selected as this year’s Closing Night Film at the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF). RTY is an epic love story which trails a couple desperate to mend a broken marriage on a road trip to a relative's funeral. However, the journey itself throws up secrets from a distant past, imperiling a lot more than just the marriage. RTY was written and directed by Ishaya Bako, a London Film School Alumni, and creator of a series of highly acclaimed festival favourites, including the award-winning Braids On A Bald Head (Best Short Film at the 2012 AMAA Awards). RTY is his feature directorial debut. RTY’s AFRIF screening also serv...

Toyin Aimakhu is one actress who can’t just stop making the news. She makes it for both positive and negative reasons. Positive is when she got married. Negative is when her husband, Adeniyi Johnson, was alleged to be having extramarital affairs. Right now, she’s making the news again for a reason that can be said to be positive-negative. Because while some might condemn her for allegedly being in a romantic relationship outside her marriage with a man said to be Seun Egbegbe, others might praise her for the alleged relationship, and justify her by saying that her husband started it first. Anyway, the gist making the rounds salaciously is that the problem in Aimakhu’s marriage which was believed to have been solved is still there and is still festering. According to the gist, Aimakhu and her husband, Johnson, no longer see eye-to-eye and are no longer staying together. And that when they meet at certain events that they both have to attend because they are in the same profession, they ...

Popular music duo, Bracket, have said that they prefer to be really successful, not fake, as is the case basically in the entertainment industry. Speaking on how relevant or not they are in the industry, they said, “People say they don’t really feel our presence that much in Lagos, but we’re doing very well here in Lagos. One thing about the Lagos market, though, is that it’s more about fame than fortune, and we’ll rather stick to the fortune. “We know certain things we can do that some of the popular artists cannot do. Realistically, we would rather have little media hype and know where we belong, than make all the noise and fail to live up to the expectations. “We’ll rather be in the middle and make more money than be in front and make less. We are doing well in Lagos and we are still very big in other parts of Nigeria and abroad, show promoters testify to that. And we are glad to be where we are today because it is not easy to remain relevant for six years.”

One question that has to be asked is ‘Where is Muna?’ Muna, or Muna Abii, is not an entertainment personality who needs a lot of introduction. She shot to fame as a winner of Nigeria’s current most prestigious beauty pageant, Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria, and then shocked everyone by becoming a rapper after her relinquishing her MBGN crown. Because of her MBGN fame, she made quick progress in music, getting featured by superstars like Waje, and dropping her own singles that became notable, so it was believed that it was only a matter of time before she would attain major music success. That’s not the case right now, though, and we’re not hearing much about her again musically. So where is Muna, musically? That’s the question oh.

Saying that Johnny singer, Yemi Alade, is really flying high nowadays is not an understatement. Since the release of the aforementioned Johnny, her life has taken a real turn for the better with local and international shows coming her way, and awards too. Despite her considerable success, that many of her colleagues are still aspiring to, she’s not slowing down but is in fact stepping, or rather stepped up to the next level by launching a jewelry line in conjunction with Bland2Glam, an online retail jewelry store. According to Seyi Banigbe, B2G’s creative director, “Yemi Alade is the perfect superstar for us to work with on a jewelry collection fronted by a superstar. She’s been our ambassador for over a year and has proven herself a consummate professional and a hard worker who always keeps to her word. If she says she’s coming for a photo shoot, she does, even if she didn’t sleep the night before.” Speaking further, she said that it took B2G and Alade several meetings to come up wit...

It seems all is not really well between the erstwhile close duo of Wande Coal and Don Jazzy. Coal used to be signed on to Jazzy’s labels, Mo’ Hits initially, and Mavin afterwards, but he split from Jazzy totally about a couple of years ago, and since then it’s been alleged that there’s bad blood between them and that Jazzy is not happy that Coal quit their working relationship. All along, it has been widely believed and accepted that Jazzy and his former partner, D’Banj, were the ones who made Coal into a success. And while he was working with them, Coal used to sing their praises to high heavens that without them he was nothing. But with his sophomore album, Wanted, finally out, after it failed to come out on both Mo’ Hits and Mavin Records, Coal has been like an open tap, gushing and gushing out his innermost feelings that are telling us the way he actually feels. For instance, when he released the artwork and tracklist of Wanted prior to its official release this week, he said that ...

It’s a good year for African music going by the sounds heard and felt at the Gbagyi Child album listening by Bez Idakula in Lagos recently at the Fuse Lounge, Victoria Island, Lagos. Letting friends and the media sample his new album, the alternative soul singer hosted the album listening party where tracks on his sophomore album, Gbagyi Child, were played and performed live by him and his band. The listening showcase was attended by a host of stars and media personalities including Seyi Shay, Falz The Bahd Guy, Olisa Adibua, Audu Maikori, Toke Makinwa, Timi Dakolo, Kunbi Oyelese, Tito Idakula, Kaylah Oniwo, Makida Moka, OC Ukeje, Ozzy Agu, Lala Akindoju and many more. Produced by Cobhams Asuquo, the Gbagyi Child album features diverse sounds with different origins and stories which Bez explained. H also revealed that the creation of the album began two years ago, and ended just a couple of weeks ago. Featured tracks on the project include Hold You Down, If To Say, You Suppose Know, ...

The latest winner of the highly successful music talent hunt, Project Fame West Africa, Jeffrey, has said that PF has made his dreams come true. Speaking after he was officially presented with the Hyundai SUV that comes with being PF’s winner, he said, “My life after Project Fame has been wonderful. I get calls, messages, and my social media followership has increased by like 100%. It has really been a wonderful experience because I never knew it would turn out to be this huge and I am very grateful to God for this pleasant change in my status. “For instance, something happened to me two years ago and I told myself I must get my car before age 20, even though I had no idea of how it would come. I am going to turn 19 in some days from now and I now have not just any car, but a luxury car. I feel truly blessed and grateful that this has been achieved through Project Fame.” But he then added that he won’t be able to drive the SUV in Lagos because “truth is I can drive but I will get a dri...

American returnee singer, Imanse, has revealed that she’s under immense pressure in the Nigerian music industry that she’s aspiring to make an impact in. According to the sexy singer, the pressure is basically about her style of music which she’s expected to change. “There is pressure to do the kind of music that is popular,” she confessed. “Pressure to play it safe and conform to what everyone else is doing, not doing love songs and expressing yourself. A lot of pressure to go ‘commercial.’ You know when they are doing the big shows, they don’t usually call those who are pouring their hearts out talking about love and all.” Explaining her music, she said its focus is love. “My music focuses on love. You know they say ‘love is the greatest,’ ‘love makes the world go round’ and all that. Well, love seems to cover everything. Within its context, you will find everything else. Love for family, friends of both sexes, God, country and other people. It’s not just portraying or lamenting ab...

Movie producer and director, Akin-Tijani Balogun, has said that it’s unfair to compare Nollywood to Hollywood. He made the statement when E-News asked him his financial status, considering that American movie producer-directors like Steven Spielberg and James Cameron are billionaires. Replying, he said, “If you look at the financial angle, that juxtaposition, that analogy you made, of comparing America to Nigeria is farfetched. The kind of marketing structure they have over there is much more different when you look at the structure of our own industry. Let me just say we are living the Nigerian way. What we are doing at least enables us to live and live well in Nigeria. Of course we know that if we do it outside, we’ll make much more.” And speaking on his plans, he said, “My own plan is to have a film village, a place that’s structured, designed to be a film village for complete productions, because movie is just one out of the several things we do. So I want to have a film village,...

Cornell Udofia is one of the entertainment industry’s most riveting personalities. He isn’t an actor neither is a singer. He’s however someone whom entertainers can’t do without. He’s a publicist, and a very successful one at that, having been a publicist for several big names that include Oge Okoye, Faze and Jim Iyke. And speaking with E-News recently on why he became a publicist and who his very first client was, Udofia didn’t hold back. “I became a publicist because I was not happy with the level of publicity and projection artists were given by the press and media players so we decided to exploit the vacuum by going into it,” he explained. “Moreover, the gladiators themselves were not helping matters either by not understanding the fact that without packaging, an artist is incomplete. Most of them find it very strange and uncalled-for to engage the services of a publicist, image maker, manager and even designer who should handle their affairs, thereby making them able to concentrat...

Acting and singing are two professions that complement each other. In fact, back in the day, most actors had to know how to sing mandatorily. Nowadays, it’s mostly the live theatre actors who still bother to sing a little bit. However, Nigerians are very resourceful and try their hands at more than one profession, so many Nollywood actresses have tried their best to sing and failed woefully. Some of them who took on singing are Genevieve, Omotola, Dayo Amusa, Gabriel Afolayan and Jim Iyke and we have to commend them for even trying. But while some actors have tried it and many more are willing to try it, respected actress Judith Audu, who’s currently wrapping up the post-production of her maiden full-length movie, Just Not Married, has declared emphatically that she’ll never sing because she can’t sing. According to her: “I can’t sing to save my life! That’s how bad my singing voice is. So it’s a no for me. But most of my colleagues are blessed with very lovely voice to sing, so why no...

Jojo Body Beats is one of Nigeria’s most unique performers because his style of performance is virtually unique to him. OSEYIZA OOGBODO BLOG met him and he revealed how he discovered his extremely unique talent. You beat your body to make entertaining sounds and music and you call it bodiophone. Is this term coined by you or bodiophone is a recognised entertainment genre like comedy, rapping, etc? Well, I actually coined the word, bodiophone, by myself as the name for what I do which is beating my body to produce sounds to entertain people and I therefore call myself a bodiophonist. I derived bodiophone from the music instrument, xylophone, and I had to do so because beating the human body to make music is not common so I had to come up with a unique name for it so people can make reference to it in future for academic studies and research. Although for laymen, I call it Jojo body beat but for corporate shows, I call it bodiophony. Why don’t you just call yourself a musician? What I d...

T-Code became famous with the song, Hotter Than Fire. Since then, he has been waxing stronger and in this interview by OSEYIZA OOGBODO BLOG, he doesn’t beat about the bush as he declares that he’s the originator of fuji hip-hop, not LKT. He also explains why he and his Hotter Than Fire co-singers, Sheyman and Dr Pat, parted ways. Why did you choose T-Code as your professional name? Well, in this industry, you need a name that will make people want to know who you are and is simple and easy to pronounce and remember at the same time. And most times, we choose our artist name from our original name and that’s what I did too. My name is Taiwo Korodo so I combined the first alphabets of the two to make T–Code because I’m a coded guy. You are popular for your fuji hip-hop style. How did it happen for you? Well, I began singing professionally in the year 2000 with a full fuji music band. Later, I delved into hip-hop. I felt it was time to step up as an educated guy. As a matter of fact, sin...