My injury was not what made me successful in Project Fame -Clement

Clement is the third runner-up of Project Fame West Africa’s seventh season which held last year. He stood out during the highly rated music talent hunt because he had a leg injury which he was performing with. Having just released a new song, Ropopo, he spoke to OSEYIZA OOGBODO BLOG about his plans and his time in PFWA.

What actually happened to your leg while you were competing in Project Fame last year?

A week after the show started, we were all rehearsing outside, and I came in to pick something, and the next thing I knew, I slipped and fell down and it was a bit more serious than is usual in such situations.

Was it both your legs that were affected?

No. Just my left leg. My left knee actually.

There are some people who believe that you went so far in PFWA because of your knee injury that made people pity you. How do you feel about that?

Honestly, I felt bad about that back then. I felt bad because I didn’t want people to see me that way. And because of my injury, I had to really prove a point that I had something to offer musically. I had to really be an entertainer. So anytime I got on stage, I went the extra mile, I gave more than my best. I always thought of how to make my performances different, because of the limitation imposed on me by my injury, so my performances wouldn’t be boring. There were so many things I even told the organisers that I wanted to do but they wouldn’t allow me because of my leg, so as not to aggravate it, they would say those things were too risky. And they were justified actually because there was one of my performances that I started sitting down, then stood up, and afterwards, I was extremely tired. But nevertheless, I went the extra mile, I didn’t stay in my comfort zone, I kept doing more than I should in my situation, so I know my success in Project Fame wasn’t just about sympathy.

How do you feel that you ended up in the top four and thereby among the prize winners?

It’s a blessing. Definitely. I’m not talking about the money that came with it, but about being among the best. You know, we are all winners. Everybody went into Project Fame to win, and though it’s better to win, it’s best to make it out here. Out here is the real competition. That’s why in there was called an academy. You go there to learn, so that what you learn, you come out here and apply. That’s what will make us better. The money we won wouldn’t, although it will support us. That money will not make us all our lives. And my intention is to make it out here, just as I made it in there, and I’m sure I have what it takes to make it out here, despite the extremely stiff competition.

Tell us about Ropopo.

It was the song I composed in Project Fame, and demand for it has been high since then, with people always requesting for it on my Twitter, so it was quite easy for me to decide to record and release it.