Fast
rising female rap artiste, Eva Alordiah, talks with ADEMOLA OLONILUA
about her hit track, ‘High’, family, sex and drug abuse among youths
I have
always want to be different. I never like to blend in with the crowd. It is not
just because of music, I have been like this for a long time. I remember back
in the days when my friends were measuring their beauty with the length of
their hair. I was not interested then so I cut my hair. I had my hair coloured
when I was 15 and my mother did not really mind because I was not bringing
trouble to the house and I did not have bad grades. I was just messing with my
hair. I have been messing with my hair for a long time. I really just like to
be different. As long as what you are doing does not bring shame to the name,
Alordiah, and you are focused on school then my parents are okay with you.
Parents’
reaction to choice of career
Because I
was in school when my music career started, they did not like my career path.
They did not exactly tell me to stop doing music. My father just told me that I
had been serious with school for a long time and he hoped that I would not come
back home and say I wanted to drop out. He advised me to ensure I finish
school. I love school, I have always loved school, I was one the best students
in some courses. It was entertaining to me. I just was not on the path of
dropping out to do music. Because he understood that, he let me do it, knowing
that I had always been good with my grades. I don’t think he really had
problems as such. My parents are very sweet and calm. They would let you do
what you want. I know that my father cannot stand tattoos. That is the one
thing I know he cannot stand, not that I want to have tattoos. There are
boundaries. I don’t think wanting to do music was crossing that boundary with
my parents. My parents are very supportive people.
Coping
with my academics and music
I was a
science student. I was not a bookworm but I knew I had to get out of school
with good grades. It has been like that for me since primary school. There was
a time in primary school that for four straight years straight I was between
the first and third position. In secondary school I was in science class and I
had very good grades in the subjects I did. The only problem I had was with
further mathematics. I did not enjoy that subject at all. It was at Bowen
University that music really kicked in and it happened in my final year. That
was when I really wanted to start doing rap. It was a tough year because it is
a year you have to get out of school without any problems. Luckily for me when
I started in school, my CGPA was on a first class basis. I started out with a
first class and in school it is either your CGPA increases or drops. It was
difficult to increase so I made sure I had a Second Class Upper Degree. The
kind of school I finished from doesn’t let you do anything. The only time I
could express myself in terms of music was in the school shows which happened
like once a year. I never had the temptation to drop out of school. The kind of
house I grew up we don’t get things on a platter. We did not have everything
that we wanted but we had what we needed. My father would go out of his way to
provide for us so we would not be envious of other kids. Knowing that my
parents went out of their way for me made me know I had to be my best in school.
On
artistes who drop out of school because of music
I would
not be a judge of anybody but I do not think that music alone is a good excuse
to drop out of school. I personally think that education is very important. I
am not saying that education is going to make you be the great person you are
going to be. I don’t think that is correct. But I know what is correct is that
education is very important and if you have the opportunity to be educated,
grab that opportunity. I think there are some people that were not born to
adapt to school. There are some people that are so wise that they do not need
to go to school for six years to become the great human beings they are
supposed to be in the world. That is from a spiritual point of view. I was in
school with friends that did not have parents providing for them; I was in
school with people who got thrown out because their parents could pay their
fees. Knowing that my parents were going through a tough time providing for us,
I made it my priority to finish school and with good grades. Not to say that I
passed through school because of my parents, I did because I started out well
in my life. Why waste all those years of being brilliant in school and then
when I get to the top of the ladder I decide to stop? What happens to all the
chemistry I have been reading? I knew I would be doing myself a favour
finishing what I started.
My
early years
I have
four siblings, I am the second girl. While growing up, I was a tomboy majorly
because of my brothers. By the time I was two years old, I was already cutting
my hair. I wore jeans and sneakers all the time. I remember growing up in the
North, back then the region was peaceful. There were horses, camels, Fulani
herdsmen, lots of mango trees to climb and fences to jump over. I had a lot of
male friends and I used to climb trees a lot. I had cuts on my thighs on
several occasions while jumping over a fence. There was this fence that blocked
us from getting into a compound that had so many mango trees. In the mango
season, the mangoes would fall to the ground and we (children) would want to go
into the compound to get the mangoes because they were wasting. The North was
so rich that everything was everywhere; fruits, meat, they were all everywhere.
Because the mangoes were just lying there wasting we would help ourselves with
some. I got hurt few times during that quest. I once broke a tooth.
My
reaction to the happenings in Northern Nigeria
I lived in
Bida, Niger State and it was so safe, so peaceful and warm. The Fulani women would
bring fura di nunu in the morning for you. I learnt how to make tuwo.
The mallams would guard our houses. When I came to Lagos, it was the first time
I saw fences everywhere. Everybody’s house in Lagos is covered up with a high
fence. That joy of neighbourhood love is not felt in the city, like I felt it
in the North. In the North, we did not have fences; everybody’s house was open
to everybody. I was so much fun especially during Sallah. It used to be the
best, the kids would run after horses, we would go to the Emir’s palace and he
would give us money, lots of coins. It was so much fun, I miss that life.
The
issue I have with Eldee
It is
difficult talking something I do not know anything about. I actually do not
know anything about me getting dropped by his record label. I can not talk
about things I do not know about. It happened in 2012; this is 2013, I am
moving on, working on my album right now. I can not talk about things that did
not happen because if I do, I would be telling you lies.
Why I
released a song shortly after the claims of being dropped from Eldee’s record
label
I love to
do music and when I am held back from doing the music I love to do, my body
cringes. Soon as I have the opportunity to do the music that I love to do, I I
can not stop myself, I do it. Releasing musical tracks is what I love to do.
Allegations
that my song promotes drug use and abuse
That is
the misconception people get from my song titled high, which is one of my
father’s favourites. If that is one of his favourites, it should tell you that
older people understand better than the younger people. The younger generation
does not like reading anymore, nobody reads. Everybody is shallow which is one
of the reasons why the music we have in the industry is the way it is. I am not
surprised that the song is being misinterpreted because that is what the
younger generation keeps talking about these days, getting high. If you listen
to the lyrics of that song, it is not about using drugs, it was about going
through struggles in life. Which is what I was going through and at the end of
the day what I really love to do which is my music becomes my getaway. It
becomes my high. That was what “High” was all about.My music does not promote
drugs and drug abuse, I am not a fan of drug usage. I do not smoke and I do not
drink. My music promotes love, unity, peace, I am all about love and happiness.
My
relationship
I am
single but not searching. My mother is working on that. She is going to get me
a husband from the village. I don’t know how the search is going for her
though. I think Nigerian men are fine, we have the best crop of men in Nigeria.
My major priority is to be focused on necessary things. I don’t see
relationships as unnecessary but I see sex as unnecessary. I am not a married woman,
it is not something I would wake up in the morning and say I would indulge in
it. It was created for married people. It is seen as a part of relationships by
this generation because people are influenced by what they see on television
and read in magazines. The youths are getting very enlightened.
About
my other businesses
My life started as a writer. I was writing
stories in class; these stories were in my notebook. One of the notebooks fell
into my father’s hands and he thought it was a good story so he was trying to
help me get it published. I really thought I would become a superstar writer.
It did not happen because I got into school and music came in. When music came,
the writing part of me delved into writing music. I was listening to a lot of Eminem
and I fell in love with rap. Writing then became writing rap music. After
secondary school, while I was waiting for JAMB result, I began to take pictures
of myself and kept telling myself I was cute and could model so I got into
modeling. That’s where my love for arts and pictures came to the fore. Because
I wanted my pictures to look like those of the models on television and in
magazines. I began to find out what make-up was and I began to buy make-up
products. I taught myself make-up artistry. Now I own a make-up company,
Make-up by Orsela, I just really love to paint and paint faces.
[Punch].
No comments:
Post a Comment