She
was the second runner-up in the popular reality TV show, Idols West Africa
but has broken the jinx by becoming the first to come out with a single and
consolidated the effort with a breathtaking music video. In this chat with
AHAOMA KANU, Temitayo George opens up on how she went about the project that
brought about In Your Eyes among other issues.
Temitayo it’s been a long time since we heard about you because you
were busy in the studio cooking up something that we all are witnessing now,
In Your Eyes, your single is out as well as the music video, how challenging
has it been these past months?
It has been such a blessing to have so many fans and such a great support from them; my parents have been so supportive and really encouraged me to pursue my dream of making music more or less a full time career. My fans have been great and I get calls from people asking me when my album and video will come out. I thankfully the video of my single is out and is on the airwaves right now. I am really happy about that. It was a lot of fun actually.
The first video is actually a tribute to all my fans for their support throughout the time I started my career in music. The song was dedicated to them because when I was on stage during Idols I look into their eyes and I saw a lot of love and positivity; that was where the title of the song came from, In Your Eyes, that kind of positive love that you get from people that doesn't change. The song was inspired by the children in the Little Saints Orphanage, my mum's ministry. It's about what I feel for them; my mum preached a message one time about faith and evidence and taught us that if you believe God for something, that you have to sometimes show him evidence that you believe that he will do it for you. She gave instances that if you believe God for a life partner or a baby; you need to buy a present for the person or baby items for the child you are expecting.
Now what present did you have in mind for your fans?
What I did was that I went to bed believing God for a hit song; I didn't want to just do an any-how song that my fans will no appreciate. I went to bed with an empty note pad and a pen. In the middle of the night, around 3am, I woke up and there was a question in mind and it was if I wanted to write a song for my little brothers and sisters at the orphanage and to all your fans, what would you write? That was when I started writing that all I see is love when I look into your eyes, you had a place in my heart right from the very start. That's how the song came about. This is a kind of tribute to them; it's all about joy, all about love. That's what I feel for them.
Earlier
we heard you wanted to do, Omo Mi but surprisingly to hear In Your Eyes is
now on the air, when this the song come? Before or after Omo Mi?
Omo Mi was a song that I wrote during the first competition I entered for in Creative Academy in Calabar, Cross River State when I came back from the United Kingdom. I returned from London in 2005 and immediately entered that competition and was the last girl standing in the music category; I took the third position as well.
In that competition, you were expected to write your own composition of music; you couldn't sing copyright. That was very challenging to me because I had never written a song in my life before and here I was instructed to write my own original composition in less than a week and to perform it to an audience of about three hundred people. It was very challenging and the theme for the song was Sickle Cell.
That was how I was inspired to write Omo Mi and it is about a young boy who had sickle cell and felt very discouraged which led him to feel very discouraged and couldn't relate with the other kids or play like them. It was a song I wrote as a mother to a child; to that child. When my mum told me that she wanted to start with the street children campaign; that is getting the kids off the street and rehabilitate them.
I saw that that song was definitely made for her and gave her that song for what she wanted to do. I am still planning to do a music video for that song. In Your Eyes is the title track for the album in which Omo Mi will be a track.
In
Your Eyes had this western rhythm and it was purely original; and the lyrics
touching. Which producer did you work with?
On the album there is going to be two versions of In Your Eyes; the first version is the one which has been on air and that was produced by Mossa, he is the same producer who did TY Bello's Greenland and also, there is going to be another version that is going to be more of an R&B version and it was produced by Cobhams Asuquo. Both versions will have one title; I wanted something more upbeat and that was why Mossa came in. The one that Cobhams handled is the one that will be used more for a live show; it is more laid back and appears with a different type of clout.
The music video is very colourful, energetic and extremely creative, one prominent feature was your ability to dance so much; what did you do to improve on the dances steps as you did not exhibit these steps during the Idols competition?
Ever since I was young, I had always wanted to dance and I love dancing. During the Idols show was more of a singing competition and I didn't want to dance so much so that they (judges and voters) will think that I am using the dances to overshadow the singing aspect of the show. I made sure that I restricted myself to singing which was what the show was all about. Inasmuch as I really had the desire to perform and dance, I had to limit myself from dancing but with this video, to be sincere, I really wanted to bring out the passion and the joy in the song. My next video will have more dance steps.
How tasking was it doing that video?
It wasn't that tasking because we put a lot in planning; we had to get a lot of the dancers, we had to get the costumes and we had to decide on the location. We decided to do the video in our own personal surrounding.
Which music label are you on at the moment?
My father has a label which I am on, Goldmine Music, I am under the label.
How do you feel being the first among the Idols Top 10 to release a song and follow up as well on the video?
To be sincere, I don't think it is a race or who's gonna bring out what first;
everyone has different opportunities and everybody received different opportunities
after Idols. I don't know what the other Idols contestants are doing right
now.
But looking at it from the context that Idols is a platform which projects
the contestant's musical career and here you are the second runner-up being
the first to put together an album when the winner is yet to come out with
something. How do you fill being the first?
I feel good about it; I feel that it's my time and coupled with the fact that my Dad had a studio and I had the means to come out quickly. I believe that in the right time, everybody is going to come out with their albums.
Are you in contact with them?
Yeah and I know a lot of them are in the studio at the moment; I know Timi is in the studio, Jodie is in the studio, Eric also and Uche and Mercy are almost done with their works. Practically everybody has been very busy.
How is your relationship with them now?
We are all very busy but we still keep in touch once in a while; I spoke with Eric recently and Jodie also.
Have you gotten any commendations from them?
Of course, they called me on the phone and congratulated me on the work. They said that a lot of people have told them about the song until they actually heard it on the radio. They said it was very good and I appreciate that.
Uche actually said that you surprised him with your song; does getting these kinds of commendations from your contemporaries' impact on you to do better?
Of course, yes. They are all very nice people, talking about the other nine contestants. They were very nice people and inasmuch that we were in a competition, they were very nice and very honest; if they liked something they will let you know and if they see you doing something that needed improvement, they will equally let you know. They all encouraged me a lot. Some competitions don't end well but Idols West Africa is one competition that I feel ended well because we all had to meet together again.
After Idols, you have been in a lot of shows. Briefly let us know the shows and music personalities you have, performed with?
Immediately after Idols, I was blessed with performing on the same stage with Michael Bolton when he came for a concert at the Civic Centre. I was also on the same stage with Sunny Neji, Timi Dakolo, some American artistes. I was the opening act for the particular event. I have also been performing at Joy Night; it's a fund raising event that holds every month at Eko Hotel for Little Saints Orphanage.
When is your album going to come out?
I am already working on it and it will be coming out before the end of the year.
What kind of songs will be there apart from In Your Eyes and Omo Mi?
I believe in varieties: I want them to dance; I want them to chill out and
also to be encouraged. I will also want them to laugh and to feel joy. Some
of my songs are going to be very light hearted and others will come with great
messages. I want to target some areas that I need that young people will need
encouragement in and some of these areas have to do with self-esteem and positive
thinking. I will also be dwelling on the way some people should handle themselves
in relationships. It's gonna be great and I am going to so it in a way as
if I am advising my little brothers.
So are you saying that your music will be
meant for the young people?
No, my music is going to be for everybody; it will have a touch of old school and the new school. I don't want to leave everybody out, that's why I am taking my time.
What is your dream as a new female artiste in the Nigerian music scene?
The day I will sing on the same stage with the likes of Asa, Sasha, Weird MC and so on; I will feel very good joining a group of people that are there. I am trying to establish myself as an artiste and I want to achieve it by working hard and getting to the point that I will be invited to perform with this people.
Are there likely to be any collaboration with any artiste in the album?
Maybe at some point in the future, I can't say but I am looking forward to doing that.
If you are were to do collaboration with a male artiste and a female act, who will be the likely artistes you will choose?
For a male act, I will choose Dare Art Alade or Tuface Idibia, and then for a female act, I will choose Asa.