Azeezat. Remember her? She’s that slim and dark singer with unique hairstyles who thrilled us years back before getting married to her then manager, Seyi Allen. YES INTERNATIONAL! Magazine’s GBENGA SHABA ran into her recently and couldn’t resist interviewing her on her marriage, career and more. Enjoy…
What has marriage taken from you since you got married?
I have been married for some years now and I do not have regrets about it. So, I don’t think I can honestly answer the question because I have not seen marriage as a platform that has taken away something from me. I see it as part of my life and I’ve been blessed by it.
The last hit song you had was Hold On, what is happening to your music career?
Hold On was my first album and since then I’ve released three more albums, but the dynamics of the industry have changed and maybe that is why you have not been hearing from me or about my other songs. But I’m still doing my songs, still recording songs and I’m working on another presently. So, I keep keeping on because what is important is that I keep on doing what I love to do, keep dishing it out to the people and my fans and hopefully, more of my fans can hear good music from me soon.
How has taking up a job as a director with COSON been affecting you?
It’s definitely affecting me positively because I’m able to sit at the table where decisions for the industry are made. If I say something is affecting my career, I’m able to sit at a table where I can work tirelessly towards fixing those things that are affecting me. It’s not just my problem, but a collective one in the industry. So, being part of COSON has helped me to always contribute my own quota towards making the industry a better one.
How would you describe and rate your career from when you started till now?
It’s been wonderful. I mean, it’s my rightful journey and it’s fulfilling. I’ve recorded a lot of great moments. I’ve performed on big stages, many of which I can’t even remember again. Music has been very fulfilling for me. It has opened doors for me, and helped me to open doors for other people. Although, I still have a lot to do because I’m still recording in the studio, releasing new music and I’m sure that there are greater moments to come.
What would you record to be your lowest moment since you started?
I’ve had a lot of low moments in the past, but now when I think about the loss of Dagrin, it is still indescribable and I’ve no explanation for it because every time I remember that death, it kills me because this was a boy I knew when he was struggling and when he was making it, he couldn’t wait for it and he just died like that.
Are you one of the artistes who regret not to have had a collabo with him when he was alive?
Definitely! I was still discussing it with a friend today. Actually, I was not the one who wanted to feature him, but my husband (Seyi Allen). My husband was on him for collaboration, but he would always tell him he would come over and over until he died.
Do you feel threatened by the emergence of so many female singers who have now taken the centre stage?
Threat? That is impossible. When somebody inspires you to do better; every chance I get, I google their performances, songs, videos so as to be able to see what I can add to my skills and my branding. That cannot be a threat. I love a lot of them. I love singers like Tiwa, Chidinma, Omawumi, Waje and the new girl, Kumi who sang Ma Bi Mi Ni Jamb Question. My children would always disturb the house with their songs. I would love to work with any one of them.
Do you feel any regret that you are not on top of your career now that there is so much money in the industry?
Of course; because I’m a business woman and that is why I’m still in the studio, that is why I’m working hard to be able to tap into what is happening now in the industry.
Why do you think most artistes find it difficult to sustain their fame?
I don’t like to comment on questions that might seem as if I’m judging, because you are not walking in some people’s shoes, so you do not know how the shoe is pinching them. But we all have challenges and sometimes some of those challenges, we cannot win. I would say some might not be able to sustain their fame, maybe they didn’t have enough talent. But I don’t think that what it takes to sustain your fame is all about talent. Sometimes there are lots of unstable structures in the industry to sustain one’s fame, so I think good structures in place should be able to sustain one’s creativity.
You have been married for years. How have you been able to sustain your marriage, looking at the divorce trend in the entertainment industry?
I’ve been able to sustain mine by knowing what is important. Marriages are full of ups and downs, but at every point in time, when you get to any stage in life, you would be able to ask yourself what is important at this point in time. There is a place for business and a place for marriage. You cannot sacrifice your marriage at the altar of career and vice versa. It also comes with having the right partner who understands the place of these two and then of course taking God first who is the superglue of all unions.
How do you identify a right partner?
It is very, very subjective, because I believe that a girl should be able to have a partner who loves her success more than she loves her success. Someone who understands the vision of where she’s going to and who will help to push her towards that and of course, you must have a friend who is understanding and the communication must be very effective. He must be somebody who is ready to communicate at all times, because this is very key.
If not music, what else would you have done better?
I think I would have performed better in business because if people are complaining now that they have not heard from me for a while and my business side has been better and I’ve understood business like I do now, that would not have happened.
What would you have done differently from your music career?
I would have had a stable source of income set up somewhere that I would be able to use to run my career.
Despite the fact that you are married, do you still get advances from men?
There are situations where I have misbehaved to a fan. I could remember once or twice and anytime I remember them I still feel a lot of regrets. But believe me, what I did was to check all other angles they could use to get to me. Personally, I hate those things; I can’t stand it. When I get into a conversation with somebody, I want to talk about something progressive. So, it irritates me when the person knows that I’m married and he is still trying to do certain things that I’m not comfortable with, despite my efforts to tell you that I’m not interested and it seems that the only thing that is left for him to understand is to be aggressive; then I have been aggressive.
Do you have any instance?
You said you want to take a picture with me and you are taking your hands to where you are not supposed to take your hands to. What do you expect a girl to do?
Have you had a worst embarrassing moment?
Ha! I’ve had embarrassing moments, but I still remember one vividly. It was so embarrassing that even to talk about it is embarrassing to me, even though it’s almost 10 years. It was so bad. It happened between me and one of my band members. I was singing a song and making jokes around because it was a live performance. I was talking about somebody limping and was enjoying myself, but had forgotten that one of my band members had a bad leg and unfortunately for me he was on stage with me. When I looked back and saw him, I was down! Till now, even as I’m talking about it, it’s still embarrassing because this was somebody that had been supporting my career and was so good to me. I felt that I should not have done such on stage, but it was unintentional, because I was just playing around. We still have a good relationship, but anytime I think about him, I feel like being swallowed by the mother earth.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on a song called Love Your Self. It’s for female empowerment and I’m hoping to work with other female artistes to be able to achieve that.