NewAfricanWoman Issue 35 - Flipbook - Page 31
If you’re not taking care
of yourself or you don’t
brand in a way that
another woman may see
you and say, “Wow, this is
nice, I want to be a part
of this,” how do you then
get people to believe what
you’re saying?
As for your album, what should we expect?
This album is for me like a confessional; things
that I have gone through since 2013 some people
probably go through in 10 years. I wouldn’t want
to disclose the name yet but it’s definitely an album
that will spark conversations, that will make people
ask questions such as “Okay, did this really happen
to Waje?”. I am just coming to the point where I
just want to speak from my heart.
Sometimes we are so focused on work and the
money that we get we forget that the inspiration
in being an artist is to be able to speak your mind
and have people have a piece of themselves in that
situation. I don’t deliberately do it, but I would
love to be a part of people’s lives through the thing
that I can do best which is music. And I have really gone through some great moments and really
tough times that I believe a lot of women can draw
inspiration from.
Last year your daughter Emerald turned 16
and you celebrated with a heartfelt message.
But other than that, you are very private.
How do you keep that privacy especially
with the Nigerian press where everyone is a
blogger?
I keep a close circle really, so whatever I say in my
circle stays in my circle. Yes, I love to make friends
and meet people but I also know where to draw
the line and every time we are together, you are not
with the artist, you’re with the person Waje; you are
with your friend, with your sister. If I am coming
to you with a problem, I am coming to you as your
sister or I am coming to you as your friend. That
way information on things about me or my family
I don’t want to let out to the press, my friends and
my family respect that and they keep it in our
circle. That’s one of the ways I have been able to
make sure that my private life stays private. Even
if I am in a relationship, I won’t put it out there. I
always tell people that the day I decide to get married, the only way they will know is they will see
Waje pregnant and with a ring on her finger. I don’t
think it should be anybody’s business. It’s sacred.
Your private life is where you find sanity. And the
minute you start exposing yourself and everyone
else and the outside world to your private life, it no
longer is private.
What were the challenges of having Emerald at such a young age and what are the
rewards now being the yummy mummy of a
teenage girl?
The challenges were of course how the society
would perceive me; it’s not something that I want
any teenager to go through, I think children should
concentrate on where they are right now which is
education. Having kids will come when the time
is right. As much as it was something that was
frowned at, my family was a great support system
for me, so they helped me to stay above water. My
mum has had her for a very long time so I went
back to school and I was able to do a few things for
myself. My daughter started living with me about
five or six years ago. Right now the perk and the
thing I am grateful for is that it is a blessing and an
honour when God gives you a child and tells you
to care for that child. It’s an office, a responsibility
he has given you. It is so interesting when I watch
her and I see her making decisions for herself; just
having that person that you nurtured grow before
your eyes.
There is almost this fairy-tale narrative about
you. From getting jobs to support your family
to becoming the star that you are today. How
valid is that statement?
I don’t think it is a fairy-tale story because in those
situations you find how hard life is. My mum
couldn’t get a job for a very long time because
she was an administrator at my secondary school
and by the time I got pregnant as a teenager, she
resigned because it was a Christian school. For
me, that’s not a fairy-tale story; everyone thinks it
is a fairy-tale story now because Waje is who she
is right now, but it’s not the sort of experience I
would want any family to go through. The grace of
God has been sufficient for us and every time we
find a way to just push forward.
F E B / M A R 2 0 16 N AW /
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