Daily Independent (Lagos)
18 November 2008
Since she rocked the airwaves with her hit album, 'Kilode,' in the 90s, not much has been heard of Stella Monye. But in this interview with our TRAINEE REPORTER, Anthonia Soyingbe, Monye indicates her readiness to re-launch her career with her latest album Outburst that has ten tracks. She also speaks about her love life, among other issues. Excerpts:
Your look has always been like this; you have not added weight, neither has anything changed about your physical structure. What is the secret?
Oh my God! When a complement like that is passed to someone, what they say is God or thank you. So let me join them by first saying it is God and also to thank you for the complement. My sister, Na God o. I guess what many people don't know is that I started early then. So they did say that I looked older than my age but now they are saying that I look younger than my age. I looked older then but now I am older but look younger.
Don't misunderstand me; all I said was that your look has not changed. By the way, how old are you?
I am in my forties.
Early, mid or late?
I am in my early forties, going to mid forties.
What has been happening to your musical career, that we have not been hearing much about you since?
What is happening? Well, I used to think like that too when I don't see some of my colleagues on stage, I often wonder what is happening to them. I lately realised that the only time people see you is when you make yourself available to be heard or to be seen. I believe that as long as your work is going on well, I don't see why you should be seen always. I have been working but many people like you don't know.
How many albums have you released till date?
Just six.
Why six?
The industry itself has not been really consistent. If not for the entrance of the Alaba Boys, we won't have anything like the entertainment industry anymore. We had a lot of record industries then, which are no longer in existence now. What do you think will happen to the industry when the record industry is not functioning? We thank God for the entrance of the Alaba Boys who gave the industry a new look. When people produce their music now, they take it to the Alaba Boys; they settle you and you see your music all over the place. Instead of record companies, what we have now are the Alaba Boys.
So you patronise the Alaba Boys?
Well, I haven't patronised anyone of them. One of the problems that people like us have is that we are at best described as the bridge between the legend and the new generation artistes. Sometimes people tend to call me legend but I am not one. I am not, because people like King Sunny Ade of this world, Fatai Rolling Dollars of this world, Sir. Victor Uwaifo and the late Dr. Oliver De Coque are the legends. We, the gap, are supposed to be in a better position to balance the industry but like I said, the industry has its own problem that came with it. We are hoping, very soon, to see how the professional group in the industry can proffer solution to the problem of the Nigerian music industry.
Don't you think that the entrance of the Alaba Boys into the industry is a big threat to the development of the entertainment industry in Nigeria?
Honestly, I don't know what to say or what to believe because I call them Alaba Boys because I believe that nothing tangible can come out of them unless we go back and have a proper record label. Even when there was record company, artistes were still complaining that they were cheating them. I think it is a better set up than these Alaba stuffs. I believe if things are well organised, we can chase pirates out of our system. But I don't think that is possible now because the environment is not encouraging and many artistes believe that pirate will help them get to where ordinarily they can't reach. To me, that notion is very wrong. Piracy itself is a big industry in Nigeria and even the world at large.
How did you feel when you heard of the death of your ex-lover Sunny Okosuns?
I felt the same way I felt when I heard about Oliver De Coque, but my dear let the dead rest.
But you had an affair with him then?
That was what they said.
You mean it was a rumour?
Tonia, I think there are many important issues we can discuss rather than discussing dead issues like this. A lot of things are happening to me now which I think will interest my fans. I have never been married to anyone in my life.
You are a little bit attractive and famous. Why are you not married at your age?
To me, marriage should be with the right person.
You were only going out with him then?
Many women go out with men whom they are not married to. I will want to talk about something else. I don't want to be talking about him again. Let the dead continue to rest.
You were never married but you had a child
(Sighs) What do you do when you have children? Do you kill them because you are not married?
Your child was reported to be very ill some years back. How is he now?
He was never ill he only had an accident. He fell from the top of a high water tank and then he broke his jaw in a very terrible way. The tragic part is over. He can move around now.
Hope his father was available for him at that point in time?
His father is late.
Who was his father?
Dead people are dead people so let us leave them to rest.
Tell me the concept behind your latest album Outburst?
Many people have asked me this same question. Some people asked me if I was angry but I told them that I was not angry. In life, anything you say is an outburst. I have ten tracks, eights songs and two instrumental. I will do the public presentation on November 30, in Lagos.
What is your perception about the music industry now?
I know that music is as old as you are; music is music, whether you play it in the 60s or you play it in the 90s. It is only here in Nigeria that I see people categorising musicians. People play music as long as they live. The industry in Nigeria is progressing in terms of the showbiz aspect of it and not in curbing piracy but in terms of shows and contracts. But the most painful aspect of this is that we have only some sections of people benefiting from this growth. We all need to stand up and make the industry better.
You started at age 16. Why did you go into music at such a tender age?
When I was in secondary school, I was into sports and I thought that sports would be. If you like, call it self-discovery or you call it self-realisation. You have a starting point in your life and then people around you start saying she started small. For instance, when I was in secondary school, I was very much in sports; I was into hurdle and high jump. I then thought that sports will pave way for me in life but somewhere along the line, music came and took over sports from me.
In life, we all don't know where we are heading. I thank God because I was able to discover myself early enough in life.
Music has really paved way for you in life.
It depends on the angle you look at it. But I believe that in life things can't be rosy every time, but I give God all the glory. Sometimes I wish I was not known because fame sometimes is a burden. If you ask other artistes they will tell you that fame is a burden. Anything that has ups will always have downs, sometimes you can't go to some places.
Where are those places you can't go because of fame?
I can go to anywhere but I comport myself very well so that people won't have the negative impression about me.
Since you are not married, you will be a little bit free.
What do you mean by freedom?
You can go to anywhere you want since you don't have any man you are subjected to.
(Laughs) Who told you that there is no man somewhere monitoring me?
So, there is a man somewhere monitoring your life?
I am not trying to tell you anything. All I am asking you is that who told you there is no man in my life?
Nobody told me. I am just asking you a question.
I guess you are assuming, so let us leave it that way.
I am not assuming. I am asking you a very important question.
What do you want me to say?
Just tell me nothing but the truth.
The truth (laughter) I don't lie, it is just that some things are not better discussed.
Aren't you proud of the love of your life?
You are very inquisitive. I think there are better issues we can discuss than this nonsensical issue of men.
You call men's issue nonsensical issue?
Na wah, na you dey tell me so!
When are you planning to tie the knot with him?
I want your dad.
My father is happily and legally married to my mother. He is in his 60s, and I don't think he can satisfy you materially and otherwise.
I want him so that he can die on time, and with that I will be free again. (Laughter.)
Please I don't want him to die now. I now understand that you don't want any man because you want to be free.
The question should be: does any man want me? We are in Africa and our culture does not permit women to ask men's hand in marriage. I don't have anything to say about that.
You sound and look like some one who has a special feeling for the same sex.
(Laughter) When I see women who are beautiful, I admire them but I don't think I have ever wanted to have anything to do with them, when there are better hot-blooded men out there who can give you all the satisfaction you want.
What are the qualities you want in your dream man?
I don't have any dream about any man.
How many awards have you won in the past?
I don't believe in all these their fraudulent awards. The best people are not the people that win the award. I am often nominated but I have never been given an award.
As a woman, what will you say is the major challenge you have encountered in your career?
So many things. The issue of being an African woman means that much is been expected of you from different quarters. This has nothing to do with your status. All women have a common challenge from different quarters. A woman will go to work in the morning; she will attend to her baby and her husband at night and she will attend to her in-laws.
In your own case, you have nobody to attend to at night. What do you do at nights?
I sometimes pray.
What about on cold nights?
I use my blanket. Even if you have someone by your side, will that happen every night? Don't forget that some couples don't sleep together. Who told you that no man keeps my company on cold nights? It doesn't happen every night but it happens some nights. It is one of those things that happen in life.
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