‘Recession has forced many artistes to lie low’

Queen of Samba music, Stella Monye, has not been quite as visible on the entertainment scene as she used to be. She was last seen in public in July when she threw a party – she called it ‘Old School Party’ – in memory of American pop music star, Prince (Rogers Nelson), who died on April 21 at the age of 57.
The party, held on July 30 somewhere in Ikeja, Lagos and attended by many celebrities, was meant to honour Prince for his contributions to the development of women, especially in the global entertainment industry.
“We celebrated Prince for uplifting women in the entertainment world. He was our number one advocate for women. Apart from the fact that his band was initially dominated by women, he wrote many songs for celebrity female artistes. For example, he wrote the song titled ‘Like a prayer’ for Madonna. He also wrote songs for Chaka Khan, O’Connor and many other popular female singers,” Stella  explains, in an interview with our correspondent.


Asked why she has been largely inactive on the music scene, she replies, “The economic recession has forced many artistes to lie low. I am one of those people. I have so much to do, but I am unable to accomplish anything right now because things are a bit slow.”
The singer has her finger in many pies already. One of the projects in the pipeline is a new music album – perhaps her first in a long time – a ‘Unity album’, which she plans to record soon alongside fuji star, Alabi Pasuma. The album, she says, is her own contribution to the quest for peace and unity in Nigeria.
Like most Nigerians, she is worried about the security crisis that is currently rocking parts of the country, the threats posed by various violent groups and the implication on the society in general. The album in view, she says, aims at appealing to these militant groups to sheathe their swords and give peace a chance.
The singer reveals that she will be appearing in her first Yoruba movie soon. The movie is titled Agbede Meji (or ‘Crossroads’) and the producer is Yomi Fabiyi. “I shall be going on location on December 1, 2016. Yomi invited me to be on the cast of the film,” she notes.
Stella is also planning to host a talent hunt show and an exhibition of the products of her clothing line, House of Samba, in Lagos. She has christened it, ‘The Harvest of Unique Knowledge’ (or HUK Show Reloaded). According to her, the talent hunt will focus on talented female singers.
“I want to discover and train new female singers every month. It is going to be a live show. Although I have tried it out before, I want to re-launch the show and see how it goes.
“The show will be a fair mix between a reality TV show and pure entertainment. The winners will be rewarded instantly on stage. The contestants will be required to come out and sing. Whoever emerges winner will be given her prize right there,” she says.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tight security as Abia council polls hold today

Image
The Commissioner of Police in Abia State, Mr. Adeleye Oyebade, has said the State Police command will provide adequate security across the seventeen local government areas of the State to ensure a smooth conduct of the local government election today. He stated that the Nigerian constitution guarantees that there must be adequate security during elections at the local councils because the people at the grassroots were involved. Oyebade who spoke during a press conference with senior Police officers in Umuahia, the State Capital, pointed out that the command had mapped out its operational plans to secure the State during and after the election. He explained that leaders of various political parties in the State have been briefed regarding the conduct of their candidates and the electorate on the election day. He said, “Every credible election must be well planned, because proper planning prevents poor performance. So those of us that are stakeholders in the State h...
Read more

Confusion As ‘Cross Of Jesus’ Is Sighted In Nasarawa Mosque

Image
Residents of Assakio Development Area in Lafia, Nasarawa State were thrown into confusion on Saturday following the sudden appearance of a strange cross five feet away from a central mosque in the community. The mysterious sighting attracted a mammoth crowd from Assakio and its environs with many praying for forgiveness and blessings. Our correspondent observed that the illuminated cross was projected on to the ground. A 15 year-old-girl, Hajara Hussaini, in an interview with SUNDAY PUNCH, said she first sighted the sign of a cross at about 8pm on Wednesday. Hussaini, who said she had been sent on an errand by her parents, explained that when she saw a strange light, she as gripped by fear and rushed back home to alert her mother, Matan Liman. Confirming the incident to journalists, Matan said she had sent her daughter to visit her grandmother. The middle-aged woman added that her daughter saw the crucifix while returning from the errand. The Chief Imam of Assakio ...
Read more

Empress, Juliet Ibrahim in war of words over domestic violence

Image
Nigerian actress Empress Njama has also decided to voice their opinion on the issue of domestic violence. She however, seem to be the one of the few who has decided to fight for the men. She said, if a man hits a woman, it is called domestic violence but when a woman hit a man, what is it called? “There are men out there who are abused mentally by women through words and abuses than women who are been beaten physically  She however, maintained that she is not in support of men physically abusing a man, just that we needed to get it right on the issue of domestic violence “I’m not saying it is advisable for a man to beat up or assault a woman, but some women are headstrong that they can traumatize their partner mentally to the extent that he has no choice than to beat her up” She also made it clear that no marriage is without its challenges and that the two needs to work together to help it wor...
Read more