Chidinma the mighty woman!!!
Big things come in small packages goes a popular maxim. Chidinma Ekile not only wears this adage like a garb, she also personifies it. In a world dominated by music giants, the diminutive past winner of popular music reality show, MTN Project Fame West Africa (Season III) holds her own.
The first female-champion of the popular music reality show made her debut with the hit single entitled Jankoliko featuring Sound Sultan. With the backing of visually talented producer, Cobhams Asuquo, she also followed it with a new upbeat love song entitled Kedike which is currently rocking the waves.
At age 23, the artiste who is the special focus of a programme on American urban music show, BET disclosed that the only relationship she is involved with is her music.
“First, I distract myself with my career. Music is one thing I can’t run away from. Music gets to everybody. Music is a universal language. I distract myself with music and I try to immerse myself in my family. I am not really far away from my family. I have a younger brother. We are seven,” she reveals.
Chidinma who is the sixth child among seven talks about several issues including growing up, family, her career and upcoming debut album.
There is a lot of talk lately about you being signed by Clarence Peters’ Capital Hill Records. How do you relate to that?
I’m just a kind of ‘family’ member to the label. I’m really very close to the crew and I have enjoyed their support. Ill Bliss who happens to be a partner of Clarence has been my manager. I am not coming on board yet, if there is anything surely the press will be the first to know.
Your second single Kedike is now on the lips of many, what is the concept behind your song?
‘It makes my heart beat, Kedike!’ Most of my songs are conscious and like one of them entitled Run Their Mouths is somehow political. In Kedike, I just wanted to do a love song that maybe I can perform during love season like Valentine’s Day and all that. So it is just a love song that just came because I had to do a love song.
Where did the word Kedike come from?
Like I said, I wanted to do a love song and I was in the studio and my producer, Cobhams Asuquo said that we needed to do a love song but it didn’t have to be slow. Every love song that you hear ‘I love you and all that’ but he said he wanted something off this. He said he wanted something very catchy. As in, something with a catchy chorus. He gave some kind of tone and asked me to fill it with some words. The music keys were sounding ‘Kedi-ke’. That was how Kedike was born. It is not an Igbo name, it’s just a slang that I came up with just like Jankoliko.
Tell us about Jankoliko too?
Ok, like Jankoliko is not a love song. It just teaches morals. It’s conscious. There is a song I have in my album, it is entitled Be Myself. I just want to be myself, I don’t have to be like any other person. I have quite a lot of songs that are like that. Apart from Kedike that is a love song, I have one Run Their Mouth, and it’s political. Most of my songs are like that. I don’t dwell only on love songs. But it has to be pop. My kind of music is pop. Whatever I do, whatever I sing, you will definitely know that I am Nigerian.
You still live in the same house with your folks even after your new found fame and fortune, how do you cope?
My family is my family. We are really very few. I have six siblings. There are seven children. I’m the sixth of them. I’m more like the baby of the house. I am really very attached to my family. I give them all my life. I have never had any cause to leave my family. There is this connection. I think my family is my family. If I have to leave, I will but now I am still with them.
What kind of upbringing did you have?
It was a very strict one. Some people think my father is a wizard. Even during MTN Project Fame, my father didn’t appear in the show until the last day because he felt what he was doing. My father is a very strict man and my mum too. She is not as strict as he is but she is very supportive of daddy’s actions. I didn’t have the time to hang out with friends and all that kind of things. I don’t just have the time to jump around. It’s just home, school and church.
What kind of disciplinarian was your dad?
I had a very strict routine as a kid and my school is not far from my house. So, I could actually walk. There is no point to board a bus or a bike. I could trek. Whatever happened, they could still find me. My church and school are not far from home. If you don’t come back on time, you are in trouble.
Can you remember, the most memorable time you got a scolding as a kid?
I remembered one day when I was on the street, one of my teachers was actually passing by, he was talking to me and daddy came back home from work. And when he saw me, he walked past and waited for me till I got home. I wanted to greet my dad and the first thing I heard was, ‘what are you doing with that guy on the street’? And when I was making a point to tell my mum that, it was Mr. So so so, she said, ‘’Oh! It was her teacher!’’ he didn’t even listen. My mum had to take me out of the house for him to calm down. That day, I will never forget.
You were labelled a ‘Church Girl’ during MTNPF and many expected that you will go into gospel music. What is your take?
It’s not bad. It’s not out of place if I’m labelled a ‘church girl’ because I remembered what actually led to this is that when we finished production, the song I composed during the MTN Project Fame competition was just inspirational. So, a lot of people saw me as a gospel musician. It was highly inspirational because it was about me. And when I finished with the competition, I went back to church. My church is so important to me that I had to do some church stuff. A lot of people said that being in the showbiz world might affect my faith but it doesn’t stop me from being a Christian. I attend Four Square Gospel Church in Ikorodu Lagos. I am still in the church choir. I am still one of the lead vocalists in the choir and I attend rehearsals as often as I can.
How do you manage to keep your head low?
I think it is God and people that have been praying for me especially my pastor and members of the choir. Even when I was in the academy, I tried as much as possible not to be carried away with whatever is happening around me. At that time, I was actually the first female to win. I saw it as a privilege or opportunity that is rare and I should not misuse it. And I use it very well. I just took it as a challenge, with the help of God by my side, I can do it. Thank God for that.
Let’s talk about how you handle difficult guys?
I try to define my relationship. I will say, “what do you want?’’ Tell me and if I will be ok or not. If you know you cannot understand then I can’t help you. I just try to define the relationship. We all understand where we are, what we are doing and where we are coming from.
So, who is your type of man?
He must be an intelligent, God-fearing and understanding man. It takes someone patient to understand someone with this kind of thing I do and will be able to stay with me. So, he has to be understanding, God fearing and highly intelligent.
So how do you handle your sexual urges or do you have time for men at all?
First, I distract myself with my career. Music is one thing I can’t run away from. Music gets to everybody. Music is a universal language. I distract myself with music and I try to immerse myself in my family. I am not really far away from my family. I have a younger brother. We are seven.
Two years after winning MTNPF, would you say you have achieved your other dreams and ambitions?
I still stay at home. I stay with my parents by helping them whichever way I can. I try my best to do whatever I want to do. About my academic ambitions, I think I am getting there. Apart from music, Mass Communication particularly Journalism is one thing I am going to explore. God is helping me. I have started something on TV. It’s with MTV Base’s Good Friday Show. I actually host a segment on the Good Friday Show. I think, that is a good start for my broadcasting career.
Looking back did you expect to win project fame?
I can’t really say but I was very hopeful because towards the end of Project Fame, it was just a guy and five girls. You know, I couldn’t be sure if I would emerge the winner of the competition. I just wanted a girl to win. At least I know that it would be a record first time for female to win the competition. Even before I won, people never thought that a female could win. It just makes me feel good.
When will your album finally be released?
You know this album actually is majorly an MTN project. So whatever I do concerning the album, MTN has a hand in it. I really can’t do anything without letting them know. But very soon, I’ve already started making plans. But right now, we are working towards it. I have enough recorded materials and we are actually looking at something before the end of the year.
What is your message to the young people out there?
It’s not funny again because HIV/ AIDS is not funny. It’s actually for real. Even the condom they talk about is not 100% save. They are not. Anything can happen. You won’t feel like “do I need to check myself” because you will know that you are not involved in the first place. I think I represent the youth. I am also a youth. Whatever I do I put them into consideration. Even when I am out there, I don’t get carried away.
