Waje speaks on her romance with MI

                            

Since she came into limelight in the P Square monster hit “Do Me,” Waje has not left the spotlight. A woman of great talent and a singer of unrivalled passion, WAJE (an acronym for Words Aren’t Just Enough), whose real name is Aituaje Iruobe, is acknowledged as one of the vocal powerhouses of Nigerian music. After several years, climbing her way up the ladder in the very competitive music industry, she is now ready to join the elite club of recording artistes with an explosive album on the way.
In this forthright chat with Entertainment Express, the Sabon Gida Ora, Edo State-born artiste talks facts about her life. The Lady once regarded as the Whitney Houston of Word of Faith recalls one of the joys she derived from doing music even at an early age. “My parents didn’t have to pay my fees in secondary school because music got me scholarship,” she muses.
She is also candid about her life as a single mother and her close affinity with Chocolate City artistes, particularly her rumoured relationship with one of the artistes under the label, Nigeria’s current King of Rap, MI Abaga. She affirms: “We first met when I was in Enugu and he came for a show. When we met in Lagos, we hooked up and we have been doing music stuffs together.”

This is a big interview that takes you into the wonderful and intriguing world of Waje.

What prompted your new song with DJ Caise?
DJ Caise is a good friend of mine, somebody I respect as an artiste. I listen to his mixes anytime I am driving. The first time he caught my attention was when he did the remix of “Implication.”
After that, he did a remix of “One Naira.” I am a house beat fan. So, he called me up and told me he had something we could work on. I listened to the beat and we wrote a song. It is basically a collaboration of everything; the arrangement and composition of the whole song.

The title of the song is Number One, who were you talking  about in the song?
I was talking about my fans, for people like me who are very  passionate and emotional with their music. I was talking about  everybody in the industry, the producers, the fans, the media, the  radio and TV stations who play our songs. I was telling  them that I am their number one. I appreciate the fact that you guys listen to my music and like it, so I will try as much as possible to be your number one artiste.

As one of Nigeria‘s biggest female acts, you are still without an album. Why is it so?
I don‘t think it is strange, but I am working towards bringing out an album before the end of the first quarter of the year. I am done  recording but the thing is as an artiste you can never be done  recording. Last month, I had already compiled an album, then the next time I was in the studio the producer gave me a hot beat  and I was like: this one must be on my album. I was driving the other day and I was listening to beats from Burna Boy’s producer and I was like this must be on my album again. It is like that. It goes on and on. But now I am done. By this March, my album should be ready.

Tell us about your recent project with MI, Omawumi and Eldee?
We worked on a project with a German-based NGO that has a branch in Nigeria. The organization is fighting against violence on women and children, so we did a compilation for them. We came out with four songs, and the thing about these songs is that we were singing about real stuffs. Like the song I did, “New Morning.” I approached it from the angle of a woman who has been there –beaten, maltreated, violated.  I wanted women who feel that pain to connect with it. MI talked about a “Real Man,” Eldee talked about “Treating Her Like a Lady,” - loving her like your mother and sister.” Omawumi did the song “Enough is Enough” - like how many times will a woman suffer, so enough is enough.

What record label are you on currently?
I have always been on Waje Music. If for any reason a company comes to me and say they want to partner with my company, that is fine by me. I am talking with a lot of labels, most of them who are interested in my career, we will see how it goes; but for now I am still on Waje Music.

Looking back, how did this music thing start for you?
I have always been a singer, from my secondary schooldays when I knew I could sing. I had always been in touch with my musical side. Professionally, I just started finding myself in one place or the other because there was never a time I sat down and say I have decided to start music. My mentor Chris Maduaka convinced me that I could do music professionally. I was 18 at that time. From there, I got into school, where I started gate-crashing gigs and singing. In one of the shows I gate-crashed,  I met P Square. It was actually P Square that shot me into limelight by featuring me in their hit song “Do  Me.” I had a big Beyonce poster in my room with Destiny’s Child. She was in the middle and she wore this red gown. They all wore red, but hers was a V-neck gown. So I went to the  market to see if I can find a gown exactly like that. That was how  bad I really wanted to be like her.

How has the journey been for you in the music industry?
It has been challenging based on the fact that I am a woman,  because there are other commitment we have as women, not just about the music. But the joy in all of this is not the destination; but the journey. I am a better artiste and person than I was two years ago because I have learnt so many things about myself. I have been able to search deep into my music and person to find out what I want to do. I have always come to understand that I am not just  making music for myself, but I am making it for other people as well. Despite how I want my sound to be strictly my choice, there are people that I would love to satisfy, so I have an obligation to please them and give them what they want. It has been challenging - not everybody can testify that after so many years, no album and you still manage to be relevant. It is something I really appreciate.

Where are you from?
I am from Edo State, Sabongida Ora, Owan West Local Government Area. My mum is Igbo. She is from Onitsha. I have a little bit of Yoruba in my blood, because my grandmother, from my father’s side, is Yoruba. So they just mixed me. I am like Salad.
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Benin City. But I was born in Akure. After that, we moved to Lagos and lived in Maroko for two years before we moved back to Benin. I left Benin City for Enugu when I was17.I stayed in Enugu till I graduated from University before I came to Lagos again. My secondary school was in Benin in Word of Faith Group of Schools. Then I went to University of Nigeria, Nsukka,where I studied Social Works.

Who were your early music influences?
Growing up as a child I loved Whitney Houston a lot. She was my Godmother. I am sure she knew she had a daughter somewhere. Every time I get on stage, I would always do her version of “Yes, Jesus Loves Me.” That was how they knew me in church. I was the youngest on stage and that was because of the things I liked to do especially with music. The son of the late Archbishop Idahosa actually called me the Whitney Houston of Word of Faith, because they knew how passionate I was about her songs and music in general. Growing up as a 90’s girl, I listened to 90’s music –Monica, Brandy, R.Kelly, Mary J Blige. Every single year, artistes were coming out with their own sounds. I think it is always best to take a little from everybody because when you sound strictly like one person, people stereotype you; but when you learn from everybody, you end up coming up with your own style.

Did you have it in mind that you were going to be a musician?
As a child, if your father’s screw driver is your microphone and your mother’s head tie is your weavon, of course you would know you wanted to be a musician.

And your parents didn’t object?
No, not my mum. As a child, I used to pick up anything like my dad’s screw driver and used as microphone and start singing “Who’s That Girl” by Madonna. By the time, he entered the living room, he’d see cement chips, because I had used the screwdriver to dig at the walls. When you have that kind of child, you already know. You might be a little bit not in support, but when you see the kind of joy music brings to the family, you will give your support. My parents didn’t have to pay my fees in secondary school because my involvement in music got me scholarships. So why won’t they agree with me taking music serious?

What kind of a child were you?
I was a tomboy. A female child can’t do some of the things I did while growing up. I was a big bully. The reason I got into fight always in school was because I have always been busty. In school then, they called me “milk industry.” That made me fight a lot because I get upset when people call me by that name. I remember passing by a junior secondary school block and I heard somebody whispered “milk industry,”  I went into every class as a senior student to punish everybody. I told everybody to kneel down. Besides that, I have always been a friendly person, that is why despite the fact that I am an artiste I would always say hi to you, it is just who I am. Sometimes people don’t understand you are not in the mood like what happened a few days ago at Ikeja Shoprite. I just finished watching a movie with a friend of mine. I came out and met my car slightly shifted. I discovered that somebody had “bashed” it. I was angry. People around told me the person had been waiting for the owner so he can apologise. The guy came out and was like he is sorry. I said no problem. The next thing I heard was “Please Waje,can I take a picture?” I was like okay. I was forcing myself to smile. DJ Caise was there too and said, this is hilarious. But the truth is regardless of what they do they still appreciate our music. Sometimes on Twitter I would see some comments and I would want to lash at people, but that is not how I am. As a kid I was friendly as I am now but also very restless. I was a very active kid, too active to be a girl.

What are the bad sides of being a celebrity?
I am a very sensitive person, very emotional, though I tend to channel most of the feeling and energy into my music. People don’t understand that we are human beings also, that what makes people angry makes us angry also. There was a time I tweeted the picture of my mother and somebody said, “she is as ugly as you!” There is no problem if you have beef with me, but don’t let it get to people you do not know. My mum is a mother of five, she is a respectable woman, and that her child is an artiste doesn’t mean somebody should insult her or transfer an aggression to her.

Who is Waje?
Waje is a fun-loving person. She is energetic. She is living her story.Waje is somebody who is willing to learn more. I would not trade any of my personalities for anything because these things can make me succeed, so tomorrow when I win the Grammy, people will not be surprised.

Give us a rundown of your discography?
The first single I had was a single a lot of people did not know,
because I was still a rookie then. After that, I did a song entitled  “Kolo” a song I wrote when I started my advanced learning. It was after my house teacher taught me how to write music. Because I was not a good song writer, he gave me an assignment to write a song and the song was “Kolo.” After that I did “For a Minute,” after that I did “Suntia.” After that I worked with J Martins in “Na the Way.” Later I came out with “Oko Mi” and “I Wish.” Then the recent work with DJ Caise which I am very proud of.
What inspires you?
Everything inspires me - myself, my environment, people I have come in contact with. “I Wish” is a person’s story. In the case of  “Oko Mi,” I know how it feels to love somebody and to be loved in return. “For a Minute” was a song I also wrote out of a friend’s experience. “My Life” is a story. I appreciate when people call me pop diva or whatever, but I think there is a lot of hard work still to be done. I am a Nigerian and despite all the negativity people paint us with, we are still colourful, friendly and beautiful.

How do you see the evolution of the Nigerian music industry?
I am excited. We are experiencing what we have never experienced before. Doors are beginning to open for female musicians, female artistes are endorsed now by big brands. Female artistes headline shows now. It is great. It shows where we will be in the nearest future.
Do you agree with the notion that female artistes were unable to come out with albums last year?
Success is not tied to the number of albums you have released. Success is about how relevant you are, about how people love your music. What matters is you bringing out music that people can connect with. What if you bring out albums, and nobody buys what will you do? People bring out album every year and they still flop. It is not about the album. Music is an art and it has to be crafted before
you dish it out. Originality matters. If I just rush up something all in the name of dropping an album, it doesn’t make sense.

How has it been working without the backing of a big record label?
You would not want to know. That is a story for another day. The load is too much. Sometimes when you have set aside some money to buy a house, and you’d suddenly realize that there are things to use that money for, to push your music, then you carry all of it and put inside your music. It takes a disciplined person and someone who is experienced. It has been hard, but I have more than I had a year ago, so there is definitely something I am doing right, so I am not bothered.
Many people think you are a Chocolate City artiste?
I am very close to them because I am always working with them. If I don’t have good vibes with somebody, it is always difficult to work with that person, that is what I enjoy with all of them. I bond well with MI, and the whole Chocolate City family, so people assume I am an artiste under that label, but it is not so.

There is this rumour about you and MI-
Me and MI are best friends, that is all.

Tell us about this friendship
There is nothing to say about it really. We first met when I was in Enugu and he came for a show. When we met in Lagos, we hooked up and we have been doing stuffs together musically. He is somebody who is very passionate about his music and I like him for that.

Where is the rumour of an affair between the two of you emanating from, even Olamide  mentioned it in his song?
I think it is just what you media guys started. We are just friends, and maybe you guys wanted a Nigerian version of Jay Z and Beyonce, so they just hooked us up by themselves.

Don’t you think MI likes you? I saw his Tweet where MI complained that you had “brother zoned” him.
(laughs) Leave him a beg, he is not serious, we are just friends. Even if we are dating, is it something I would tell the world?

How has it been as a single mother in the music industry?
It is beautiful, something a lot of people won’t understand; when I say it, they think I am encouraging people into it. It is beautiful, there are so many things that kid has done for me. I appreciate everything that God has given me.

Can she follow your footsteps and become a singer as well?
Yes, she can, she is a Nicki Minaj fan. It is her choice really, my job is just to advice her, not to choose for me.

Where do you see yourself in the nearest future?
I see myself ‘hammering’, I want my name to be in Forbes - richest pop singers list. But on a serious note, aside conquering Nigeria,Africa and the world, I want to be an icon, like the ones I look up to till today. Mariam Makeba, Onyeka Onwenu, these are icons I would love to emulate. 20 years down the line, I want children to talk about me and look up to me like I looked up to these female music icons. I am a Christian too. I understand that if some people do not do what they do, some other people will not do what they are meant to do. I believed if Whitney Houston never sang, I believe so many of us, both foreign and local, would not have thought of singing. So I want to be that person that people will see and say if Waje could do this, then I can do it too. I want to be able to show people the way that their children can go without compromising their values and principles.

Tell us about your foundation
It is an NGO. Once in a while, I team up with another NGO and try and provide for the needy. I have worked with an NGO on the Makoko Kids. I hadvealso teamed up with other NGOs to do other projects. Tomorrow it might be
cancer. I have been blessed, and the only way to share this blessing is to be able to save as many lives as I can.

Since you are not dating MI, who are you dating then?
I am not dating anybody. And at the same time, I am not searching.

Does your single status has anything to do with your music?
When I walk on the street, do you see the music on my forehead? I have so much on my hands now. Let me not go and marry now, and husband will say he wants pounded yam, cooked by his wife, not by a maid. Then I will leave everything I am doing and I will be pounding yam. But when somebody who understands my kind of person and my job comes along, then it will be easier for me.
Sometimes, when the traffic is too much, you get home, and maybe somebody got you angry, there should be that person who can calm you, and tell you sorry. Everybody would love to have somebody as a companion.

What drives you?
Life, God, my mother and my daughter. It is very important to me that my daughter gets the life I didn’t have as a kid or rather gets what I didn’t get as a kid.

What has been the best advice ever given to you and by whom?
There are two pieces of advice. The first one from Sasha.
The first major stage I climbed, I was scared. It was airing live and I had never been on that kind of stage before. Sasha called me and I told her I was nervous. She said, “don’t look at the faces of people to see if they like you or not, stand on that stage and act like it is the last minutes of your life.” The second advice was from my mother: “When God created you, he didn’t create two, so do what you want to do the way you want to do it. Nobody can doctor you on how you do it.”

Tell us about your worst day on stage
It was an event, a corporate event. This was three years ago. I was to sing the national anthem and I was scared. I had sang it before at Guinness show so they were impressed and they said “we want you to help us sing it at our event.” As I was climbing the show,  Nomoreloss said, “Don’t forget the national anthem o.”
And that was it, my mind went blank. The next day, the whole newspapers were filled with the news that Waje forgot the national anthem.

What kind of man would you want?

I want a man who fears God. A man who is confident and
comfortable and would not be intimidated by the things that would come with what I do. I know what it is to be talking with a friend and somebody you don’t know from Adam would come to excuse you and say “I want to take a picture with you.” And it keeps going on and on. So it is only somebody who understands that can take this. Then, that person must be handsome. As a single mother, the natural question people must ask is about the relationship that produced the child; what happened?
Some things are better left unsaid. It didn’t work out, that is it. It has nothing to do with music, or me doing music, it just didn’t work out.