Someone once said there is no definite path to success. While some took the long road, others took the short cuts, some took the elevators and there are many more that would travel the road and never get to their destinations. Here, 2Face Idibia, Waje, Yemi Alade and Cynthia Morgan share their trying times on the road to success:
I used to pose as a military man to avoid paying transport fares — 2face
International superstar and Nigerian music icon 2Face Idibia is one of Africa’s most successful modern musicians and a bona fide global superstar with a huge fan base extending from Nigeria, across Africa, Europe to Asia. He recently sat down for a #MySuperStarStory session where he spoke about the genesis of his career as a recording artiste. He revealed that he dropped out of school to move to Lagos and chase a career in music. At the time he said, even money to eat was a problem.
“When I came to Lagos, moving around in the city was only possible by taking Molue and Danfo buses. Sometimes, I would even pretend to be a member of the armed forces to avoid paying the transport fare. On some of these occasions, I would then be thrown off the bus for not having enough transport fare” he says.
This situation persisted until his initial break with defunct boy band Plantashun Boiz. He further described his first album Face2Face as his big breakthrough. In his words, “There is this thing called ‘Luck’ in life. But luck is not always there. So you don’t have to wait for luck. You have to start building yourself. But don’t ever think that anything good comes easy.”
Someone once threw away my demo CD in my presence — Waje
She is one of Nigeria’s foremost R&B singers with a powerful voice, which covers three octaves. She has worked with industry A-listers such as P-Square, Banky W and MI and she has built up a huge portfolio of critically acclaimed and commercially successful works. But Waje, born Aituaje Vivian Iruobe recently revealed that there were
difficult and heartbreaking periods at the time when she was unknown and struggling. She disclosed this when she sat down for a #MySuperStarStory interview.
With a wry smile on her face, she recounted an experience in Onitsha. She said, “I walked up to somebody. I was like “Hey, my name is Waje and I just want to be out there,” because I just wanted their encouragement. I gave them my demo and they held the demo, and in just a split second that I looked away, I turned back and the guy had flung my CD away.”
She described her turning point as starting in 2011, since when she says, it has been a steady progression that has been made possible by the grace of God.
I had to buy fuel for studios to record my songs — Yemi Alade
For anyone who follows African music, the ‘Looking for my Johnny’ song is easily one of the biggest tracks of 2014 with over 20 million views on YouTube and a remix in French as it became an anthem across Nigeria and West Africa. To pop diva Yemi Alade however, this song was more than just a successful track. It was a life changer – the culmination of years of struggle and thankless toil. She recently sat down for a #MySuperStarStory session where she shed light on her journey in music up to this point.
She revealed that for years, she had to beg for free studio time because she did not have a dime to pay for recording. According to her, there were even times when she would have to scrape some money together to buy fuel to run the studio generator before she could be recorded. Her turning point, she said, was ‘Johnny’ which changed her life forever. “God brought that song my way without telling me He was going to bless me” she said with a large smile across her face.
I didn’t watch TV until I was ten — Cynthia Morgan
If a group of people are asked to name the undisputed queen of Nigerian ragga/dancehall, the name “Cynthia Morgan” will surely come up
many times. The energetic singer with her trademark red hair has become a reference point for the Nigerian Dancehall genre. However, she has not always had it this good and in fact her rise from obscurity to fame has not been easy or straightforward at all. She recently sat down to reveal her life story during a #MySuperStarStory interview.
The Edo State-born entertainer revealed that she did not watch TV until she was about ten years old due to her conservative Jehovah Witness background. After recording her first 6-track demo album at the age of 16, despite people recognizing her talent, she was often discouraged by her friends who mocked her dream of making it as a singer in Lagos and told her that she would return to Benin in no time.
Today, she says, those friends are her biggest fans. Giving thanks to God for how far she has come, Cynthia Morgan also noted that throughout her journey, despite obstacles such as discrimination and discouragement, she was sustained by her faith in God and her faith in herself, which made her thick skinned.
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