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“HOW MY MUM, FOLAKE MAJIN, INFLUENCED MY LIFE” – SINGER GOGO MAJIN

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Gogo Majin, the daughter of Folake Majin, one of Lagos finest designer who came on the fashion scene in 2004. aside from stepping into her mother’s shoes as a fashion designer, which actually runs in the family as her older sister is into fashion too,, she also decided to follow her passion which is music, after completing her study in vocal technology in London where she took voice lessons with the legendary Seth Riggs who is the voice coach to music icons Michael Jackson, Steve wonder etc. She recently made a huge debut on the Nigerian scene and has 2 albums to her credit. She is also a voice coach and runs a radio programme, Vocalize Radio Show on Inspiration FM 92.3. She is currently the latest sensation on the scene right now. In this interview with City People Fashion Editor BOLA AKINBOADE, she opened up on her life and passion for music.

Your mum is one of the most celebrated fashion designers in Nigeria and since you share a very strong bond with her, why didn’t you consider fashion?
Well I have been involved to some extent in the fashion industry, I have a clothing line that I have designed that’s coming out soon I have a mom who is a designer and older sister who is a designer too and I think that by association, their talent has rubbed off on me and because I have learned a lot about fashion from them. Because of my mom I have come to love the process of designing and all that comes with it. But I always considered music as my top priority.

At what point was it very clear to you that you were going to become a singer?
From a very young age I was very passionate about singing. I absolutely loved it. I enjoyed learning new songs and singing them to myself at home, I sang at school and I also sang in the children’s choir at my church. I would say from the age of 8, I was sure that I wanted to be a singer. I kept it to myself though and I just continued singing and learning all that I could.

Why then did you choose Gospel considering the fact that you have a fantastic voice and would have made it easily in the secular music?
Well, I don’t necessarily subscribe to labeling music that way. I think that the lyrics of songs definitely point to what we believe and because I am a Christian, I believe that whatever kind of music I do should not contradict my belief. So long as am doing that, I am satisfied.

Who were the singers that you listened to while growing up that made you want to become a singer?
My dad had all kinds of music and we listened to all of them but my earliest musical influences were people like Michael Jackson, Jackson five, Whitney Houston and many others. Even as a child, Michael Jackson’s voice moved me so much and I could always connect with him and I learned so much from him. I adored Whitney Houston’s singing ability and hoped that one day I would be able to have the kind of control, power and dynamics that she had.

Have you always had a natural ability to sing or it came with of practice?
I have always had the natural ability to sing and instinctively know what to do song wise. I know it’s a gift from God. Of course you get better with practice (and practice you must, your voice diminishes if you don’t) and as the years went by, my technique continued to improve and become more refined as I continued to learn. But from a very young age, I had the natural innate ability to sing.

What kind of vocal training have you had in the past?
I studied vocal technology in London and I also took voice lessons with the legendary Seth Riggs who is the voice coach to Michael Jackson, Steve wonder etc.

Let’s talk about your voice training, how did you also come up with that?
For a long time I was looking for a contemporary voice coach in Nigeria. I had been singing for years and some bad vocal habits I had acquired out of ignorance was giving me vocal trouble, I also wanted to learn more about how to use my voice. I searched all over but didn’t find one, so I went and studied abroad and I tried to find the best in the game to train with them. Almost five years ago I decided to become the contemporary voice coach that I searched for years ago but didn’t find.

Who are you targets as regards your voice training school?
My target really is all professional voice users. By that, I mean anyone who uses their voice for extended periods on their job. Also, if your source of income depends on your vocal ability, then you also fall into the professional voice user category.

Can you share your experience at the MTN Project fame and how influential has it been in the growth of your musical career?
It was an interesting experience; but it entailed a lot of hard work. Being the voice coach to 15 different contestants is challenging mentally, it also requires a lot of patience. I was solely responsible for teaching them proper vocal technique, vocal hygiene and also how to emote and improvise the songs in such a way that their own vocal uniqueness was able to shine through. I really love my job so I am able to enjoy the process and of course, everyone could see the massive improvement that followed with each week that went by and that made me very happy.

When are you releasing your new album and what should we expect?
I am currently recording music for my third album which I hope will be out later this year. It’s a different from the old music that i’ve released in the past and I don’t want to reveal too much yet, but it will be a very lovable album.

When you are writing a song, what inspires you?
Several things, the bible, experiences, nature amongst others.

Has your music career been financially lucrative?
(LAUGHS)I was asked once if I was smiling to the bank and I told the interviewer that I wanted to laugh all the way to the bank. That’s my answer.

Can you tell us about your upcoming projects and any performances coming up?
I just started the VOCALIZE radio show on Inspiration fm 92.3. It airs every Saturday at 9am. It’s a vocal tip show where I reveal practical yet revolutionary vocal tips that will take your voice to the next level. It’s really nice because in the past, I have written voice training articles in the newspaper and I have done shows on television, but this particular show is compressed for people on the go. So for example, while you are driving ,you can listen in and get the vocal tips. Also in a few months ,I will be unveiling my clothing line. It will be a ready to wear line for young women and the young at heart; it’s called GOGO MAJIN for Schon Afrique.

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