“I RELOCATED FROM THE U.S TO PURSUE MUSIC”; AFRO-POP/R & B SINGER, CHIDYNMA

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Chidinma Okebalama, also referred to as Chidynma D’Voice first made her presence known on the music scene in Nigeria in 2008 where she performed alongside multiple award- winning hip hop artiste, Banky W during the Nigerian Reunion in Maryland, USA. She was born in America but raised in Port Harcourt. She is a graduate of Northeastern University in Boston, where she studied Electrical Engineering. She relocated to Nigeria last year to continue her music career registering herself as one of the female voices to watch out for in the industry. Since her return, she has been hard at work recording with the likes of Don Jazzy, Sam Klef, Hakym ‘The Dream’ and Duncan Daniels. Her new song, ‘Woozy Woozy’ produced by Hakym is the first single off her anticipated album. It is a fun dance record with a very catchy hook. Her profile has also been on the rise lately. In this interview with BOLA AKINBOADE, she opens up on her life, music and passion.

How did you get into music?
I started singing at about age 5 in the Children’s choir of my Church, Assemblies of God in Rumuomasi, Port Harcourt. After that I joined several other choirs and singing groups as I got older. I did some studio work too, and solo effort while in the University in America. I love performing; I love standing in front of many people and just singing my heart out. The feeling it gives me is priceless. I have the most fun on stage, but sometimes it doesn’t always go smoothly, you just have to swing it. My father told me at a young age that I could go professional if I wanted to, so with that in mind, it was just a matter of realizing I wanted to take it up as a career.

How hard was it to move from the U.S back to Nigeria to pursue music?
Yes, I moved back about a year ago from Boston to pursue music big time. It had always been something I knew I would do, but the fear of failure usually makes us think twice when making life changing decisions. In 2008, I first thought about pursuing music seriously in Nigeria, when I saw how the likes of D’banj and Banky W were progressing after being away from Nigeria for a while. That gave me hope and I entertained the idea some more in 2009 when I came for Christmas and met a few artistes in the industry. In March 2010 I made the move, and I would say it was an easy decision, but not an easy execution. Change is always weird, but I’m glad I did it.

Your profile has been on the rise within a short period of time, how were you able to achieve this?
It definitely is God’s favor to start with, because sometimes I find my tremendous rise shocking. Also building the fan base has helped a lot, because they help publicize and spread your music to their friends etc. I would also say meeting the right people, and my attitude towards music and entertainment as a whole. Don’t forget the talent, which is at the core of it all.

Who are/were your biggest influences currently and while growing up artistically?
I love Da’dra Crawford, from the gospel duo ‘Anointed’ she has an amazing voice, she’s probably my greatest influence vocally. I listened to a lot of Onyeka, Mariah Carey, Whitney and Celine as a teenager. But I love Beyonce, as an all-rounder artiste, performer and entrepreneur. She’s fantastic. She is a hard-worker and it’s definitely paying massive dividends. I also love Chris Brown; his voice is out of this world, in my opinion top 5 I’ve ever heard. He is very creative with his voice, and that’s something I emulate from him.
Your 2 Singles, “Obimo” and “Woozy Woozy” have become the favorite of many. What is the inspiration behind the songs?
Thank you very much. Obimmo I wrote at a Starbucks Coffee shop in Boston on one of my numerous trips to get my favorite coffee. I would say it was a planned song. I knew exactly what I wanted to do with that song. I wanted to show my range and sing about love, which is the greatest gift you can give someone. I didn’t have a chorus at that time, but one day the inspiration for the chorus came, then I immediately went to the studio to record it, and the rest is history.
Woozy is a just a fun song. I was trying to tell people to be straight forward and go for it. If you like someone, no need to pretend, or give false signals, just go for it. The worst you can hear is ‘No’.

What kind of music do you sing and why this style?
I would classify my music as Afro Pop and RnB. I love pop music, because it allows me to move my body as I perform. I love dancing too, so I usually have dancers and do a bit of a routine while I perform. I love RnB because it gives me more opportunity to express myself and also showcase my vocals and range.

How was growing up like for you. Can you take us down the memory lane?
Growing up was a whole lot of things. I grew up in a very religious home. Both grandfathers were pastors, so at any early age, I learnt that God is author and finisher of everything that concerns me. I remember it was a lot of fun at home. My family is quite energetic and affectionate, so there was almost never a dull moment. My dad was very playful, but I still got flogged when I misbehaved. I remember having a lot of dogs in our compound, and I got bitten once by one of them, so till this day it takes me a whole lot of courage to be around dogs or even touch them. I come from a very sport- loving family. My dad loved tennis more than any sport, so my two brothers and I learnt how to play, and I even played for my University in Boston. Now I’m a hardcore Rafael Nadal fan, and for football, I support Barcelona FC and Manchester United all day.

A lot of people found out about you after you performed at Bella Adenuga’s wedding. How did you land that gig? Cos after all the Beyonce speculations, everyone was curious as to who would perform at the wedding?
Well, Bella is a very good friend of mine, she’s very supportive of my music career and she loved Obimmo once she heard it. She asked me if I would perform the song on her wedding day, and that was the greatest honor I could do for her. I had previously performed at her pre-wedding dinner and the church service, but the performance at the reception was the icing on the cake. Its funny people were expecting Beyonce, even till the wedding ended they thought she would just appear as a surprise. I’m sure they were a bit confused when they saw me, because that was like my first major performance after moving back to Nigeria, but nonetheless, it was a good platform, and I really had a lot of fun doing it.

There is another Chidinma who is also making waves currently on the music, don’t you think there might be a clash of personalities. And how have been able to handle the clash in the stage name?
There might be a clash in our stage names, though spelt differently, but pronounced the same, but there won’t be a clash in personality. Although I started first, she has a huge fan base because of the competition, she is light skinned as well, so some people mistake us for each other, she’s talented too and I admire her, but we are two different artistes. She’s Chidinma Project fame; I’m ChiDynma D’Voice, as a lot of people have started referring to me as. Hopefully with my video for Obimmo dropping soon, people would be able to associate my voice with my face, and it would further clarify things.

Let’s talk about your love life, who is the lucky man in your life now and when is the wedding bell ringing?
There is currently no lucky man in my life now. Although I wish that would change, but I guess when the right guy comes along, you’ll hear about it.

What are the qualities you admired in your Mr Right?
There is no Mr Right in my life at the moment, but I love a man that can pray, a guy that would be supportive of my music career, regardless of how rich and famous I become, someone that cares about his family and would love mine too because they are a very big part of my life. I would really like someone with a great sense of humor because I love to laugh, so that one is kind of like a ‘must have’

If you weren’t into music, what other things would you be doing career-wise?
I studied Electrical Engineering in University, and I worked as a System Test Engineer for about 4 years. I would probably have still been working as an Engineer. But I mean, I really don’t know, because I love engineering but it got a little routine for me. I love the spontaneity being a musician brings. I think I would have found my way back to entertainment. I always considered being a face model, and that’s something I still want to do in the future.

What are your future plans?
I recently just ended a 5 state tour, now I’m in the process of dropping a video. Also expect another single to drop very soon. I am working on my album at the moment, still in the recording phase, but I’m making really good progress with that.

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