Chidinma is actually more than just the petite balladeer of “Kedike”. Actress, Video Jockey, entertainer are just a few of the hats that she dons when the need or opportunities arise.
Everything kicked off after her stint on Project FAME. Interestingly, she didn’t go into the reality show with the mindset to win because she auditioned at the same time she gained admission into the University of Lagos to study Mass Communication.
“My plan was to get evicted early, and then rush back to school, but obviously that didn’t happen. After the competition, the attention was so much I couldn’t even think about going back to school. Plus I only got a one-year contract with the organisers so it didn’t make sense going back (to school) at the time.”
The terms of that contract stated that the Project Fame Winner record an album within the one-year period. ULTIMA would market and distribute the record; and also shoot the video for the first single. Having this in mind, Chidinma went ahead to release her first single “Jankoliko” featuring Sound Sultan. The single was a success, but her debut eponymous album failed to garner the attention as anticipated.
“The ‘Chidinma’ album had ten songs on it including “Kedike”. People felt I didn’t push the album, but they didn’t understand what was really going on. It was just something that was mandatory. On a more personal project, I would have taken my time to get everything right, but I couldn’t do that because there were a lot of people involved and also because of the time frame”.
Looking beyond the failure of her debut, Chidinma has laid a foundation and platform for future success. Ultima Studios (producers of Project FAME) passes their winners (since the second season of ‘Project Fame’) to be managed by The Goretti Company, owned by rapper-businessman Illbliss. The company further groomed Chidinma for about a year and facilitated a deal with Clarence Peters’ Capital Hill Music. The rest like they say, is music history.
Chidinma has released two successful singles on the stables of Capital Hill, “Emi ni baller” & “Emi ni Baller (remix)”, featuring Wizkid. She topped Omawumi, Vivian Ndour from Senegal and Cote d’Ivoire’s Claire Bahi to win a KORA Award in 2012; a feat she considers her biggest accomplishment.
All through her career, Chidinma has been busy building her brand. “The Chidinma brand is a simple girl, nothing too flashy or extra-ordinary. When I first started, people would be like Why don’t you try something else; this thing is it not too boring? Wear shorts, wear this and that. But I never did. That’s why even in my photo shoots, Clarence will call and say, no form of nudity”.
As a matter of fact, the ‘Emi ni Baller’ songs were so different from the Chidinma everybody had gotten used to, that some fans doubted if she actually wrote or recorded the song herself.
“Wizkid loved the song, the original version. We met at the airport and talked about it. People were saying that he was the one that performed it. They didn’t believe it was my own song. Like people would listen to it and be like ‘where’s Chidinma in this?’ That’s when I thought, okay a remix with him won’t be bad”
The pretty singer says fans should expect more of such surprises on her sophomore album. She has already lined up some interesting collaborations for the record. Capitalising on the buzz she has been getting on the continent, she will be working with a few artistes across Africa.
In the midst of work, music and all the other ‘serious’ stuff, one wonders if Chidinma has time for ‘trivialities’ such as love. Word on the street a while back was she was in a relationship with VJ Ibrahim Adams; especially after pictures surfaced of the both of them hugging and acting overly friendly in front of the camera. But she denies it.
“It was nothing. I laughed when I saw those stories. Those pictures were for a photo shoot now. If you look at the shirts, you’ll see ‘Viva Lasgidi’ on them. Then there was another we did for Lead magazine. A friend of ours was working on her online magazine. I would read the comments with my team and they would just be laughing at me, you know. I didn’t even waste energy thinking about it. It is what comes with what I do. I’m in the public eye, so I should be ready to be on the public lip.”
She’s more focused on the matters at hand. Chidinma has gone back to school and is presently studying Sociology at the University of Lagos. Ten years from now, she says “I might not be doing music, recording and shooting videos, attending every event, but I’ll be doing stuff. I’ll be married (smiles), hopefully have kids, so my hands will be full. I definitely won’t be as active as I am now and that’s the truth. People might try to run away from that, but it’s the truth “
As of today however, Chidinma has rocked huge platforms, serenaded thousands of fans across the continent and warmed herself into the hearts of many. Just like my neighbour, the girl-next-door has headed out; far away from home and where she started. It’s probably time I change that adorable image I have of her in my head.
Source: Hip-Hop World Magazine
Recent Comments