This is the most revealing interview popular singer, Omawumi Megbele, has ever granted. You know she is a very private person. Read what she told Ademola Olonilua about her married life, dealing with rumours and her colleagues. Omawumi also addressed why she rarely posts pics of her daughter on social media like other celebs and why it took her so long to show off her hubby plus her alleged affair with a Delta State Governor.
- Why don’t you like posting pictures of your daughter on social media as some of your colleagues do?
I believe that when she is ready to start posting pictures online, it should be her choice. The fact that I post pictures of myself is my choice. My daughter is lovely, beautiful, intelligent, and it takes the grace of God for me not to show her off. But I believe she should be the one posting her pictures if she wants to. That is why you do not see her anywhere.
Her father also shares that opinion that it should be her choice. If she wants to take pictures or ride on her mother’s name, it has to be her choice. It would not be fair to put her out there whether she wants such or not. It might seem strange but the same goes for her dad. Her father does not like being in the public glare. He loves me so much and has accepted my career. When I observed the way he kept to himself, I had to respect that. He has a choice to either be in the limelight with me or be at the background cheering me and he has made his decision.
- Is that why it took you so long to show the public his face?
Did I even show his face? I did not do it deliberately. It was not something I thought about before doing. Yes, he is a very private person.
- Why did it take you so long before you and your husband tied the knot?
We wanted to make sure that we were getting married for the right reasons. That is the best way I can explain it. We were in love before we had a child together and we were still seeing each other after I gave birth to my first child. We wanted to be sure that we were truly in love because we really did not have time to get to know each other before I got pregnant.
When I got pregnant, he did the manly thing by standing by me and supporting me. We did not want to get married until we were very sure that it was what we wanted. I would have felt bad if we got married because we have a child together and end up hating each other eventually. We had to be sure it would work out and I am very happy that it worked out.
- So are you expecting a boy or a girl?
It does not concern anybody. But I don’t even know myself.
- Is it true that you banned Flavour from performing your song, Bottom Belle, at events?
It is a lie, how can I ban him from singing it when he helped me? He helped me by making the song more popular. People and their lies; I did not ban him and he is still performing it as he likes. Artistes support one another and he supported me; so he should play it. I personally try not to sing songs that I featured in events but it is my personal policy and decision. I am very picky when it comes to collaborations and I can count how many I have done.
I believe artistes should be recognised for their works. Whenever I am asked for collaboration, if I do not like the song, I would not feature it. But there are friends of mine that I have always wanted to work with. You see songs like Da Grin’s Thank God, or Pyhno’s Chukwuneye, they do not have videos but they are doing well in the market. I can always stand by those songs and be proud of what I did. But for me to mount a stage and perform them would be a very rare thing to happen. If I must, then it is because maybe the artiste that featured me has a lot of fans present and I want them to identify with me. I pay my band a lot of money for rehearsal, so while we are rehearsing, they should sing my song only.
- It was rumoured that you had an affair with the Delta State Governor, is it true?
Whoever started that must be an idiot. I have answered the question before I got married and I am being asked again. If my husband’s people decided to read your newspaper and see this, do you think they would be happy and feel good to read such about their daughter- in-law? It is not nice for journalists to write on things like this especially when you know that the person is an honourable and decent person. had no affair with the governor and he has always been a father figure to me. Bringing such up in the position that I am right now is callous.
- How do you feel when you read such stories about yourself?
Before I got into the industry, I read soft sell magazines a lot and I liked the gossips too. And whenever I read or heard something about an entertainer, I easily believed until I became a victim myself.
The first time I read a scandalous article about myself, I wanted to run mad. I did not know who to fight with. I am not the kind of person that hides behind ‘anonymity’ to fight somebody. I am from Warri and we are not wired that way. We would say what is in our mind and if you do not like it, we would fight over the issue.
When I got into the industry and it happened to me, I did not know who to fight with. It really hurt me but later on, I spoke to people who had worst things said about them and one of them told me that if I dwelt on what people have said about me, I would kill myself. It is so sad that some people just sit down and concoct lies. I don’t know if it makes them feel good that somebody that they admire and watch on television is miserable due to their lies. Does it mean that we are not also human? It is something that I have been pondering on but pending the time I find an answer, those lies do not bother me.
But God would punish whoever starts a rumour about me and I find out who the person is. I will hurt the person; I will make sure that I dedicate a section of my life just to hurt the person.
- Are you a violent person?
I am not a violent person but I am a physical person. I am an expressive person. It goes both ways because I am very dramatic in my expressions, I hug people, and so it would not be fair to say that I am a violent person. I am very dramatic in all my expressions. The way I am quick to hug someone is the same way I am fast to slap anyone who messes up.
- You are known to be very energetic and funny, have you thought of branching out into another aspect of entertainment?
I enjoy and love acting a lot and I have featured in several movies. Whenever I have the time and I feel it is worth it, I would accept the script. I don’t really think I can venture into comedy and I hail our comedians because they are doing a good job. I am funny but I don’t think comedy can become a means of livelihood for me. It is very difficult to make people laugh. I have hosted some gigs that I had to be funny and I don’t think it is something I want to do consistently. If I am hanging around friends and I am cracking jokes, it is fine but I cannot do it professionally.
- How has married life been?
It has been wonderfully sweet. I don’t know how people expect it to be but I feel like I have been married for more than two years. We just did the ceremony so that people would not raise eyebrow at my second baby. I have technically been in a relationship that seemed like marriage for more than two years. I am blessed with a good and wise man. He is very caring and sensible. He is somebody that can behave like a baby today and a wise man tomorrow. He is a total package. He is very content and easy going. He does not say much.
- How does he cope with your ‘craziness’?
My craziness knows its boundaries. It knows where to start and where to end. He loves me the way I am and knows how to manage me very well. I am very homely, I am funny, I am the life of the party most times and whenever I am not around, everybody would be gloomy. I think the question should be how can he do without me and not how does he cope with me.
- Is your daughter showing any trait of toeing your path?
That is nobody’s business.
- Do you have any plans to remain relevant in the entertainment scene because your pregnancy could keep you preoccupied?
When I had my first child, I had time to organise myself and I also think it was by God’s grace. By the time I wanted to continue performing after my first child, I did not know it would be easy to be back in the spotlight. I am not a selfish person and I am very content with what God has allowed me to achieve so far. I don’t want to bother about being relevant in the entertainment scene because of my pregnancy because I know God would do it for me. I am still working. I have not rested since I got pregnant and I had to beg my manager to cancel some gigs so that I can rest.
- So you still perform even though you are heavily pregnant?
I still perform a lot. It is a form of exercise and I can dance very well regardless of my big stomach. I can even do the split. Can’t you see Kaffy? She was dancing while pregnant. It helps me to keep fit. I am still working and it should not be much of a surprise because if you know the God you are serving, you should have confidence in whatever you do.
The last song I released was in June, 2014. Before that, my album was released in 2013. By next month, my album would be two years old and I am still in demand. I am grateful to God for it. At the end of the day, it just shows that whoever God gives big teeth, he gives big lips to cover them. I would keep doing my thing and everything would work out for me. If things do not work out the way I planned them, then it is also God’s wish.
