There’s no gainsaying that Aituaje Iruobe popularly known as Waje has come a long way in showbiz. Hers has been a phenomenal rise these past years and the Glo ambassador is not resting on her laurels. In this interview she speaks about career, romance and family.
During one of your recent performances, you said you were signed to a label for 10 years without having an opportunity to produce an album. How did that happen?
I was signed to the record label as a young girl. The record label was owned by a family friend, so I didn’t bother reading through or look at the nature of the deal I was signing. Sometime, people do have good intention but in life, time and chance happens to everybody.
I did not have the “ginger” because I was probably waiting for them to do everything. I did not understand the culture of going out there and getting things done for myself. But the good thing is that the contract did not expire, we ended amicably when I decided to go and pursue my career on my own.
At the time I left the label, I released my song, For a Minute. I did the song myself and at the same time shot the video. So that was what happened. It was just a question of me not going out there to get things done for myself. I was waiting to be spoonfed. Not knowing that it is the other way; that you have to go out there and hustle for yourself and not waiting for people to do it for you.
Was it easy for you to get things right when you left the label?
Like every other industry, I have to find my feet in many ways. This is because I do not know my left or right in the music industry. So, I had to learn a lot of things along the line. I am sure that is the experience of most people in the industry. I have to learn how to look for the right people to promote my songs and also learn how to look for the right producers to do my songs for me.
For me, it was all about let’s go there and sing. I did not understand that as a female brand you are also a show brand; how you look have a lot to say about your career. Basically, it has all been me learning from all the people I have been meeting as I pursue my career in music.
After years in the industry, do you still get anxious as regards what your fans want?
Yes, I still have the fear; most of us also have the fear of what our fans want from us. But one thing I have which I thank God for is my team. I do not keep it all to myself because, you cannot know it all. So, when you finish music, play it to your team and sample opinion. I strongly believe in my talent. I strongly believe that for every single move you make there is a sound for that. And I feel that there is an audience to cater for as well. For me, African music as much as it is danceable still has a soul regardless of how danceable it is.
That is why you could still get a soul out of Fela. What is soul music? Most times people think it is slow music, but soul music is actually any kind of music that connects to your soul. I feel that my music is all about me being able to cut across to the people I can cater for, regardless of if it is going to be highlife or afro music. I am a fan of reggae music. But the thing is that there are certain messages you would want to convey to your audience. Even as you are writing the song, there is a genre that influences the song that you do.
For instance, I wrote a song recently about my daughter that I will be dropping in my next album. The song has 6-8 beats and I have never done a song with that beat before, but when I was thinking about my daughter, that was the sound that came to my mind. I recorded it on my cell phone and sent it to my producer. He did the beat and sent it back to me.
Do you have any plan to drop an album this year?
I am not dropping an album this year, it will be next year. The plan is to drop the album the same day my last album was dropped. The same month and day and we are seriously working on that.
You started singing in the church choir,do you still sing in the church?
I go to church but I have not sung in the church for a long time now. I think the last time I sang in the church was in 2013. I still sing in my church once in a while, but not in the choir. I sing when I am invited to sing a special number with the choir. I attend This Present House. I prefer not to be in the choir because I want to be free.
You know we are all human beings and most times, we judge even when we do not mean to. I want to be free in the house of God, so that any day I want to cry to my God, I can lie at the altar and cry without anyone wondering whether this is Waje or not.
Your claim to fame was P-Square’s hit song, Do Me, in which you did the chorus and the hook. But unfortunately, you weren’t featured in the video and at that time people were curious to meet the girl with that awesome voice. How did you feel not appearing in the video?
Honestly, I felt defeated. I felt very sad. I was yet to get my big break. Maybe appearing in the video would have helped me become popular at that time. The song was huge and the video was topping the charts, I believed featuring in the video would have helped my career a great deal.
Why weren’t you invited to feature in the video?
I can’t really explain what happened at that time. I felt they contacted my record label. And you know the video wasn’t shot here, it was shot in South Africa. Maybe I was dropped because of logistics reason, I wouldn’t know. By and large, I thank God for where I am today.
Are you a single mother by your own design?
I was not married, so there is no way I would have planned it.
Are you in love now?
Yes, I am in love with life.
Any plan to get married soon?
There should be plans like that in Jesus name. Just join me in prayers. I know that when the right time comes you will know about it.
What’s life being a single mother these past years?
It has its challenges to be honest. But I guess what has made it easy all these years for me is my family. My mother is an Igbo woman. When my daughter was born, I had to go back to school and my mother took care of her. I also have brothers who are close to me and are married, so most times she visits them. I think my family helped me a lot. My mother is my gold, my diamond and everything. She made bringing up my daughter easier for me than anyone can imagine.
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