By Ayo Alonge
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Ace musician, Oluwajuwonlo Iledare, popularly known as Jaywon, tells it all about his mum, who, according to him, is the best of all mothers.
In this interview, the songwriter, singer and producer, who hails from Kogi State, fields questions on the significant roles his mum has played in his upbringing and career.
Where is your mum at the moment?
She’s in Kogi State.
When last did you hear from her?
We talk all the time. I still spoke with her today.
What makes her different from other women?
She’s just too much. She’s the only person that understands me. I pray I marry a lady that would understand me the way my mum does.
How would you describe her; a soft person or a disciplinarian?
My mum is not soft. Soft ke? You know, all my life, I have watched her struggle very hard to care for us because I lost my dad very early in my life. I watched my mum fend for us all in life and I think I learnt that from her. I would say she is a sort of disciplinarian. I’d love to marry a woman like her. She’s just the best I know right now. I think I want a hardworking, God-fearing and understanding woman like my mum.
Tell us about the nasty things you did to her as a child…
Ha! I played a lot of pranks on my mum, which included fighting and causing trouble all around town. One thing about my mum is that she was so tolerant of me, as stubborn as I was while growing up. When I came to Lagos, it was hard to get a place to stay but I couldn’t go back to my hometown in Kogi State, although I have some relatives in Lagos. You can imagine being away from home for about two years. I kept lying to my mum that I was in Abuja. It took her a long time before she found out the truth. I kept lying to her that I was working in an office when I was actually moving from one studio to another.
Does that mean your mum didn’t support the idea of you having to take music as a career, over majoring in Accounting in the higher institution?
My mum was in support of it, only that I didn’t tell her about it for some time. My mum is a member of Jehovah’s Witness and I am too. You know what that means. But she is the type of woman that would like to listen to you. My mum really wanted me to be an accountant but Juwon wanted to be something else. He wanted to be a star, against the wish of his mum.
What’s your gift to her that she appreciates most?
I cannot say one in particular. Everything that comes from me to her is always well appreciated. I cannot readily tell you one. You can even send some money to my mum and she would send it back to you and say, “…Look, I know you don’t have enough on you. Just keep it.” I have decided to do a lot for her and that is why it still disturbs me that I have not been able to complete the house I am building for her due to some constraints but that would be fixed soon. I am happy to have her as my mum. She seems to understand what the business of music is all about. Even my siblings don’t understand as much as my mum does. Imagine, how many ladies will you send money to and they will send it back to you? She knows I am working very hard. She is so comfortable with all she has. She is the best and I feel that I have not done enough for her. I want to be able to do more.
How did she feel when you had your first child?
She knows I love kids a lot and she was very happy. She had always disturbed me over marriage and relationship issues. She was just so happy over the development.
What are you really missing about her, especially now that you are no longer under her roof?
Definitely, I miss everything about her. One thing about her is that whenever she has the slightest opportunity to send something to me from the village, she wants to send the whole world to me. She even sends the smallest things she knows I like. I miss talking to her one-on-one and I also miss her cooking.