Domestic violence rankles…It’s my next song –Sunny Nneji

Oruka singer, Sunny Nneji, is not a man that shies away from a fight. The musician was among numerous celebrities that took part in the walk against child abuse and domestic violence recently organized by The Sun. But like Saul on the road to Damascus, he got converted. Now, Nneji is set to lend his sonorous voice and creativity against the scourge. “I did not just step out to the walk. The walk is the first step. I am going to step out by lending my voice and my creativity to it,” he said.
In this exclusive interview with Christian Agadibe and Damilola Fatunmise the artist sheds more light on the reason behind his decision.
Your song, Oruka, is a hit, are you thinking of remixing the song?
I have heard that a couple of times. In fact, even yesterday a fan mentioned it again, but the thing with Oruka is that it is a classic, and with most classics, it is always not that easy to remix because you do not want to spoil them. Consider when it was released in 2003, up till today, it is still a wedding anthem. So, you don’t want to tamper with it or spoil it. A fan of mine just suggested I do another video for the song. Rather than remix, I should just do another video for it. So, we are really thinking about it.
What should your fans expect from you pretty soon?
I have something out there called, Blaze. It is an EP (Extended Play). All my fans on the MTN network can get it. Soon, we are going to put it on other platforms like Etisalat and Airtel, the reason is that music distribution is going digital. Physical distribution is declining. So, almost everybody in this country has a phone, not just any phone, people have smart phones that can play music and take pictures. People are now walking about with music loaded on their phones. That’s why we are encouraging them to buy the music and download directly to their phones. In Blaze, I feature Phyno in a song titled, Money No Get Enemy, so we have something out there.
Beside music what else do you do?
I do three things: music, music and music.
But you have been keeping low profile all this while?
That is because I am working. I am not one of those artists that release songs every year. When I release a song, I want it to be something deep, something that has value. You are talking about Oruka today, recently somebody sang Tolotolo to me. He said, ‘do you know Obasanjo is your biggest fan because he loves ‘Face Me I Face You’? So, when you do things like that, we feel we have done something of value; not just what is available everywhere, but something you can listen to in five, six, seven years and it will still make sense. That is why I take my time.
Who did you look up to when you started?
I listened to a lot of artists then. Great artists like Ebenezer Obey, King Sunny Ade, Fela, Sunny Okosuns, Oriental Brothers, and Rex Jim Lawson. I listened to great Nigerian artists, and of course, some foreign artists too. So, my appreciation of music is so very broad, both nationally and internationally.
What is the craziest thing a fan has done to you on stage?
Erotic dancing.
Where was that?
In several places, but the unforgettable one took place recently in Dublin, Ireland.
Has any of your fans demanded crazy things from you?
Oh yes, but I don’t think it’s something I want to talk about (laughs). These are things one would not want to talk about because they are not very decent.
How was your growing up days; were you abused as a child?
I was not molested as a child; that is why I am finding it so difficult to believe this is happening today. What is going on? Are we losing our humanity? I never experienced all those things growing up in my village in Cross River State. As a village boy, I started singing and dancing, and those things (abuses) were not common. So, I don’t know what is happening to the society of today. What is going on? It is as if the devil has just descended and he is taking people over and causing them to do terrible things. Parents are molesting children; it is unthinkable and sickening. It is a terrible thing. That is why every sane human being needs to stand up against these things. For husbands who beat up their wives, I think it is very childish. They need to grow up. Why would you raise up your hand to beat a woman? It doesn’t make any sense. I heard that some women also beat up their husbands (laughs); women need to grow up too.
What inspires you before going on stage?
It is actually what I have already planned to do, what I have rehearsed to do. I just run them in my mind and I work myself into the mood, and the moment I get on stage and I see the crowd, that fuels what I have already planned and it takes off.
Have you ever forgotten your lyrics while performing on stage?
Forgetting lyrics happens once in a while, but if you are a professional, you always get around it. If you are over excited, at times you forget a line or two, but then that’s the reason we have hard lips like ‘um um, hey hey’ and all that. It is all part of the show. But if you forget and just stand there blank, that is when it is too bad. You forget and you find a way around it; that is creativity.
You have a stable marriage; how have you pulled through all these years?
Let me tell you the truth, people have written books and books about marriage, but I tell you that no two marriages are the same. I cannot tell you that I have a formula and you can use that formula and apply to your marriage and it will work. You know why? It is because marriage is between two people from two different backgrounds, who have two different upbringings and they come together. Now what make marriages are the two people involved. First, they must decide they want a marriage. It is a choice you make. Once you make up your mind that you want the marriage to be successful then you do everything possible to make it succeed. It does not mean you and your spouse would not have disagreements, you would have disagreements; don’t let us lie to ourselves. But you will make sure the disagreement does not degenerate into something destructive and then begin to affect the relationship. It entails the willingness to bend at any point in time, the willingness to shift position. Do not say, ‘This is what I believe, I stand here and if it doesn’t happen this way, then the walls must come down’. No, don’t do that. It is a decision between the two people involved. Once they have decided that they want the marriage to work, it would work.
You took part in the walk against domestic violence recently organised by The Sun newspaper, what impact do you think it would make on people in the entertainment industry?
I hope that it is going to inspire my colleagues in the entertainment industry to stand up and join us in this fight against domestic violence and child abuse. I would also hope that this would prick the consciences of people who engage in such acts and help them to turn around. So, I hope it goes a long way in making an impact.
At what level should a woman say she couldn’t continue with a marriage?
I believe that it starts much earlier than that. There is always a sign that a relationship is going to go this way at the dating stage. I am appealing to the young people to be very aware, to open their eyes, and to be very sensitive. If you are dating a guy and he exhibits traits of violence, maybe he hits you, beats you up and then apologises afterwards, that is an indication that you are into a potentially abusive relationship. So, you should do the needful at that point in time. It’s very important. Most people go into relationships, saying, ‘oh, he’s going to change. I will change him’, it never happens that way. Once you see a trait, it is going to get amplified as time goes on.
Now, those who are already in abusive relationship find it a very difficult situation, because you begin to think about the years you have put into the relationship, you begin to think about the children involved, family, and society.
How would they see you that you could not stay in your marriage? There are so many things you begin to consider, but you as the person in that relationship should come to the understanding that it is probably time for you to do something, something drastic about it because you might end up losing your life. We have heard cases of people losing their lives in abusive relationships. You should get to a point where enough is enough, but elasticity is for whoever is in the relationship to determine. Be sincere with yourself, forget society, forget family, and forget what people would say. Look at your life, look at that relationship, look at the children and be sincere with the situation and judge it accordingly.
Looking at the increase of such scourge in the society, are we expecting any song from you campaigning against domestic violence?
You know, I said I have stepped out. I did not just step out to the walk. The walk (organised by The Sun) is the first step. I am going to step out by lending my voice and my creativity to it. So yes, you will definitely hear stuff along that line.