Jennifer Eliogu is one actress who has been severally tagged. She spoke with our reporter, about her music career and the speculations about her person .
Why did it take you so long to bring out the musician in you?
I really don’t have a reason for coming into the music industry so late. I guess it was meant to happen now. Over the years, I have being in and out of the choir, I have done music like a joke and played
around. I like life performances. I recorded a few songs about four years ago. The push and zeal that I have now, I didn’t have before; but music has always been my first love. So, it is happening now and I guess this is just the right time.
Is this career change not as a result of one profession dwindling and the need to find another?
It has nothing to do with that. I have been in the movie industry for 17 years. I started acting two or three years after secondary school and I have been relevant doing what I know how to do best. So, it is
not about a career dwindling. In recent times, I released my own movie titled “From Within”, written and produced by me. I have also shot some movies for other people. Maybe, I am no longer your everyday actress. I might not be that shining star, but I am evergreen and I am comfortable with that. I am not leaving the movies anyway.
Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, Stella Damasus, Genevieve Nnaji and Tonto Dikeh have all attempted what you are doing and have not been successful; why join the band wagon?
For me, music is not a competition, it is a mission. I am living a part of me that has been relegated to the background for too long. I am not competing with anybody, I am not doing this so that I can become more rated than anyone, I don’t know people’s reason for thinking my colleagues haven’t done well, but I think everyone has a right to express his/herself be it through music or acting. I think it will do a lot of good if people just see my music for what it is and see me for who I am and let the competition be because I don’t think that is very good. I am happy for myself; I am grateful to God that it
is turning out the way it is.
How does it feel to be tagged a controversial actress?
I am not aware that I have that tag. I have never heard that about me. If that is the opinion of one person about me, it is okay. It doesn’t change anything and that is the truth. It cannot be everybody’s
opinion of me. People’s assessment is not my estimation of myself. I can tell you that if you throw it on poll that Jennifer Eliogu contentious or not, controversial won’t win over non-controversial.
Your marital status is one topic you avoid discussing, why is this?
It is my privacy and I don’t think I should be discussing it.
What really is your marital status?
Like I said, it is my private life.
You were once quoted as saying you don’t mind your husband being in one country and you in another, do you still hold that view?
Well, we have made two children together, we have businesses and careers and if we understand each other enough to allow ourselves live our dreams. I don’t think that is a wrong thing. The distance might
not be the best, but we work it out. If it is not our problem, I don’t see why it is a problem for people.
How easy is it to maintain a marriage like yours?
Even when you stay together, it is not easy. Marriage is not easy; it is an institution, a complex one. There is no perfect marriage anyway; a lot of people chose to exist in denial, and some people come out to say this is what it is. Whatever you decide to do is your private life. It is your business and not that of anybody. Whether we live together or not is not an issue because ordinarily marriage is complex on its own.
So, are you still married?
I just told you that I have privacy and I have a right to it. I don’t discuss my family, my private life and I want us to leave it at that.
But there is a need to know
To the best of my knowledge, I am still married and I have two beautiful children. People expect you to report the day-to-day activities taking place in your marriage to them just because you need to be on their good side or on the good pages. I don’t believe so. I tell people what I think they need to know. Other than that, I have a right to my privacy and I want people to respect that. We should grow
up enough to respect people’s privacy.
What about this story that your husband asked his family members to throw you out of his house?
Can we talk about some other things? It was a rumour . I don’t bother my head about rumours, I don’t have to accept or debunk anything to anyone. I have a family that appreciates and loves me.
Are you not disturbed about your image?
How many people do you want to explain to, or deny to? How many people are you going to debunk it to? Does it really matter because people already have an impression about actresses? Everything that happens in your life people will say it is because she is an actress. Before they even hear from you, they have already judged you. So why would I now stand trial for no reason? I won’t!
Your dress sense has also caused you some trouble due to undue exposures
The man I am married to is not complaining.
Do you deliberately flaunt what you have got?
Sometimes I do.
That must make you an adventurous person?
No I am not. If I am adventurous then you would have seen, heard and read a whole lot about me. I am not. I am a very private person and I appreciate my privacy.
Then why do you go all out to make heads turn knowing you are a married woman?
We all have our minute of madness. It might be an adventure turn bad, so I don’t know why people cannot move on. I have been 17 years in the industry and I don’t need you to tell me how l am supsposed to dress. I dress to suit my purpose. There is this dress on the internet that people have decided to fixate on. If I show you pictures of when I came into that event and you compare it to the one on the internet, then you would understand that it wasn’t deliberate to come out like that.
So what happened?
Nothing happened, it could have been a wardrobe accident, but people chose to believe what they want to. Like I said I am not very good at wanting to tell the story the way that it will suit you, or to explain it to you because I think you have a right to know. I just let things pass. I am not a terrible dresser and I am not as adventurous as wanting to bare it all in as much as I like to flaunt it. I am not the type that likes to bare it all. That incident happened in 2008, and it is surprising that people still lose sleep over it.
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