Cameroonian singer, Daphne, was one of the awardees of the 2018 AFRIMA. She spoke about her music, love life and inspiration with our reporter in this interesting interview.
You were one of the shining stars of the 2018 AFRIMA, what was the feeling like?
Like they say about awards, every nomination is a win. So, prior to the ceremony, I was a bit apprehensive, but I got to be celebrated at the end of the show. I am grateful to the organisers of AFRIMA.
What really is your genre of music?
My kind of music is Afro-pop, African Pop. I try as much as possible to promote African culture and African lifestyle in my music. I talk about normal things that happen to African people. Those are the things you will see in my music. My music is always themed after these three things, love, peace and unity.
You can be very emotional when singing, are you always like that?
I can be heartless too sometimes, but I am mostly very emotional, and I love ‘love’. Some people don’t.
What informs the love theme in your songs?
I sing according to experience, I don’t really care much about the brand, I should, I do, but that was not what I started with. I started with a message, the message I wanted to dish to the world. I sing about my experiences, and the experiences of people around me that I think is worth talking about. It is not about branding. For me, love is the main thing that makes the world go round. You can never talk about anything without talking about love. You can’t even talk about hatred without talking about love. Love is everything.
Your country is currently experiencing hard times, is that why you sing about unity?
You are right. I reside in a country where we face a lot of difficult times, so I will always talk about peace and unity.
You have dominated your region to a large extent. Would you say that your music has been accepted internationally?
Yes, I would say that. It is true that English-speaking Africa is a little difficult. I am grateful to God. My music might not be where I want it to be, but I am grateful that we are somewhere. In Francophone Africa, it is everywhere. I believe God for a breakthrough and very soon it will be known in the whole of Africa, America, Asia, Europe, Australia, and every other continent.
Makosa was the rave in Cameroon at a point, what is it presently?
It’s Afro-pop, but with a Cameroonian twist to it. Cameroonian music is very diverse because we tap from every angle, every type of music. We tap from Makosa, Bikutsi, which is also Cameroonian; we tap from several cultural dances from my place to form what we have now. So, if you hear any of our songs, though we have the particularity of using English and French and our other maternal languages, you will still know where the song is coming from because the depth is built on our maternal languages and dances.
You were quoted saying your album will drop in 2019, are you still on schedule?
The singles have been dropping, but the album will definitely drop this 2019.
You are indeed fashionable, is this something you got from your mum?
I don’t think that it is from my mum because I don’t have my mum’s sense of fashion. She is not like that anymore because of age and religion. So many things have changed. My sense of fashion is unpredictable because I wear what is necessary. I wear some things and people say that it is ugly, but I think that is what my skin requires. If I wear something and people say that it is fashionable, it just comes like that. I am not very much into fashion. I am not a fashion freak.
But do you know that you are beautiful?
Yes, I do. People tell me.
Is that why you love to flaunt your beauty?
I think that it is better when you don’t flaunt it, but just let people see it. It is true that I like flattering my body, but flaunting is not the word, confidence is the word. I am confident about my body and beauty and I think that every African woman should be. At a point, we were like this is what is selling now. Slim girls without swelling, girls with big booty and all sorts. I think that African women need to be confident and proud of their bodies.
You are a woman of many sides, who really are you?
I am unpredictable. I don’t know myself that well because there are times you meet me and I am so wild and at other times I am calm. Some people meet me and go home thinking that she is wild and playful, but others meet me and say that she is calm. However, one thing you can be sure of is that I am very playful.
Are you in a relationship?
No. I think that if you ask me that question most of my life the answer would be no. I love ‘love’, but I don’t know why it has eluded me.
Maybe it is because you don’t want to be tied to a particular man
No, that is not true. I was engaged at 20, and I also want to have a man I can call my own.
What would your ideal man be like?
At most, he should be affectionate, love me, fear God and be rich. I have struggled to get to where I am and I don’t want to continue to struggle. But seriously, I know that there are ideal men who are tall, fine and rich, but there are also realities. People should live with their realities, and I think that young girls should set a pedestal and not go under.
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