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Busola Oke, popularly known as Eleyele, is seen by many people as the queen of controversy in the gospel music industry. She has, however, revealed in this interview with www.theoctopusnews.com that she is now a changed person. She also spoke on several other issues.
Your life, as a musician, has obviously had ups and downs. Tell us a little about them?
Music has been good to me because I have achieved so many things through it. I have achieved fame, progress and several other things that I used the money from music to do. Simply put, music has helped me to invest and it has also taken me to greater levels. It has also had its negative sides because I have been a victim of scandals and controversies. Most people see female musicians as prostitutes; people believe they are not decent. I am not going to say I am a saint and I won’t regard any one as such, but I know that there are decent ladies doing music.
Do you regard yourself as one of the decent female musicians?
I thank God for my life. Life is full of ups and downs, and everything also has it good and bad sides. But to God be the glory, I have overcome it all.
How do you hope to avoid the pitfalls that were the hallmark of your early days as a musician?
There is a popular Yoruba adage, which when translated to English says: “The first money a child earns is often wasted.” I am wiser now, I am not the same Busola of 1998; I am a different person now. I got into this industry professionally in 1998, and I think if you have not been wise for 15 years, you can never be. I think I have learnt some lessons. I may not be able to publicise everything I went through which made me derailed, but I know I have been burnt and I have learnt my lessons.
You made reference to the fact that you are not a saint. Can you explain what you meant by that statement?
Well, whatever I say here is not meant to convince anybody about what they have heard about me. It is a free world and everybody has a right to hear anything and they also have the prerogative to either believe it or not. However, what I meant by that statement is that I am not a perfect being; I am not an ideal person. I know what I am thinking inside me but I don’t know what other people are thinking. I am a decent person and the fact that I am a musician doesn’t make me a wayward or an indecent person, as a lot of people think. It is also difficult for female musicians to sale through this label because people won’t understand. When you are decent they will say you are not. I repeat that I am not a saint because even the Bible says there is no perfect person.
Since you have changed, will your style of music also change?
The aluj, which my music is known for, will not change, but I’ll stop all club shows.
Including the shows at Eldorado Wine Bar?
Yes. All my club shows will stop, including the one I do at Eldorado. I don’t want to do such shows any more.
What if you have a gospel concert holding at a club?
I will attend as long as it is a gospel show. I don’t want to be seen in a club when I can be in a church singing. This is what the new me wants.
What has brought about this change in you?
The old Busola Oke made some mistakes because of stardom, money and selfishness. I derailed from serving God. I started going to shows that I was not supposed to go to, and I stopped taking God serious. I went far away from God. Before stardom came, I was the music director in my church, but as soon as fame came, I derailed. I don’t know how it happened.
Are you now born-again or are you re-branding?
I don’t know what you mean by born-again, but the Bible tells me that gospel is good news. I don’t know what you expect from me, but I must tell you that there are some churches where you go to and you see the girls wearing dresses that expose their cleavages, reveals their legs, but that does not mean they are not decent, that does not mean they are wayward; neither does it mean they are not born-again. I am telling you here and now that this is the new me, and I am not going to put money first; I am going to put my career first.
As a gospel singer, one would have expected you to say, you would put your God first. Is your career more important than your God?
If my career would make me a new person, then it comes first. Besides, at the end of the day, it will all come together to glorify God.
You are often seen dressed in flowing gowns. Why do you like concealing your body, which a lot of men would give a lot to see?
It has to do with my upbringing. My grandmother was a Muslim and a Hausa woman. We were brought up in the typical Hausa way, which involves covering your body. I grew up with her. She was a sucker for wearing long dresses that conceal the body. And even when I left her and started going to church, I found that the dress style remained with me. I find it very hard to expose my body. I find it difficult to go out wearing revealing clothes. Besides, exposing my body should be in private and for my husband alone, since I am married.
Some people describe you as the queen of controversy?
I thank God for that. I also give him thanks for the fact that I am alive because if I am not, you won’t be saying that. People will only stop talking about you when you are dead. Interestingly, when you talk about controversies, I don’t know what you mean because I can’t remember the last time I read a controversial issue about me in the papers. People develop controversies on assumptions.
In December 2006, I was in Nigeria performing at a wedding reception and the next day, I read in a paper that I was in London with Gbenga Adewusi, popularly known as Bayowa, trying to abort a pregnancy by him. It is always like that with celebrities. Bayowa is someone I never slept with, nor had any emotional relationship with. Most times, people fabricate stories and writers pick them up and before you know it, they tag you the queen of controversy. That is why I said controversies are based on mere assumptions. At times, the controversies might be true with some people, but I am Busola Oke and I know what I have done and what I have not done.
Are you insinuating that all the allegations that have been made against you are lies?
Do you know why I am going to say they are lies? It is because you have not broken them down to specifics and instances. If you do that, then I will tell you which is true and which is not. So, to me, until I am proved guilty, I am innocent.
You are a flashy lady. Are these gold materials, which adorn your body, meant to attract attention?
I have not worn anything out of fashion. I am wearing a ring, an earring and although my wristwatch might be gold, it is still a watch. My chain is also a cross just like my earrings. It’s all gospel.
Would you describe yourself as a proud person?
There is a difference between keeping to yourself and being proud, but people mix it together. If I don’t know you, and you are seated beside me, I will say, hello. But if you are far away, you don’t expect me to be shouting, hello and hi at the top of my voice. That is my life. I keep to myself a lot and I don’t think that is a problem.
How did music start for you?
I started singing at the age of six. I was a member of the junior choir at the Celestial Church of Christ. Then, when I was angry, I
Sang, even now, when I’m in the bathroom, I sing.
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