Female talking drummer, Aralola Olamuyiwa, is more popular as Ara in the music industry. In this interview with our REPORTER she talks about finding a new man and her other personality. You seem to have gone silent in recent times, what has been happening to you? I wouldn’t say I have been quiet. A lot of people make the mistake of comparing my kind of art to that of the hip-hop artiste. The fact that you don’t hear from Lagbaja, Femi Kuti and Ara doesn’t mean they are silent. Femi Kuti is busy, Ara is busy and Lagbaja is also busy. I actually just released a video last month where I featured Puffy T. it was titled Your Lover and presently we are about shooting four more videos with different artistes. Despite having spent years in the industry you are yet to drop an album, why? I had some issues with the management which I started with. We completed a full album in Ghana which was never released. It was produced by Wole Oni, OJB, and Paul Play Dairo. Subsequently, I recorded other singles including the one I did with 2face Idibia titled Olomi. My busy schedule, motherhood and marriage has contributed to my not releasing a debut album. Can you tell us why your management company refused to release the finished album? My contract ended with the management company I was with as at that time. Although, they were willing to renew it, but there were other issues and I wasn’t ready to compromise. After then I traveled out of the country, had my baby and came back. Did your contract with the company specify the ownership of the songs on the album? There were a lot of things involved and because of my kind of person I didn’t want to join issues with anyone. All the songs were written, composed and arranged by me. They are all my songs even though I am not releasing anyone of them in this album. I will drop them in another album. Earlier you made mention of your kind of person, who really are you? Ara is an extrovert, while Lola is more of an introvert. She is shy and not loud. I have two personalities, but I try to manage both which explains why you don’t see much of Lola out there. I am privileged to be a celebrity, but I try to do what the people we call ordinary people would do. That is Lola and even when she is wrong she would not drag issues, she would apologise and move on. Ara, would not move on. Ara is in control of her realm, her planet. She is a goddess, she is neither a woman nor a man, and she is sexy, authoritative, she is daring and adventurous, very adventurous. Can you tell us about your marriage? I had always wanted to get married; I had always wanted to be a mother. Anytime I go for my shows if I am getting into my home I hang my stardom at the door. Getting into my house I am Lola, a wife. I go to the market, I cook his meal, I serve him even though I have domestic staffs who could help me. I do all of that myself and when I am going for my shows I pick it up again. It was just unfortunate that the marriage didn’t work. For one who remembered she was a mother and a wife and also hung her stardom at the door post one would have expected your marriage to work, why didn’t it? I did everything to make it work. I am not saying this to tarnish anybody’s image. There were a lot of factors and one of them was violence and it wasn’t because I did anything wrong. As a matter of fact, he would always say why am I doing this to you. At the end of the day he would beg me. After I came out to speak with my family and friends and they told me maybe it was because you didn’t fight back because maybe if you had done that it would have stopped, but I am not that kind of person, I don’t like violence. Even just spanking a child can make me cry. I don’t like anybody hitting anybody, that is Lola gentle in the heart. Yes troublesome, lively when she is very comfortable in her comfort zone, you get to see another part of her. When I realise it wasn’t going to stop and I didn’t want to lose my life I had to pick up my son and leave. It was unfortunate, but I had to. What was life after then like? It was very difficult for someone who had always wanted to be a wife and a mother finding myself in the singles’ market again. I was shocked and it took God and my son to bring me back and fight for everything I had always wanted to be. I thank God for good people around me like my mum, my brothers. What is your present relationship status? I am single but not by choice. I tried to date, but I realise that maybe, I am dating the wrong people. My career has cost me a lot. I have been in two relationships after moving out. My career has cost me those relationships. Despite the fact that you hung your stardom or for these ones you didn’t hang? I did. The reason why I went with my son’s dad was because I knew him before I became a star. So, when he came even though I had other people who were interested in me I said this one knows me, he knows Lola and not Ara. Now, my fear for one or two people who have come my way is that they know Ara, but not Lola. That scared me. The fear of failing again, I can’t come this far and fail again, it takes a strong man not to be intimidated by who Ara is. They need to break beyond that and get to know Lola, but they have not been that patient. These days, people hardly love, people hardly follow the due process of meeting somebody, dating somebody, getting to know you. I am old school, I need to know you, you need to court me. I don’t know you for two or three months and jump in bed with you, no. I wont do that. I guess they have not been the right people for me. I guess the right man will come, he will be patient and get to know me. See, we have to be friends because at the end when the euphoria of whatever has gone, the friendship will remain and keep you. I am not going to kill myself over somebody who is not man enough or who is not patient enough to see the quality in me. No, I am not going to throw myself at such person. Are you not bothered that age is catching up on you? I know of people who have gotten married at the age of 50 and have had a baby. I am just 40. I have one or two people, but I am keeping them at arms length because I don’t want anybody to hurt me. The video of you and 2face had a lot of touching and kissing in it, did you guys end up doing anything? No. You will be shocked that Annie was actually around when the video was shot. When 2face was playing teasing me about my backside Annie was there. Annie is a confident woman and she knows her man. Once you understand your man there will be no quarrel. Everything you saw in that video was mere acting.
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