Thursday 18 June 2020

The music industry is demonic - Vanessa Mdee speaks on quitting music

Tanzanian music star, Vanessa Mdee went public with her decision of quitting music in her 29 minutes Podcast "Deep Dive with Vanessa Mdee". 

According to Mdee, the music industry is demonic and she is currently working on being an advocate of honesty, beauty and what facing your demons can do for you.

She said;

 “I don’t know who needs to hear this, but my mission is to be a light. I know that I would probably disappoint a few people and that’s Okay, I know that my fans don’t wanna hear this but guess what am never be too far away from you, trust me. The reason why I had to leave the industry is because I needed to choose my life, the music industry is demonic. People will tell you half-truth about what really goes on, and the truth is I just wanna be an advocate for honesty and beauty and being a sincere advocate for what facing your demons can do for You.

"Now my fans are probably asking themselves right now; Are you gonna never sing again? Are we gonna never see you perform? Let me reiterate, I love music, I love to create, I love to perform, I’m a vessel, this is what I was brought on earth to be, but maybe I was a vessel to be here in this moment to have gone through everything that I have gone through so that I can tell you most honestly the truth about things you will never somewhere else."

The Tanzanian music star also recalled becoming an alcoholic who could drink herself to sleep after becoming depressed. 

Mdee added; 

“My advice to someone out there, is that be true to who you are. I used to say this in many interviews but not really understand any of it, because then again it sounded like the right thing to say. But be true to who you are, I had to look at myself, face myself that it was pain, it was shameful, it was scary but I had to do it because there was no other way and in that I found peace and in that I found elevation, I found desire and passion for life.
"Trust me I used to wake up every morning questioning what the hell is this about, why are we doing this again, a lot of people used to say to me but you are in America now, (I live in Atlanta now) and that is the Mega of Music you have the perfect opportunity, I’m gonna tell you this, and this is a note to my African stars and artistes out there, don’t chase the American dream there are too many Selena Gomezs out here, not yet even conceived and there is only just a few chances not to kill your dream but be great where you are, that’s the only way to do it. They will come to you, organically no body is really giving chances to Africans like that, it’s when you shine in your space, is when the chances will come to you. Don’t kill yourself chasing the American dream."


Thursday 4 June 2020

Actor Seun Ajayi details some of his experiences on set as he calls out men in Nollywood who harass women (video)

Actor Seun Ajayi has detailed some of his experiences on set as he cationed men in Nollywood to desist from harassing women.

He said he has witnessed multiple cases of sexual assault on set and some of them were so bad.

He mentioned a particular incident where a man kept groping a woman on set and refused to stop even after he was cautioned. He only stopped after he got a letter from the lady's lawyer.

In a video captioned "Sexual harassment in Nollywood! My brothers let's do better" the actor said: "This video is directed to my brothers in the Nollywood industry.

"I see this a lot and whenever I get the chance, I speak about it.

"You see, it's very important for us to let women feel safe in their work environment, but the truth is, if we really really check out, we dey mess up. In fact, forgive my French, we dey f**k up. 

"I went to sleep agitated and I woke up with my heart beating very fast because I could not wait to address this. 

"Many times I'll see male colleagues harass ladies on set.

"There was one time I was on set and it was so bad and this guy was constantly commenting on this girl's bum and groping her and everyone told him to stop. I told him to stop several times and he didn't until he was officially written by the girl's lawyer.

"Now, what tends to happen is that this goes on, but men stay silent. The men that know better, they stay silent.

"I urge you, my brothers, that the next time you see that kind of behavior... it's not only rape oh, it's not only rape. To be inappropriate with your language is harassment, it is sexual harassment.

"The reason why these things are still sliding is because nobody has been arraigned in court for sexual harassment, nobody has lost their endorsement for sexual harassment. It's coming and we need to be careful, my brothers, we need to be careful. We can't continue to just act. We have to think before we do it.

"Please, put a lid on it and act right. It's not only producers that are preying on the ladies trying to get in the industry. It happens in many shades, in many manners. We need to be careful oh, we need to be careful.

He also called on producers and directors to intervene if they notice a crew member harassing a woman on set. He added that it's "rampant" and needs to stop.

"We need to stop this and if you see it around you, nip it in the bud. Talk to your guy," he concluded.

Watch the video below.

Wednesday 3 June 2020

REGGAE ICON MAJEK FASHEK DIES AT 57

Reggae Icon Majekodunmi Fasheke, popularly known as Majek Fashek passed away on the 1st of June  2020 in New York City. The legendary singer-songwriter and guitarist hails from the South-South region, Edo State specifically. 

It was revealed that the artist battled with cancer for almost a year. The news of his demise was announced by Joy Tongo the former manager of Cynthia Morgan, which was later confirmed by Uzoma Omenka, Fasheks Manager on Tuesday morning, he stated that the legendary musician died at 11:45am June 1, 2020, Nigerian time.The artist was known for his award-winning album in 1988 "Prisoner of Conscience", the single "Send down the rain" was a major hit track by Fashek, he also had previous collaborations with international artists such as; Tracy Chapman, Jimmy Cliff, Micheal Jackson, Snoop Dog, and Beyonce.

The Icon will forever be in our memories!

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