Gloria Doyle is a gospel artiste with a difference. Musicians in the genre are usually perceived as quiet and introverts but for her, this is not the case. She has been in controversies like any secular artiste. The artiste who released her last album in 2007, is back with another one, which she calls Alatunshe.
You have not released any song for a long time, why the long wait?
My first gospel album was released in 2005 and I deviated to Hip Hop with my hit, Ashi ma lowo.So, now I am back fully again and this time I am going back to my roots. I am releasing a gospel album again.
What is the album all about?
The album is more of Juju. I call it gospel Tungbaand it is a new style of music. If you have been following my music, you will know that I experiment with different styles of music. I have done Reggae, Hip Hop, Juju and many other types. This time, it is called Gospel Tungba.Some are already calling me “Omo Edo ton ko Tungba”. I am not a Yoruba, and Tungba is a Yoruba style, so I think a lot of people who have listened to the song were blown away by my fluency with the style.
The Album is called Alatunshe. It is with a message. I try to tell listeners that no matter what I go through and what I face, I have somebody who is by my side. Many people have criticised me. Many have said a lot about me but, God has always been faithful to me. It is all about how God has been remolding, re-shaping and renewing me. Many people can relate to that because in one way or the other they have faced similar realities that I have faced. Alatunshe means remoulder.
Why did it take you that long to release another album?
As a single mother, I had to focus solely on my children. It took me up to four years to make sure that my children are settled down in America. Now that they are well settled, I can go ahead with my career. they come first in my life. while I was grooming them, I did not want to give them so little time. I gave them 150 per cent of my time. That way, they will find it easier to make decisions for themselves when they are older. I have given them the foundation.
The time you are coming out could be a miscalculation. There are many female artistes in the market at the moment.
In the first place, I am not competing with anybody. The sky is big enough for whoever is coming in. Just try and makes sense with whatever you are singing. Like I said, my style is far different, and I also have my own fans. Many people have been waiting for me to release a new song. So, for me, I think it is the perfect time to release another album.
When did you decide music was the next step for you?
I had started singing at a very young age. It had always been my strong talent. But my parents were not in any way in support of it. My mum actually wanted me to read law, but I had other plans for my life. We had a big row over the issue. They concluded that I was the black sheep of the family. After a while, they got to accept who I was. I started by writing music for my school plays.
Later, I started a business as an events manager. That was where I fraternised with a lot of people in the industry. That was in 2000. I did not release an album till 2005.
Most traditional artistes usually get trained by older artistes, where did you learn the trade?
I was never under any artiste. What I had were mentors. I was very close to Segun Blessing and I learnt a lot from him. I also got a lot of inspiration from Yinka Ayefele. His music is very inspirational. That is why when you listen to my songs, you will hear a lot of inspirational messages in them.
You also tried your hands in acting some time ago
I did a bit of acting. I was with Korede Films and I participated in four Yoruba films there. But there are many things you have to experience that I did not want to accept. If you want to be a superstar, you need to pay a price. If anybody has arrived and the person says he did not experience that, he is lying. When I got into the movie industry, people came to me saying they would give me a role in a movie if I would sleep with them. That was not my style. Although I did not attend theatre school, I know the ethics of acting. Everything is just about business, making money and putting aside professionalism. What we see now is mere dialogue, no action. And if you make a suggestion, they shout you down. I have scripts and I am working with a production outfit in America owned by a Nigerian model, Lafunke. Here in Nigeria, if you are a female actress, people keep asking you to have sex with them and that is very wrong.
Your marital status has always been here and there. We know you have children for an American based lover. Are you still with him?
No, I am not with him. But when I was with him, it was only him. We are no longer together. He has another wife. Our children are living with him at the moment.
I have been single for 15 years now, and I think that it is time for me to get married again especially now that my kids are grown up. We will be having a traditional wedding on December 19. Then next year we will be doing the proper marriage. I will not call it marriage; I will say that we will be dedicating our union to God.
You have been linked to a lot of relationships. Some say that you were dating Mike Okri, other say Wale Adeoba; we even hear it was a fact that you were in bed with Tony Tetuila, which of these is true?
I worked for Tony Tetuila. I consulted for him before he came to lime light. He was one of the artistes I consulted for. We never had any relationship. I was a personal assistant and at a time manager to Mike Okri, it was merely a working relationship and not romantic. On that of Wale Adeoba, he was my own personal assistant. The only mistake I made was that I brought him into my home. He had accommodation problem, and I could not allow my personal assistant go through all that. So, I allowed him to stay in my house for a while. Later, we started having issues.
What kind of issues?
He was not taking the job very seriously. There was a lot of mistakes he made and I wanted to get another assistant, that was when I decided to ask him to leave my house. It will look somehow for me to have another personal assistant and the old one is still living in my house. He resorted to blackmail. He went everywhere spreading false stories about me. Thank God for my godfathers in the media, they told me to just keep quiet and not say anything, which I did.
Is it true that you prefer younger men?
I will not deny that. I am in fact getting married to a younger man. That is my destiny. I do not like sugar daddies. I prefer to date someone I can play with and relate with. I am a very real person and it is my business. Tope Alabi got married to a younger person and their marriage is doing alright. Those that married sugar daddies, where are they today. I am not the first person to marry a younger man. Aunty Tope Alabi is an inspiration. Her marriage is a success, I want mine to be like that.
You just signed to a record label, tell us what it is all about?
It is a mouth-watering deal. Though they are a new company, I have seen that they know what they want. The way they have packaged my album and also launched it, you can tell easily they are here to stay. They are called Freiheit Company.
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