Sonorous voiced singer Ego Ogaro has come a long way in the
music industry. From the days of being a vocalist with Lagbaja to
setting up her own band, she has continued to woo fans with her sweet
voice.
ENCOMIUM Weekly had an interview with her on what she’s been up to in the last couple of months…
You are the longest standing Glo ambassador, what has been your sustaining factor?
It is about nine years now. I will say we have a good relationship and
enjoy working together, it has helped me because of my work ethics. It
has been easy working together .Over the years we don’t have any issue
and they don’t have cause to complain about anything.
Musically what are you working on?
My second album, I will also release a single very soon. It is different
from the initial one. It is laid back, it’s just fun and not too
serious although you can still relate with it. I am working on getting
the album out.
When you started there were not many female acts. What do you think are the challenges of being a female artiste?
I feel it is more of the guys having more confidence to sing certain
lyrics which are more acceptable with the guys than their female
counterparts. They put a lot of things in their videos which the ladies
can’t do. Now I think the ladies are becoming bolder and if the guys can
do it why not. There are lots of talented female artistes now.
Your husband being your manager. How is that helping your career?
Some believed if your husband is your manager, you won’t be able to flap your wings?
He was not my manager after I met him. He became my manager after
marriage. For me, I am not caged. It is the opposite for me. There has
to be trust and understanding. I don’t see myself as a celebrity. I
leave that life at the door or car park; I don’t bring it into my home.
As long as you can separate the two and not take advantage that you are
free. As a musician I know I need to go out, hangout but there should be
a balance. I can’t say I will go out seven times in a week because I am
an artiste, we don’t have issues because he knows I can handle things. I
can’t say because I am not caged I should now take advantage of it.
What would you say is the advantage of being married to one’s manager?
What I would say is that he understands the pressure of the job. The
fact that I had shows and we came back together and he knows when I am
tired and don’t expect me to run to the kitchen. Even if he is not with
me at the event, he understands that.
We don’t get to see you always at events. Would you say you are not on the social side?
I go to functions but not all functions. It is a lot of work for me not
because I don’t want to go or I am not invited. I don’t like going to
the island and most of these events are on the island. They do them at
night and finished at odd hours. I just don’t like being seen
everywhere. I am an extroverted introvert.
I can stay in doors for one week and sometimes I can decide to go out if
I want to. It is stressful for me and at the end of the day it is on
you, you are the one feeling tired and you can’t function the next day
because you are tired. I try to be myself.
Are you saying you don’t friends in the industry?
I am very friendly. But not go out of my way to get friends. I don’t
have many friends because they are busy too. There are friends that we
have been together before I became everybody’s Ego and we still talk,
they don’t see me as anything.
You are one of the few celebrities that their marriage has stood the test of time. What is your secret?
We have been friends for long before marriage and not your typical
couple. Understanding is the secret because he knows the kind of person I
am. Everything works together for good for now every day. We take it as
it comes.
Let us go back to your days with Lagbaja, what was going through your mind when you were singing Konko below?
I am not an iro and buba wearing person and he tried to explain the
concept of the video, so I understood. At that point it was fun and
silly by the time it came out, it was amazing, people still call me
Iyawo lagbaja still tomorrow.
Why did you decided to walk away?
Nothing made me leave. I had reached a point when I had to move to the
next stage. I had always known that one of these days, I would have to
do my own thing. It was time to move on.
Most of my decisions are short term. I don’t joke with my instincts. If
it is saying something I listen. It was time to leave and give another
person a chance. What I wanted to do was totally different from what I
was doing with Lagbaja. It was the same music thing but in a different
way.
Yes, people would have their doubts and not even know what direction I
was going. It was a step that I had to take, something I had to prove
and had to show the world that I knew what I wanted and I was moving in
the right direction. He didn’t believe it when I said I was going. But
later it dawn on him that I wanted to start my own thing.
Was he disappointed?
He may be disappointed that I was leaving but he was happy that I am still in music and we talked about my immediate plans.
Who is Lagbaja behind the mask?
Lagbaja is Lagbaja. He is a simple person and a genius. Working with
Lagbaja was inspiring. The challenges were numerous. From working at
night, doing night rehearsals and the stress of traveling but they were
minor. It never got to a point where I had regrets.
I learnt discipline, composure and what music is. I learnt to interact
with people. I learnt to handle a band. I learnt discipline, comportment
and passion for my vision. I learnt to believe in myself.