The only regret is that didn’t kiss Charley Boy properly –Denrele

TV presenter, Denrele Edun, has created an exclusive identity for himself by wearing outrageous attire and shoes. He tells ’NONYE BEN-NWANKWO the obstacles he passed through before he became a household name in the entertainment industry

Do you still model or have you stopped?

I still model. The last professional modelling job I did was for Deola Sagoe and it was for the new catalogue that she launched. She told me that she wanted me personally to inspire some of the pieces she put together. I was hoping to steal one of the outfits, but she said it was £1,000. I decided to respect myself and carry my ogbanje out of that place. So, to answer your question, I still model. I love casting. But if I decide to go for casting now, people will just be looking at me. They might feel I’m coming to take their food from them. I don’t think I have done any serious modelling in a long while apart from the Deola Sagoe fashion show.

Why did you leave Soundcity?

That is very funny. Everybody keeps thinking I have left Soundcity. I would say I have not left Soundcity. I have given people the impression that I have left. I have done one or two things that would make people conclude that I have left. I will be very sincere, I have not got a sack letter from Soundcity, neither have I put in my resignation. I on ly got a letter from them a few days ago asking me to report to the office in 72 hours. I’m too free-spirited. Working with Soundcity just swallowed me up. I wanted to branch out and do some other things. But then, I did a job for Soundcity in Abuja recently. I was in Abuja for another event, but I learnt the Soundcity crew were around. They didn’t come with a presenter so I had to do the job. It is very hard for people to take out ‘Soundcity’ from my name. Most people call me Denrele Soundcity. I have realised that and I think I have to go back to work.

Somebody told us that you are currently into acting.

How did you know? I don’t take myself too seriously, otherwise I would be too uptight. I live each day like it is the last one. Funke Akindele is my very good friend. I was supposed to do something for her in her movie, but my Yoruba then was not very okay. I eventually did the movie and my sister abused me so much. When she called me to do the Return of Jenifa, I told myself I was going to be serious with this one. I learned the Yoruba and I added jara (bonus) to it. Omo Ghetto Part Two came on board and I decided to go with the flow. I will also do a production for my friend, Ruky Sanda. The thing is that I have so many people as friends. When it is time to pay money, they will say I’m their friend.

Why did you decide to become a TV presenter?

I can remember that in 2005, I met Tajudeen Adepetu on Everyday People. I had a role in the soap. He told me he wanted to start a music channel. I used to be so crazy about Channel O. I once met the presenters of Channel O and I was so crazy. I used to idolise them. So, when (Mr.) Adepetu told him he wanted to start a music channel, I jumped at it. I went for the screening and I met the other presenters. I will be very sincere; when we started, I was in the background. People used to ask me if I was sure I was in Soundcity. I was earning my salary but I wasn’t really doing anything. So, when we opened our office at Lekki, I started doing research. That was when I came about the Red Carpet. My boss asked me if I was sure I could handle the Red Carpet events. I said I was going to try. The first one I did was a disaster, but I got better till it got to that stage that major clients will come asking for Denrele or no other person for their red carpet events.

Is your father ok with your dress style?

I doff my hat for my father. He is somebody that I respect. Can you imagine a Nigerian man accepting a son who dresses like me? That father will go all out to cast the demons out of that his child that tries to embark on this kind of journey. But he has been very tolerant. He is a fellow in his church. You can imagine all what other church members must have told him about me. He is a chorister as well. But he still doesn’t mind. I think he knows that this child is heading somewhere and he decided to allow me to do whatever I wanted.

What of you mother?

My mum, who is a non-Nigerian, just said people should leave me alone and that I would grow out of this madness. But my grandma and other family members? It wasn’t easy. What didn’t I hear from them?

Where is your mum from?

Her dad is Indian and her mum is from Mauritius. My dad is Yoruba and I was born in Germany. She is in Dublin at the moment and she is doing well.

But when did this ‘madness’ start?

I can’t say it started from the womb; I think it was music that made me this way. I used to be crazy about Bonny M. My dad used to be a DJ in Germany and he had all their albums. I got intoxicated with music and with the Bonny M. I loved the way the guy used to dress, especially his afro hair. But officially, I think this madness started when I started modelling. When I got to UNILAG, I was very conscious of myself. I used to be skinny and I used to wear baggy shirts and jeans. The first person I modelled for was Kese Jabari. He made some clothes, especially for me and they were my perfect size. I now saw clothes from another perspective. I ventured into photography modelling and I just decided to rebrand. I didn’t have too many clothes but you wouldn’t know. I used to rip my jeans everyday. I wanted to create my own identity.

Didn’t this identity come with its own headache?

Of course, it came with its bad side. I think it was just the fashion industry that understood me.

But didn’t it make you become ‘normal?’

It made me withdraw a little. I would go home and ask myself why people were treating me this way. I wasn’t looking for anybody’s trouble. I was just trying to express myself with the way I dress. It was really bad. At times I would board a bus and everybody in the bus would alight from the bus. I would stop a bike and the bike man would shout back, ‘Mad man!’ It was even worse in school; my lecturers will walk me out of the class because of the way I looked. I used to go to one company in Alausa (Lagos) and because no bus would agree to take me as a passenger, I used to walk from Alausa to Maryland. And even the trekking was not easy; I would be taunted and ridiculed.

But then, you still carried on…

I think what kept me going was just my determination. One day, it just occurred to me that the fact that people were treating me this way meant they acknowledged that I exist. When I was normal, nobody was looking at my side. I just stopped being troubled. In fact, in school, people noticed I didn’t give a hoot about anything they said about me. Any lecturer that asked me to walk out of his class, I gladly walked out.

Can you still wear normal clothes?

Personally, I wouldn’t want to because they would be too expensive. If I must wear normal clothes, I would definitely go for designer labels. My look is very cheap. I can recycle my clothes as many times as possible and nobody will know. I can buy regular jeans and tear them into pieces. It is easier for me to maintain the way I look. Then again, a lot of people buy these clothes for me.

Some people do think you are just trying to imitate Boy George.

I would say no. I never really knew who Boy George was. I didn’t have so much of his video to watch. I was hell bent on going out there and making money. I think I took from here and there and came up with who I am.

With the way you dress, one would have expected you to have pierced your body and wear tattoos as well.

I did not pierce any part of my body, not even my ear. Everybody is piercing their ears now. Virtually all guys have tattoos on now. But I chose to be different. My body is very clean. My hair is natural, I have never relaxed it.

Tell us about this picture of you and Charly Boy kissing that has been circulating on the Internet.

Oh, so we’re back to that picture? I wasn’t even in the country when that picture started circulating. This is a country where your business is everybody’s business. Somebody emailed that picture to me on my BlackBerry. I looked at it for five minutes. I told myself I would need to deal with this situation. I was coming back to Lagos the next day. My God! When I landed in Lagos, it was crazy. Even the immigration men were screaming at me and asking me why I had to go and kiss Charly Boy. My phone rang nonstop. I decided I wasn’t going to let this get me down.

But is the picture real?

I think it was just some sort of publicity stunt, propaganda or it was Photoshop or it was the real deal. People should just look at the picture and make out what they want to make out of it. The only horrible thing in the whole saga was that I didn’t kiss him properly. I know I’m a passionate kisser and I know I will not kiss like that picture.

So was it computer manipulated?

I don’t know. If you say so; just make out anything you want.

How do you feel when people think you are really gay?

I don’t let it bother me. If I allow it, I would go into seclusion. I will go and hibernate or even leave this country. But I have a lot of friends who are sexually twisted. But we are all equals. I don’t think I should see anybody differently because of their sexual preference. People look at me and just assume I’m gay. It might be because of my gesticulation. But I don’t think it is proper for anybody to judge me. I know everybody that I need to know in this country. I do my work very well. I live my life the way I want to and I think I’m happy. My inner happiness is what matters most and I have it. I was born this way. I can’t blame God for creating me this way. I have to deal with it the best way that I can.

But do homosexuals make love advances to you?

Come on! I’m not going to deny that. They do all the time. It is on a regular basis. People walk up to me all the time. I have had younger ones, my age mates and even older ones coming to me. My friends call me a tease. But I don’t lead these people on.

We understand you were dating Titi.

Yes, I was. She is even getting married soon.

Why did you break up?

That is a very serious question. Titi and I were very close. Let’s just say that she started becoming a ‘big girl.’ I couldn’t deal with her drama anymore. I still like her. We dated for two years. We still can’t explain what happened. It just fizzled out.

Who are you dating now?

There was somebody actually, but she called me the other day and blasted me over one thing. I didn’t understand what she was saying. I want to believe now that she has found her own square root and I have found my own square root. I love the idea of being on my own now. I don’t have to answer to anybody. I’m involved in so many things. I don’t like distractions.

Will you ever get married?

I love kids. I don’t think there is anybody on earth who loves kids as much as I do. I will definitely get married.

Do you think some folks will agree to have you as a son-in-law over the way you dress?

You will be surprised, I don’t want to say I’m a celebrity, but people know me and love me. Many of them invite me to their houses to spend time with their families. It might sound funny, but it is true. Some people do appreciate me but they wouldn’t want their kids to dress like me.

Click the link below to go to …

‘If I Choose To Marry A Man, Its My Business’- Denrele Edun