Music on the Horizon

26 May 2011

Liberian music prior to the outbreak of the fourteen years brutal armed conflict took the African continent by storm when folk music singer O. J. Brown hit the BBC African Music chart in the mid 1980s. O. J Brown’s success story was also backed by top Liberian artist like Tecumsy Roberts (TR) late, Dave Taye (GQ), Nimba Bird, Fatu Gayflor, Hawa Dassie Moore, Miatta Fahnbulleh, John Hayes, Robert Toe (late), Hayes and Harvey, the Vampees among others battled musically with their counterpart on the continent but their vision and aspirations to see Liberian music achieving the desired objective stalled by the long civil war in the country.

After the civil conflict there are still a few Liberians who are not leaving any stone untouched in the quest to keep the flame of Liberian music burning in the country.

One of those artists who is still focus in redeeming the lost musical heritage of Liberia is female folk music hit star singer Marie Nyenabo.

J. Edwood N. Dennis had a time out with this traditional lyric composer and African rhythm singer and now writes:

My desire to conduct an interview with traditional hit singer Marie Nyenabo came after I got glued to my office television for over ten minutes as a TV station shows Marie Nyenabo in an extra ordinary African attire singing her single from her current efforts that she said was still undergoing final studio works at local recording studio in Monrovia.

Having made contacts with friends in two days, I was able to locate the home of Marie down town Monrovia. Looking too strange, she was compelled to request my mission of been there with her after I was welcomed in the living room of the traditional hit song singer.

After stating my mission, the opportunity was granted with smiles on the face of Marie Nyenabo. She began to explain her journey into Liberian music by first performing as a cultural dancer for years with the Flomo Theatre Production.

Marie recalled that her first time to sing on stage was when she was told by Mr. Peter Gballah (Flomo) head of the group that she was to do songs in her Krahn dialect while Tokay Tomah would sing in the Gio vernacular at a show that was already set for Zwedru City, Grand Gedeh County in 2002, Marie’s county of origin.

Marie went on to say she was flogged by the stage manager for neglecting the mandate to perform, stressing that the pressure from both the Flomo Theatre Management and the audience that would grace the occasion tormented her imagination to taking the stage.

She indicated that after the show in Zwedru City, the owner of the DAN-L Studio in Gbarnga City Bong County, Mr. Franklin Saikor now Senator of Bong County offers her a recording arrangement thus creating the opportunity for her journey into professional musical works in Liberia.

Though Marie Nyenabo recalled experiencing tough times in the studio at the time, it only served as an encouragement to step up her desire to making it to the top on the Liberian musical market and even beyond.

Marie told me the difficulties as well as set back experienced from her first two albums, titled “Borsia”(don’t leak out my secret) and “Only for Myself”.

Her third album was “Sarpo Disco” with track “Sieyanjay” [ I who was passing around, people getting to feel me) musical video has begun hitting the screen of TV stations in the country.

Regarding composing or writing her own songs, Marie who is a strong member of the Pure Fire Miracle Ministries Central Church in down town Monrovia gave glory to God for always giving her inspirational power to developing dialect songs that were being written by her son before going to studio.

The latest album, Marie said, has other hit songs like Mama, Solopayee (Moonlight) among others.

The charismatic singer said she was very unique in her arts of dance as result of constant practice especially having spent over 15 years as a cultural dancer in Liberia; something that gives her the energy to keep audience in an unbelievable situation whenever she is singing and dancing.

Marie in conclusion gave thanks to Liberian Cultural ambassador, Judie Andy for the exposure, hailed Sen. Franklin Saikor for the continued financial support to achieving her dream to becoming a top artist in Liberia.

AllAfrica – All the Time