I guess by now most of my readers will know am a very great fan of Niiella of Stars Of The Future Season 5.
After falling in love with her musics, especially the kind of inspirational messages she sends across, I found myself sitting right beside her at the Accra Shopping Mall – Silver Lounge, the venue this interesting interview was scheduled to be held.
I was a bit late as we all aware of, 2:Pm Ghana Man Time is 3:Pm 😆
Surprisingly here i am, my guests saw me climbing the stairs to the Lounge and when i got closer to them we shook hands without thinking twice of Ebola.
We finally sat down, talked and laughed for a while to release the stress we felt and afterwards, we had to get to the main aim of our meeting.
Niiella, as most people are aware of is back to Ghana after a very long stay in U.K.
Below is what was discussed.
1.Tell us a little bit about your background – where were you born, where did you grow up and go to school?
Well I am fortunate enough to be in a family with different background mixes. My mum is half Fante, half Ashanti and my dad is half Ewe, half Yoroba.
I started my formal education from basic 5 at Vikans located in Abelemkpe.
Niiella explained why she started classroom lessons from basic 5 – The singer said she was home schooled by her mum and when she got to a very matured age, she entered into the formal way of education, (ie. Classroom studies).
I attended Edmonton County, Putteridge High School and Milton Keynes College, all in England.
2. How did you choose the name ‘Niiella’ for your professional solo career
I prefer to use the name Niiella because when I made the decision to sing gospel permanently I knew people knew me previously as Daniella, but now i am Niiella the gospel singer
3. Which Ghanaian musician would you like to work with and why?
I wont mind working with any musician, whether Sonnie Badu, Ohemaa Mercy, Cece Winnans, etc. because though my music is different, i grew up listening to songs from Daughters Of Glorious Jesus and more of them so I still have that kind of respect for people who are on that trend.
4. Which year did you officially enter the market as a musician?
I entered the music industry in 2012, that is right after the show when i released my first single which is titled ‘I Believe’..
5. How does technology impact your music and global reach?
Well technology is helping in my profession. Even when am not behind the PC, I can still use my phone to access my Facebook, twitter, instagram and interact with my fans and in addition, it makes it easy for me to access my website anywhere i am.
6. If you could only describe yourself in three words, which 3 words would you choose?
Ermm, Different, Funny and Determined
7. What three words would your friends use to describe you?
My friends will say am Funny, Caring and Crazy.
8. What’s the greatest opportunity being a musician has afforded you?
Meeting people and touching their lives with the messages I am promoting.
9. How important is social media in promoting your music?
Initially i wasnt that active but recently am much active because i want to interact more with my fans.
Also i see social media to be 50/60% in promoting my music because if am not working hard then am not getting my stuff on the media to be promoted.
10. What’s the craziest thing a fan has ever done?
Marriage proposal. I remember one fan sent me a message saying he is ready for marriage and he has read my profile and interested in me so i should contact him on his number so that we talk. Thats the craziest thing i have experienced from a fan.
11. If you could look back and give one piece of advice to yourself, like 5 years ago, what would you say?
I will tell myself not to rush because i used to do things quickly. I would have advised myself to slow down and wait for God’s time.
12. What’s the one mistake you have made in life that you wish you could take back?
I will say not taking my mums advice because i felt she is older and am younger and things done in their time were different from my time so i could make my own decisions
13. What’s the one mistake you have made in life that you wish you could take back?
I will keep that part (She laughs)…
14. What are your goals for this year?
Work hard in my music, videos, etc. My goals are to work extra harder in all what i used to do cos ive come to realize hard-work pays.
15. How would you label your music?
Urban gospel. Afro beats, R&B beats, Hip Hop, etc. You see my music is a mix of different fusions. Like my song Beautiful has twi but it sounds like R&B.
16. If you could pick a song to describe your life now, what song would you pick?
My new song, Beautiful. I will choose Beautiful because it talks more about not waiting for God. Sometimes we feel like we are not good enough but God sees us as Beautiful and I’ve felt the same myself and that is why i will choose Beautiful since it summarizes my life.
17. What is your Favorite Hang out spot in Accra?
Ci Gusta, thats at the Airport
18. What was going through your mind when you entered in the Stars Of The Future?
My sister said i should go and participate because she believes i can win so i just wanted to go and see how it will work for me. I wasnt sure if it was a joke or it was serious but as i entered, I realized it was serious so then i decided to be serious.
19. Out of all of the songs you have released, which one is your favorite?
Beautiful. As i said earlier on, the song is a song i can connect more since it summarizes my life.
20. How has fame changed your life (or perhaps it hasn’t).
Fame has made me more focused but it hasnt changed my personal life. It just my goals that have changed.
21. What can you not do now that you could do before you were so recognizable?
Basically am the free type and it doesnt bother me if someone sees me doing something crazy because fame or no fame i wont do anything inappropriate.
22. Out of all of the songs you have released, which one will you be surprised if it gets a massive hit?
I didnt think my first single I Believe would be a hit. I just recorded it but later on people started liking it even till now. I never believed it would have gotten that far so thats already a surprise hit.
23. Where were you the first time you heard your song on the radio and what were you doing?
I was on Sunny FM with Fiifi Folson. I was granted an interview and when I heard i was happy and normal too because i didnt jump and do those stuffs .
24. Tell us about the last song (Beautiful) you wrote and what inspired it?
My last song is dubbed Beautiful. It connects to me more since it talks more about my life.
Talking about what inspired it? I will say my brothers, David and Jeremiah played the beat and when they went out, i heard it and started singing. You know one thing, i didnt think about it too much. I just started singing and rearranged it and whoop, it was a song.
25. Overall, what role does Ghanaian music play in world music? Tell us something more since you have a little experience in the outside community.
Ghanaian music in England is very well known. Shops, markets, mall, etc. The songs are everywhere especially the Azonto stuff. And the gospel isnt doing bad there too because we have Ghanaian radio stations there and the other social media platforms keeps us updated on all kinds of songs.
26. Will you ever do a collaboration with a female Ghanaian artist, like Cecilia Marfo, Ohemaa Mercy, Herty Borngreat,etc in the near future?
Yeah why not? Though my music is different i grew up listening to Daughters Of Glorious Jesus, Elder Mireku etc. so sure, if the time comes for me to work with any of them am not going to think twice.
27. What goes through your mind as you are performing?
It depends on the song and the lyrics. My main aim is to touch the lives of people so i like to be emotional because am the emotional type. I also think about the band, lyrics and response from the audience
28. Do you loose confident when you dont get a positive response from the audience?
No, I never flop when performing. I stay the same even if they dont give the response. My performance never goes down, if anything it goes up.
29. After you finish recording a song, how do you test it out? Do you ever test it out with friends and family – have them listen to it to see what they think or do you just wait for the world to hear it at the same time?
My family and friends who are in Ghana and England because of the fan base and how different both countries see music.
Especially my mum, she’s got the biggest opinion when it comes to that (She laughs out loud). And yeah my brothers if they don’t like it then it means the song is not good koraa.
30. During your few years in the music industry, what’s the best piece of advice you have received?
I shouldnt be afraid of criticism because that makes me a better musician and then i shouldnt get offended if someone sees my work as a
trash.
31. If you were not making music, what do you think you would be doing in your life today?
Fashion, Art and Dance.
33. Are you a good dancer?
Yh, a very great dancer. (Her brother, David defends her)
32. What message do you have for your fans out there?
To stay out of Ebola. I will tell my fans to keep praying because at the end of the day you will never know the one who is carrying the virus. They should be very cautious and keep good personal hygiene.
You can check out her new single dubbed BEAUTIFUL. The song i cant skip on my playlist.