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| Davina |
Davina
stands out of the crowd wherever she goes due to the genre of her music, fashion
design, style of dressing and blonde Afro hairdo. The top Nigerian singer who is also into
fashion business in this interview with Ada Dike among other issues speaks on
her lifestyle and career.
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She shot
into limelight like a bolt out of the blue in 2005. Davina is one of the
sexiest singers in the Nigerian music industry and also a fashion designer.
Her fashion
and jewellery line is called Davina’s Secret. “We teach and empower people on
how to make jewellery which I learnt from my mother who makes beaded bags, shoes
and so on. She was very creative and encouraged us to go into the arts.”
She
discovered her singing talent from the church at the age of 13 years but
started singing professionally in 2005 when she performed alongside Ja Rule and
Kevin Lyttle.
In 2006, she
launched her maiden album titled Adura and also went on her first tour in 10
states in Nigeria.
Initially, she
was playing lawn tennis but was doing music alongside. Her career in music
began when she used to perform in night clubs in Ikeja, Lagos. “One day after
my performance, someone told me that I could do well in music because according
to him, I performed better than the originators of the songs I sang that day.
“From there,
someone encouraged me to produce a demo which I did. Along the line, former
chief executive of Nigerian Breweries PLC, Mr. Festus Odimegwu listened to my
demo and invited me to perform at the Star Mega Jam where I performed alongside
Ja Rule and Kelvin Lyttle in 2001. I later participated in Star trek in 2006.
From there, I embarked on tours,” she said.
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| Davina |
The genre of
her music is both gospel and inspirational. It preaches hope and gives succour
to the oppressed. “I produced an album called ‘Oun rere’ in 2004 but it was not
released. I started singing in the choir in church and continued to add music
in my curriculum. Later I joined some bands and registered to join the Lagos
State Choir,“ Davina added.
Born
Patience Achema in Kogi State, she is the sixth amongst seven children. She
thrills her fans with her outstanding voice and performance at every occasion.
Growing up
for her was quite difficult because her father was a soldier and they were
travelling up and down. “We did not have a permanent place we grew up in,
because we moved from one state to another on transfer. It was an awesome
experience because it made me not to have permanent friends because I was
always making new friends wherever we moved to,” Davina said.
She grew up
in the barracks and refused to succumb to peer pressure as a lady. “My parents
trained us with the fear of God and that was what saw us through. My childhood
days were full of activities.”
She attended
a school in Kaduna before they were transferred to Lagos, where she continued
schooling at the Military Primary School and then she proceeded to Jibowu High
School. She also studied French and has a diploma in it. Davina furthered her
education at the National Open University where she studied Peace and Conflict
Resolution.
Her parents
didn’t support her music career at the initial stage but she had to convince
them that it’s her calling.
On why she
does not bear Patience as her stage name which her parents named her, she
explains, “I love my name but I adopted Davina because I am into entertainment.
Moreover, it is as common as Patience. If you mention ‘Davina the musician’ in
any part of Nigeria, people would readily know that I am the one you are
referring to.”
She has
played alongside many international acts such as Kanye West, T.Pain, LL Cool J,
Akon and Nigerian stars like P.Square, African China, Muma G, Wired MC, Rugged
Man, 9ice,Dbanj, 2Face , Tony Tetuila, Jay Martins, Ras kimono and so many
others at many events.
In 2009, she
released another album titled Dreams, which has enjoyed airplay within and
outside Nigeria.
On the
challenges she faces as a singer and a fashion designer, she said she has been
able to survive. In all parts of the world, the art industry is a difficult
terrain.
She
attributed her success to God and through hard work.
Her
hairstyle over the years has become her signature, she explains, “I got it through
an inspiration that I needed to carve a niche for myself.”
She recalled
that “The first time I carried my hair-style to an event was in 2005, that was
when Ja Rule came to Nigeria and naturally. As a lady you would want to try
different hairstyles and I discovered that whenever I do other hairstyles,
people will say “we don’t know you, who is this?’ People
wanted to me always wear that hairdo, so I felt maybe there is something about
that hair that branded the hair alongside Davina. It’s really a blessing and at
the same time a curse, a curse in the sense that I can’t try some other things
like some other ladies.
“My hairdo
is about Davina and it is all about the image and everything that surrounds my
song. I love my Afro hairdo and the special colour on it, which is blonde. I am
noticed wherever I go through my style of dressing and hairdo. My style defines
who I am and the real me. A lot of places I go I see people looking at my pictures
that are splattered all over magazines. Many people will not recognise if I am
wearing my natural hair. At events, people say ‘look at this girl, what’s her
name?’ And they will say ‘it’s Davina.’ That is kind of beautiful gift God has
given to me, but I am someone else when I am at home.”
On how long
she will carry the Davina hair, she reveals, “I am going to carry the Davina
hairstyle for a while longer, though I have a song on the street everybody know
me with. They now know Davina with my single ‘Indecisive mama’ so I am gradually rebranding my style.
She normally
fixes her Afro hairstyle and wears a wig sometimes. “I prefer to fix it but I do
have wigs that are of the same format and sometimes, it’s fuller than this and
sometimes it’s smaller depending on how I am feeling. I do it full sometimes
when I am going on stage. I like it bigger; I just like the full hair factor. If
I change my hairstyle, the next one I will do will be big because I like it
dramatic.”
How long she
carries her hairstyle depends on her schedule. “Sometimes I carry it for a
month when I am busy. Sometimes I will be in the salon and I am supposed to be
somewhere, people are waiting for me so they will not understand that I am
still doing my hair. That is why I always create a time for my hair.”
She has a
particular hair stylist. “Any the time I call them, they will say ‘Davina, you’ve
come again. There’s a way you want to
be, the colour and all so by the time I call them, they will make out time to
do my hair and we’ll all have fun at the end of the day. I style it to the
point that it would look like what I want.”
Of course,
stardom is associated with a lot of issues, including scandal. The ebony black
and well-endowed singer was once accused of sleeping around to break-even but
she’s undeterred.
Every woman
in one way or the other has a male admirer but the most important thing is how they
handle them. “One has to be disciplined to keep one’s head up without falling
into temptation. I don’t have any problem in handling my admirers and I must
confess that I have male admirers, they normally approach me but I always stand
my ground.”
Presently,
she is in engaged with Eric, General Manager of Ben TV, London, who walked up
on stage on July 28, 2012, grabbed the
microphone and proposed to her after her performance in an event.
She does not
have beauty routine but normally washes her face and makes sure she uses facial
scrub at least two times a week.
Davina
believes that God is her inspiration. “This is because I was trained by
Christian parents so it has always been God. When I grew up, I began to
experience life. My personal experience made me to write other songs because I
started by writing church songs but later diversified when I got involved with
relationships. All these issues including humanity, my daily experience and
other people’s experience give me inspiration to write songs,” she said.
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