Just a few years in the music scene, she is already stirring things up; pretty young Chidynma Okebalama does not only add vibe to music but is also radiates a unique aurawhere ever she performs on stage. A few years ago, she made a decision to pursue her love for music after studying electrical engineering in Northeaster University in Boston. In this chat with Esther Onyegbula, she speaks about fashion style, among other issues. Enjoy:
What is your definition of fashion?
I think that fashion is a mode of expression, it is the way you express yourself that people can see, and it is more of a visual expression, the way you talk is also like an expression of who you are, but fashion is also like an expression of what you are it just brings that out for people to see.
Do you consider yourself fashionable?
Of course, I am.
Who inspired your dress sense?
When I was growing up my mum was like a diva, she use to dress up and I use to watch her, my mum is a jewelry person, I am not. She inspired my sense of dressing but she always dressed respectably, I got a lot of my dress sense from her she is a very beautiful woman.
How would you describe your dress sense?
Like I said earlier on my music is an extension of me, my fashion is also an extension of me. I love to dress like a lady, very fashionable, I wear stilettos when I am performing, for my performance I wanted some thing edgy, I love high heels a lot, and at the same time I also love jeans and stuff like that, for tonight I decided to go edgy, who knows next week I might decide to wear a long dress. What so ever makes me comfortable and look good. Comfort comes first, because if I am not comfortable in what I am wearing I am going to be worrying about it and it could distract me.
What can’t you be caught wearing?
I don’t think anyone has asked me that question; I don’t like turtle necks, because it makes my boobs look a little bit bigger, than it is. So you can’t catch me wearing turtle necks even when it is cold…. Laughing Chidynma Okebalam
But your boobs are moderate…?
But with turtle neck it looks bigger because it brings my neck out.
What fashion item can’t you do without?
I love my black eyeliner and massacre, I can’t do without them.
Basically are you a jewelry person?
Not really, I wear jewelry when I am performing but when I am home I keep it pretty simple.
That is What about your hair?
That is the one God gave me now, I love my natural hair, I have fixed weavon four times in my life, but my natural hair works better for me, I love to touch my hair and scratch it and it is cheap, common it is my hair and it doesn’t cost me much set it.
When did you get into the music industry?
Professionally I have been back in Nigeria for about three years, but I have been recording, like the first song I performed today “Obimo” I did that in America years back. Outside the country, I have been in music for a while now before I decided it was time I came back to my roots here in Nigeria.
Before you came back what were you doing?
I used to be a professional engineer, I did that for two years, because I finished from school, and I worked for two years, till 2009.
Why did you leave a very professional course and certain future to pursue music?
Music is professional too, I found myself doing engineering and music and the music was taking a lot of my time, but I enjoyed doing music than I enjoyed doing engineering; because music is fun. With engineer, I felt like I could predict where I could be in five years, and I didn’t like there. But in music, it is different, and because it is very spontaneous and I am a very spontaneous person it is fun.
How would you describe the music industry since you came back to Nigeria?
The Nigeria music industry can definitely not be put in a box, I feel like it is one of those sectors that you can kind of wish that certain things were not the way it was, the Nigeria industry is also growing, although a lot of people are very quick to judge Nigeria, they are like we don’t have a structure put in place, but when actually did we start, the country is fifty years, and we have not celebrated fifty years of music in Nigeria. There are so many bad things happening now, there is so much piracy, it would change, we just need to give it time and put the right people in the right places.
What inspires your kind of music?
My mood inspires my music also life experiences inspires my music as well. I would say my music is a reflection of who I am, the two songs I did tonight were very different, one was a very slow love ballad and one was a very energetic performance, it is the kind of person that I am, I love, making people laugh and I love laughing myself, at the same time I am a very emotional person, so when I sing love songs I am emotional and when it comes to the hype I can get hype, it is more like afro pop, afro R&B, I can do a little bit of everything and I also know how to rap.
In the next five years where do you want the Chidynma brand to go?
I want the Chidynma brand to affect everybody in this world one way or another, it doesn’t have to take over your life but I want every house hold to know about the Chidynma brand. I am a very relax person, I enjoy family, and I enjoy people just having fun, being together, so I want to use my music to make people happy.
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