Sunday 29 September 2013

Music for me is to influence young generation positively - Ebele the flutist



Ebele Ezeamakam whose stage name is Ebele the flutist has become a household name in the music industry in a short time. She is a gospel artiste who plays the flute to add zing to her performance. In this chat with www.angeladaviesblog.blogspot.com  she talked about the flute, music and other issues.

Growing up
Although she hails from Anambra State, she grew up in Benin, Edo State. From a Christian home, she is the second child in a family of six. Ebele revealed that her love for music which has become her career started when she was about 15 years old.

Music
“For me, music started way back when I was about 15 years old. That was when I also began playing the flute which was like a hobby for me. My parents exposed me to music. It has its background in our family. Ever since, it has never left me. I have always been in the choir singing as well as playing the flute. My hobby became my passion because I grew up with the flute. It has always been with me though I didn’t study music. I studied Accounting and then Business Administration as a postgraduate course. I can say that my hobby became my passion and today my passion is a career for me,” Ebele disclosed.

The flute and music
There are different musical instruments she could choose to play, so why opt for the flute and what does it mean to her? “The flute is like a bird and because I sing very high soprano, I wanted something that would complement my voice. It is a complex instrument and not so common like other types of instrument hence it gives me an edge to be different from every other instrumentalist. It is an instrument I use to interpret myself. First of all, I represent myself as a gospel artiste with a unique brand. Sometimes, the flute expresses what the voice cannot vocally convey. Playing the flute helps people read a lot of things about your expression. For me, it is another means of interpreting what God has placed inside me. I have heard people tell me that the flute should be left for the male folk but I have come to realise that what a man can do, a woman can even do better. When a woman puts her mind and interest in a thing, you cannot tell how far she could go doing it. So, it is not a man’s thing. I am proving to the world today that a woman can actually play the flute beautifully,” she emphasised.
She spoke animatedly about a foreigner who inspired her to play the flute. “I was inspired to play the flute by a Philippine lady who normally came and trained us back then in my family church. She plays the flute and the keyboard beautifully well, I fell in love with her as a small girl and that inspired me to play the flute,” she recalled.
 Her singles
Interestingly, Ebele who plays different genres of gospel songs already has three singles and they are enjoying air play. They are ‘Jawa Chineke’ which is a high praise song, ‘If you don’t know’, a classic song and ‘Oganma’, which is African jazz. “The three songs are not the same but you can read me from them. Even my forthcoming album is about 10 tracks and the songs are not the same. I sing different genre of gospel music so that anyone can get acquainted and like the songs. I intend to drop the album before the end of the year,” she said.

Role model
On her role model in the industry, Ebele disclosed: “My role model is Mike Aremu; he plays the sax very well and he is well known in the industry. I want to play my flute the way Mike Aremu plays his sax. Aside from being a gospel artiste, when he plays, he carries the audience along with just playing the sax.”

Starting music as a career
When she thought of giving up her job and taking to music, did she ever think she would be recognised as a flutist? “When I was planning to start my recording, my boss asked me what an accountant has got to do with music? He said he would advise me to travel abroad and do my recording because playing the flute does not work in Nigeria no matter how good I was in playing it. But the truth about it is that when God has given you a passion for a thing, He gives you the grace to drive it. I have not seen any gospel artiste playing the flute. I knew God told me to do this, so I stepped out in faith. Today, here I am performing at different events and people are carried away by what they see. They are seeing a woman playing the flute and doing it very well. It shows that I am doing what God wants me to do.”

Gospel artiste who feature in secular songs
About gospel artistes who feature in secular music, Ebele said that in all we do, it is the vision and motive behind it that really matters as those are the things God watches. “What I want to say is that I think in all we do, it is the vision and motive behind it that really matter and those are the things God watches. If you feature in secular songs because you have a good motive to influence people positively and also make the name of God to be praised, then it is fine. But when you collaborate or feature in secular songs so that with the influence of that musician you can be known, then, it is wrong. Our motive really matters in all that we do,” she disclosed.
Since she spoke about motive as a basis, can she feature someone like D’banj in any of her songs? “Music for me is to influence the young generation to do positive things with their lives. If I have to feature D’banj in any of my songs, it means he is going to do something that will positively influence the young people and the society. But I won’t do a video with him like some of the ones I see where young ladies are almost naked. That is why I said motive is important,” Ebele added.

Motivation
It is not unusual for people to have someone or something which motivates them in life. For Ebele, she declared that success motivates her. “One of the things that motivate me is success. I don’t feel that I am already there; I want to be better than where I have seen myself. Also, I always want to see myself encourage people. I lost my mum some years ago; she was one of the closest persons to me. I never knew I would be able to pull through in life when I lost her. But after her death, God showed me that my mum was not my God but Him. I found purpose, strength and I became stronger, that is why I encourage young people that they can achieve what they want if they put their energy, determination, consistent and have the fear of God. Part of my motivation is to see how much I can also influence the young people to achieve their God-given purpose in their lives,” she said.
 
Reaction of guests to Ebele the flutist
On the reaction of guests at events when she comes on stage after being introduced as Ebele the flutist, she stated that they want to see what she has to offer. “From their facial expression, I could deduce that they want to see what this flutist has to offer. For instance, when I was introduced at the Zik’s Award at Civic Centre, and I finished performing, the three governors who were present stood up and clapped because they enjoyed and appreciated the performance. There was this expression of ‘so we have this in Nigeria?’ I heard one of the governors say ‘you only see performances like this when you travel abroad’. I go to events with my full band and when I am on stage, it is a full artistry because as I am singing, I am also playing the flute and I have my backup singers. What made them enjoy the show was that I sang most of the songs traditionallike, because I celebrate Nigeria and the African culture through the flute,” she added.

Her style
Defining her style, Ebele said she likes to look good. “I am very fashionable. I like to look good; in fact it is one of my personalities. When I am going on stage, I always like to have this wow kind of look.”

Leisure
During her leisure, she spends time to rehearse with the flute, read and work out. She goes out with friends too though she is very selective when it comes to going out with friends. About her single status, Ebele revealed, “I am not married but I am trusting God that it will be very soon. My ideal kind of man should be God-fearing first and have so much pursuit. By having pursuit, I mean visionoriented, full of vibes, personality and principled,” she said.

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