Stella Monye, Afro Pop queen makes a dramatic return with Outburst, her latest album
By Sylvester Asoya & Sola Olaosebikan
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In the early eighties, Stella Monye, Afro-Pop queen, was hugely popular. With blockbusters like Oko Mi Ye and Ife, she had little or no competition. But then, Stella became overwhelmed by the latest trend in the industry then. Now, the Afro-Pop queen seems fully back, and totally in charge of her musical career. Even though she appeared to have faded out at a time, her creative abilities remain intact. This much she brings to bear in Outburst, her latest effort.
In Outburst, Stella shows that she is yet to go into oblivion. More than that, she displays a style typical of the new generation of Nigerian musicians, whose works are re-defining the standards.
With a thousand female voices in the eight-track album, Stella appears in a hurry to fill the void. But why would someone need a thousand voices in an album? Stella offers an answer. “The one thousand female voices form a group. I got some from churches, some from schools and I pieced them together in order to have a feast of songs. Can you imagine 1000 singing on stage. It’s going to be wicked.”
According to her, the idea of having a thousand voices came about during a concert to save her son, Ibrahim. “During the ‘Save Ibrahim’ concert at College of Education, Ijanikin, they came and invited me, but I was not particularly interested. I was so reluctant to go, but they convinced me. However, that afternoon, when I drove to the campus, I felt like a superstar. And then, there were 250 people standing on the stage singing: Lean On Me for Ibrahim. When I sought where the 250 people came from, they said they were from the music department of the school. So I thought this was a new dimension,” she revealed.Following that experience, she vowed to do something bigger. Today, the unrelenting artist and mother of two, has realised her dream, which is very well represented in Outburst. The highpoint of Outburst is the re-introduction of Oko Mi Ye, Kilode, Ife and a few others which she claimed she added to the new album based on popular demand, and the need to deliver the songs unhindered by producers. Also included in the new album is Elefe. It is a very danceable song that evinced Stella’s experience. Stella expressed that Elefe will readily displace some of the latest hit songs in town. “I used about 30 sessions in the studio recording the song and I love it,” she enthused.
Another fast-pace dance song in the new effort is Onyeoma. It is a song of appreciation to her fans and Nigerians who kept faith during the lull that punctuated her career. On the sideline, Stella is also offering a helping hand to young women in distress. While re-inventing herself, the artist decided to start a non-profit organisation called Women Help Initiative, WHI, which she claimed came about primarily from her experience as a teenager.
This desire to help was reinforced by an encounter she had with a teenage mother who abandoned her baby in front of Stella’s apartment. She was so touched by that experience that she had to quickly set machinery in motion to cater for teenagers facing such crisis. “I know there are several cases like that, several people who need help even though help is usually too far away,” she concluded.
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