A BABBLE WITH OLA AND THE MOBO AWARDS!!!

Hey guys,

Its the 15 for 15 challenge again and for this month, we have my very own Olaedo, a beautiful and talented gospel singer in the house today. I must render my sincere apologies as this is quite a very late post. She was nominated as the best gospel act/singer for the MOBO awards 2015 and this interview was conducted a few weeks back while the voting was still on.

Voting has now come to an end, and the winner has also been announced as Faith child. Nonetheless, I thought it'll still be nice to share the little babble we had concerning Ola's musical career and how she felt about being nominated for the MOBO awards. So, I hope you enjoy.

Welcome on board miss Olaedo, Is there a story behind that name Olaedo?

Lol Yes, My parents experienced difficulty in having a child. When I was born, my father was very happy. He asked God what name to call me and God gave him Olaedo meaning Gold in the igbo language.

What first got you interested in becoming a singer?

I've always loved music but the desire to become a singer came from secretly worshiping God in my room as a child. God then would inspire me to write plays, scripts, stories and poetry. However I only write songs now.

What/who inspires your music?

God, Jesus, the Holyspirit, Life living in lagos, abuja & london. Also different season in my life, Gods unbelievable kindness & mercy towards me. I love love love the Clark Sisters, Jill Scott, Deniece Williams, Motown and Psalms.

Do you see being a singer as a career, or as a hobby?

Definitely as a career, more like a ministry! I'm just going to combine it with public health which is helping people to prevent illness & promoting health all by God’s grace.

How did you get involved in ministry?

My parents are Pastors, they had a church & I was in different ministries including the choir as a child.

You were recently nominated for the mobo awards....how do you feel about that?

I felt honoured & I wasn’t really expecting it to be honest. So I cried tears of joy.

What was the inspiration behind your first album 'shine like gold'?

In all honesty, well I had a dream of a man who had light emanating from him (I felt he was Jesus).....he showed me his wife who was a harlot in the womens rest room/toilet. All the other women were admiring her (the other women were shorter in size) but no one knew she was a harlot. She (the harlot) was wearing a black and green dress and the other ladies were wearing black jumpsuits they admired her and secretly envied her. She was staring in the mirror she did not see her wrongs. The man (I felt he was Jesus) was so grieved although he stared at her with a very deep love. We did not speak a word......however we communicated with our hearts. He explained to me that his wife/harlot is the present day church. The mirror was the bible (Even though his wife/the harlot was standing in front of the mirror she never saw her wrongs). The restroom/toilet was the world. The other ladies were other religions who envied her (the harlot) secretly and the green and black on her dress meant growing in darkness. The other ladies were wearing black which represented darkness. So I woke up & was unhappy with everything. I started to pray and asked God to help the body of Christ to Shine Like Gold....it turned into a song; some of the lyrics are “Refine us in your holiness, Define us in your righteousness, enhance us with unity and love, cleanse us with your pure clean blood because I want us to shine like Gold….So we can make your name known”. Also I know many people who have experienced church hurt, including myself this made me to pray even more.

Do you have any kind of management, publishing, PR team or distribution team, behind you? If so what are their responsibilities?

Yes and No lol Elegance management managed the creation of the ep shine like gold (music video and ep launch). It was a wonderful & incredible experience working with them….especially the producers Jason & Emmanuel AJ.  I'm an independent artist so I don’t have publishing, PR or distribution team at the moment. By God’s grace one day. Although my ep can be purchased on iTunes/Amazon/Google.

What are some accomplishments that you have achieved, and are most proud of?

Just being able to sing my songs that I wrote privately….. Publicly to glorify God that’s an accomplishment for me. I was shy when it came to singing my songs. So I praise God all the time and thank him  for my Parents , Fortuna Rodrigues, Singercise (Rachel Kerr) and so many friends  who have all supported me in one way or the other.

How has your musical journey been so far?

God has literally jumped many protocols for me. So I'm just humbled and grateful to him.  I just to pray to be in Gods will throughout this journey. I'm still living, learning & growing.

Why did you decide to go gospel?

Lol It’s just the natural & wise thing to do as a Christian living in the last days.

Thank you so much for coming on board Ola. It was indeed a great pleasure to have you share your story with us on sophsinspirations. And onn behalf of my fellow readers, we wish you the very best in your musical career and also, the MOBO awards. 

Please visit the link guys and cast your votes @ http://voting.mobo.com/categories/gospel-act. Voting ends on the 23rd of October 2015 so please hurry there now if you havnt casted a vote yet.

Until next time guys, do enjoy the rest of your week.

October dilusion: WHEN I ALMOST WENT BANANAS!!!!

Hey guys,

So a few days ago, I experienced a feeling.. A feeling that felt like I was going to fall apart and disintegrate into nothing.  I would dissociate while driving or crossing the road.. I could have died from being run over a couple of times because of a disociative mind. I would zone out completely at work and during important meetings thinking that something was definitely wrong.... I could have lost my job for that. It was like I was gradually lossing my mind...and then yesterday, it finally clicked!! I haven't blogged in two freaking weeks!!!!!!..Jeez!!!. Its official guys...I'm definitely addicted to this space.

October has been one hell of a month for me. Trying to meet deadlines, working on projects, trying to keep up at work, and at the same time, trying to catch up on life, family friends etc..Its been one of the most productive but definitely the most busiest and most stressfull of all. I'm glad its finally coming to and end. Though, the bulk of my gladness for the end of the month, lies within the 3rd day of November 2015.. Save the date guys..and no I'm not getting married, but I'm gonna be taking a step up that age ladder. *wink*. Im gonna be a year older. Can't thank God enough for bringing me thus far..its really been a journey and a half for me. And Just like most of my birthdays, I would be celebrating in different ways. For my last birthday, I shared a post about the lessons life has taught me. You can check it out here. For my next, I would more or less be answering a series of random questions (more like an interview) from a fellow blogger Duru, who also happens to be a fellow birth month mate, with regards to our zodiac sign Scorpio. But this time, its going to be behind the camera. Yes its going to be a video so please look out for it.

Being that the count down has already begun, I would be sharing a very important post tittled 'my birthday wish list' lol so please, also be on the lookout for that. Gifts are also very welcome from now so please, keep them rolling in.

Without any further ado, I guess I have to drop my pen here..well in this case, I have to get my fingers off this keypad..lol

I hope you enjoy the rest of the month guys..

Stay blessed.

5 LIFE LESSONS YOU CAN LEARN FROM SWIMMING!!!

Hey guys,

How has the week been? I hope good? If not, stay put...the weekend's almost here.

A couple of weeks back, I went swimming with a couple of friends, even though I'm nothing close to a good swimmer, I attempted a few moves and pulled a few stunts just to be part of the fun. Indeed it was a fun filled activity but most importantly, it was an opportunity to experience and remind myself about the little things that are required to keep us going through the hassles of life.

Here are a few life lessons you can learn from swimming.

BREATHE

When you’re swimming faster and your heart is pumping harder, you need bigger breaths, and when you’re meandering across the pool, you can hold your breath longer.  When in a situation, and it seems like the storms are approaching, just breathe....the storms will surely pass. Slow breathing is like an anchor in the midst of a storm. The anchor won't make the storm go away, but it'll hold you steady until the storm passes.

RELAX

In the midst of a storm, you've got to make sure you dont get drowned and that can only happen when you stay afloat. You cannot float unless you relax.

FIND YOUR RYTHM

Getting into your rhythm allows you to move into a space of surrender and peacefulness. That way, you are able to find joy even in the midst of the storms.


BE PERSISTENT

When you can’t find your rhythm (or don’t even know what it feels like), keep trying,...trust God and never give up. Trust is a decision; it is a position of the heart in the midst of the storm. It doesn't depend on how we feel, and it may not make us any better. It usually doesn't make the bad circumstance disappear but trust makes our heart and faith grow. We must trust God even if we can only do it through gritted teeth. 

HAVE FUN

Life is meant to be fun.  When you are having fun, you are vibrating in a feeling space of joy.  And when you are vibrating in a feeling space of joy, you are then drawing to you – and creating – all kinds of wonderfulness. Give praises to God in every situation. 

Have a great weekend.

WHAT A SECURITY MAN TAUGHT ME ABOUT CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!

Hey guys,

Its Friday!!!...

What's the weekend saying? Anyone got any interesting plans? Well, I've got a few but I'd rather leave it for the 'how I spent my weekend' post if I actually get to execute them lol.

One thing I love about life is growth and one thing that comes with growth is wisdom. You gain wisdom from the lessons and experiences you face and learn everyday.

One of the lessons I've learnt recently, is about customer service which can also be applied in life. Now being that sales is part of my job and I deal with a number of clients daily, customer service is very crucial. I'll tell you a story.

It was one of those days when I had to spend most of my time supervising workers outside the office. While I was at this task, we received orders from the management team, saying that a certain 'VIP' client was going to be coming in to the office at about 4 or 5pm, and that every client who comes in during or at about that time, should be given a warm welcome/VIP treatment, as no one really knew who this VIP client was or what he looked like. 

Shortly before 4pm, everyone got on their toes, in expectation of the VIP. The security men began patrolling, opening the gate and giving everyone who drove in during that time, a warm and happy welcome.

A couple of cars drove consecutively, and then, the car we had all been waiting for,- A white matte tinted G-wagon, pulled over at the gate. Yes Boss!!...our VIP client had finally arrived. This time, the security guards began saluting and hailing, as they viciously opened up the gate.

After they had opened his door and ushered him into the office as they had been told by the management, they all returned back to their respective posts, taking off their hats and hitting the sacs, except one!. He seemed to have been enjoying the whole VIP welcome proceedure, that he kept opening and saluting other clients who drove in and out consecutively, after the VIP client. It was so deep, he even opened and saluted a taxi driver who drove in 15 minutes after the VIP.

The next day, the management called a meeting with the guards who were on duty, assigning them 3 envelopes each. The first two who had retired to thier posts after welcoming the VIP, opened thiers and had a confused face on, while the other one opened his, and responded with a smile on his face. It was obvious!. Dude had received a cheque of......God knows how much, while his other colleagues had received their sack letters.

When asked why they had been sacked, the management responded saying: We informed you that a VIP client was going to be coming between the hours of 4 and 5 and you were expected to be at alert and give everyone who came in between this time, a very warm welcome/VIP treatment. In a state of shock and serious confusion, they responded saying: but we received and ushered in the VIP client upon his arrival as instructed. He drove in with a white matte tinted G-wagon. But the management responded saying,: No! he came in a cab. He was that gentle young man in a jeans and a shirt.

Apparently, the mistaken VIP was just a normal random client who had come to make inquiries coincidentally, and the actual VIP was marvled at this young man who happened to be the only one who gave such a warm welcome and a special treatment regardless of the fact that he came in a cab.

The cheque was the reward he got for his diligence.

Lesson learnt? You never know who might be your angel.

Never judge people by their looks. Treat everyone equally and specially.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend. :)

5 THINGS I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS OCTOBER!!!!

Hey homies,

Happy new month!

I hope September was good to you and I hope October would be even better. When it comes to the end of each month, I like looking ahead in my calender to see what I have to look forward to in the month to come. I have a few things I'm looking forward to this month, and I thought it'll be nice to share.

A TRIP TO LAGOS

I haven't seen my little cousins in a very long time, and I am seriously looking forward to catching up and spending some quality time with them this month.

A START ON MY CHRISTMAS SHOPPING

Yes! I'm starting my christmas very early. I've deprived myself some proper shopping all year because, I've been waiting and saving for the best time to shop, which I believe should be towards the Christmas period. Now the time is near and I'm definitely excited about it.

MAKING HOLIDAY PLANS

A lot of events seem to be lined up for the months of November and December. Also, some friends of mine are organising a trip to Gambia or Ghana this Christmas, but we haven't really decided yet, so most of the plans and decision would be made towards the end of the month.

AN IMPORTANT DATE/MEETING

Very business related.

REUNITING WITH THE BESTIE

Finally, my bestie would be returning back to Nigeria for good, after five years of studying in the UK and I am really looking forward to our reunion and a beautiful Christmas together.

What are you looking forward to this Month?

Enjoy the rest of your week :)