The last time first time I
met her was at Wole Oni’s studio. I had just interviewed Oni when this
chocolate skinned beauty clutching a flute strolled in.
Before I could say Jackie
Robinson I was interviewing her. That was over a year ago. Last week, I ran into
her again and realized that in the short space of a year, a lot had happened in
her career including playing major gigs and sharing the stage with top
musicians and recording a couple of collabos.
In this interview with The Entertainer, the act popularly known
as Ebele the flutist, who says she has found joy and fulfillment playing the
flute spoke on her music and why she has
fallen for the flute.
Excerpts:
Wole Oni has been producing your songs. What’s it like
working with him?
Wow! It’s nice and
exciting because he has that touch which I want; he can interpret my sound. I
am an instrumentalist who doubles as a singer so I needed someone who could
interpret my sound. He fitted into that mould so well I featured him on a track
Oga Mma.
The flute comes across as a masculine instrument. Why
did you choose it?
It for me started when I
was age 14 or 15. I was exposed to a musical background as a young girl so
it started as a hobby. My mum and dad sang in church as well. There were some Filippinos
who came to Nigeria and trained us. There was this Filipino lady who introduced
me to the flute. I just loved watching her play. What inspired me was that she
was also a versatile pianist. Before I knew it my hobby became my passion!
What does the flute mean to you?
The flute is like a bird.
It’s a solo instrument yet very classic and complex and that’s why it’s not so
common. But the beautiful thing about the way I play the flute is that I’m able
to interpret it across various genres. I want to make the world realize that the
flute could be as dynamic as the sax. My dream is to elevate the flute to the
level of the sax. If you listen to my-soon-to-be-released album, I work in different
genres with emphasis on the flute; my flute is my best friend.
Majek Fashek once said if reincarnation was for real,
he’d like to reincarnate as a guitar. Would you want to come back as a flute?
The flute is the voice of
the bird. It’s an instrument that I use to express myself. Some things are so
deep I just can express them with words; it’s the flute that helps me to
express them. My fans understand this and I realize it’s a big expression mode
for me. Maybe, I wouldn’t mind coming back as one.
The flute is more of a masculine instrument…
That’s what people
say but I totally disagree with you. What a man can do a woman can even do
better. And that’s because when a woman is committed, she goes all the way; I
am a professional.
Who are your role models when it comes to playing wind
instruments?
Mike Aremu is just
amazing. He plays his sax very well. That’s why I featured him in Jawa Chineke. I normally tell people I
want to be as expressive as Mike Aremu when I play my flute.
Tell us about your dreams?
I dream of a time when you’ll
start seeing flutes everywhere. People are already getting acquainted with the
flute thing already. Before now nobody wanted to hear the flute. Sax was the
main thing but now things are changing; I am promoting the flute experience.
Tell us about your album promo singles?
I have three tracks
on YouTube and the response has been wow!
How has the journey been in the last one year?
Fantastic, very fantastic!
The level of growth and acceptance has been awesome!
When is your album dropping?
God willing, before the
end of this year.
