WCW: ADENIKE IS A STRONG WOMAN, DRAW FROM HER SOURCE

Hi everyone, hope your week is going pretty well? If yours has been drab, here’s a little something to spice it up. Today, we are crushing on the lovely Adenike Oyetunde who is a speaker, On-air- personality, and most interestingly a cancer survivor.

Hi Adenike,

 1) A lot of people see you as a survivor and constantly draw inspiration from you, how does that make you feel and what fuels your own inspiration?

I am learning to be in an unlooking mood. Let me tell you why. I honestly don't seek the praises of men and have heard how detrimental that can be. However, my primary purpose is to show others that living optimally is possible and very achievable. 

In that light, my inspiration is GOD firstly and a few people around me. People who want me to be more, who know I can do more and who push me to do more; Those that applaud my stepping out and launching into the deep. My inspiration is JESUS. Who in under a week had the same people who applauded Him, scream crucify Him'; and continued on that road to salvation.  My inspiration is my not so little sugar, Beulah and aunty Sumbo.

My inspiration is my friend Udy and Ogochukwu and Sola and Mayowa and Tombra and Ira and Michael and Kemi. They push me!!! 

2)      Are there any activities you do that people may not easily believe you can do?

Swimming and maybe driving.

3)      Where’s your best place to be?

In my own place (mind), with my homies and good food, best if we're God-ing (the practice of talking, reading, sharing all things God)

4)      You’re a radio personality; do you have any plans of getting into TV as well?

I sure will...

5)      What’s your biggest turn off with people?

Abbreviations when they type. The ehem' ehem people. Just make a sentence already!!!

6)      It's Wednesday, please tell us one woman you look up to?

Hmm...Wow. Kemi Adetiba has been under my radar for a very long time and I'm sure I'll know why again sooner.

My colleague-sister Omotunde Adebowale David, a.k.a Lolo 1. Wow. 

#SKincare BOLDEN '7 Ways to Shea'

MCM: AYOOLA'S NOTE TO HIS 4O YEAR OLD SELF

Hi there!!!

It's another exciting Monday; Happy democracy day. Today we are crushing on the guy with the angelic voice, romantic act and fine face, *drumroll* Ayoola Ayolola. He's popular for his role as 'Mide' in the renowned series 'Skinny Girl in Transit' and is also the winner of Project fame, season 5. Everyone loves Mide so why not have him as our MCM?

He's an actor, singer and speaker.

1) You are a singer and are now very well known for acting. Which is more fun for you and if you had to pick one, which would it be?

It's a privilege to be accepted in both worlds.. if I had to choose I'll choose music and movies lol.. it's honestly difficult to pick one as I have genuine love for both.

2) You tend to take on romantic roles and act them out fantastically well, do you think you’re just as romantic in real life?

 I guess I am, but most importantly,  I am an actor,  and I believe I'm doing something right for you think my on screen roles are a reflection of my reality.

3)   If you could sing a love song to a character in SGIT, asides Tiwa, who would it be?

That would be 'Shalewa,'  such a beautiful soul.

(4) What’s been the most unexpectedly exciting moment of your life?

 So many moments like that o,  but one that stood out was the moment I won the music competition, project fame West Africa, in 2012.

(5)   Today is Monday, if you could send a note to your 20 and 40 year old self. What would both notes say?

To my 20 year old self:- "Don't be in a Hurry, enjoy this moments. Your tomorrow is sorted"

To my 40 year old self:- "thank God you made it this far, he's still there to take you through another 40, so relax, but keep pushing

There you go,
Stay Inspired!

#NewMusic: Banky W tugs at our heart strings with his song for 'Susu'

It was a simple Friday.. still is.
I was just sitting here trying to work, and then next thing, i stumbled on Banky W's new video.

Incase you have been sleeping under a rock, here's the back story.

R 'n' B singer, Banky W, and actress and 'It' girl, Adesua Etomi, announced their engagement a few weeks ago. They then had an introduction and dinner then flew to Dubai to wrap filming on 'The Wedding Party' 2, the sequel to the highly successful 'Wedding Party' movie.

Now, the video to Banky's song, "Heaven (Susu's song)" is out and we swear there is something in our eyes.
Watch the sweet tribute which also gives us the inside scoop on that incredible engagement again.

WCW: Tallulah is the new kid on the block

A new face on the 'Moments' brand on Ebonylife TV, Tallulah is living her dream! We chatted with her and we were so pleased that she had a lot to say. Tallulah shares what it's like being a co-host on the show while snagging in what she'll usually be causgh wearing when she's not in front of the camera. Enjoy.

Tolu Doherty AKA Tallulah is a presenter, producer, entrepreneur and our WOMAN CRUSH for today.

Hello Tolu!

1) Your name Tallulah is such a funky name, how did you get it?

 At school, I always had a bunch of nicknames no one ever called me my real name Tolu lol! And Tallulah is the one that stuck. It comes from the musical "Bugsy Malone" the main character is called Tallulah and she's gorgeous and glamorous so as a gangly 12 year old with braces, I was like yes bring it on"My name is Tallulah!".

2) You are a new co-host on the ‘Moments’ show. What’s it like co-hosting with Bolanle and Toke and how did you feel the moment you got the job?

Toke and Bolanle are a joy to work with. I was definitely nervous the first day on set but I know them both socially so that helped and I love the fact that they wanted us all to shine they made me comfortable in every way and it has truly been a fabulous experience all the way. I've been part of the Ebonylifetv family for a while now as I hosted the show "Wardrobe Diaries" and am also a host on "VVIP Events" but getting the call that I'd been picked as the new co-host on Moments was a life changing experience. What made it even better was that I'd been having a bad day, you know one of those days we all have where we question ourselves, our abilities and start asking big existential questions - so getting that phone call on that type of day really blew my mind and made me so appreciative of the fact that I get to do what I love as a profession.

3) You are quite stylish, however, if you’re going somewhere around or devoid of public eyes, what are you throwing on?

My everyday staple is a midi body con dress and cute bag with sandals or jeans and an embellished tank top paired with cute earrings and a dope pair of sunglasses. I like to be comfortable but  also like
 to be able to transition from day to night easily as due to the nature of my job I may need to be at an event at short notice. So I always have a few pairs of pretty heels in my car to choose from. My preferred brands are Jimmy Choo and Prada for designer and for high street I love River Island and Topshop shoes.

4) If you could appear on any talk show internationally as a guest or host, what show would that be?

Oh wow! That's a difficult one. As a host It would be "The Real" those girls look like they're having so much fun and I love all the different personalities. Also Adrienne is my bff in my head so co-hosting with her would I'm sure be a blast. As a guest, though its now defunct it would be The Oprah Show because I love the way that Oprah is so skilled as an interviewer that she has the ability to make her interviewees open up and share things they didn't intend to. Like when Tom Cruise jumped on the couch and all those other iconic Oprah show moments. Also she hugely influenced me growing up I loved the way she could connect with people across all barriers - age, race, gender etc.

5) What piece of advice do you wish you had received 5 years ago?

To feed my focus and starve my distractions. I think often times we get distracted by minor things that should be ignored. And also you're not a tree if you're not happy, move. It's that simple. Life is to be lived and enjoyed not suffered through. Work on your goals daily, surround yourself with people who genuinely love you, want to see you win and make you laugh - laughter is very important to me. And finally Carpe Diem - Seize the day!

Thank you

This was such an amazing interview. Hope you enjoyed it and learnt a few things too.

Stay inspired!

#StyleStory My favourite little black dress

Everyone has that one thing they bought that was just a good buy.
Not only was it a good buy when you actually got it, but it still proves to be a good buy weeks, months and hey, years after!

For me, it is this little black dress from 'Mango'.

I cannot remember why i walked into that Mango store, or when, but boy am i glad i did. I picked up this dress and i think it must have been for some event or the other, which i did wear it to. but since then, it has become the little dress that could.

When the style gurus said every wardrobe needs a little black dress, they never lied. I have worn this dress to a concert, for a date, on a girls' night out, and to work and a press conference.

Do you see now why it is my favourite?

I can dress it up with heels for a party, with bold accessories for a television appearance, keep it simple with white contrasts for a date and rock it with flats for work.This really is the superhero of all clothes in my wardrobe.

Tell me, do you have that one good buy currently in your wardrobe?

#PinkFootball Thank God for Ronaldo

So on Sunday, Manchester United played and Pogba scored. Even though l'usband has tried to explain to me over and over that since Pogba is NOT a striker he wasnt bought to score goals, but i think some of the banter does get to you and you start to wonder why your very expensive players can't get you back to top three.

Yes i am a Manchester United fan. I remember once crying so much when Manchester United lost a champions league game, and being so distraught that i could not even eat and i even had palpitations and i swore i was done with football and being a fan.
That did not last long. I have jerseys, i follow everyone on social media and sometimes during a game, i kneel in front of the television urging my players on.

So Pogba scored and Man U won,
The 6th position.

Like what the actual frag?!
I feel sorry for some players like Ibrahimovic and i'm always like De Gea 'pele'.

I do not know who we have offended but an unbeaten run full of draws, monumental losses to Chelsea and other clubs and just a general continued descent from glory has left me a sad fan.

Then of course Falcao has to win the Ligue 1 with Monaco and he must be feeling like, thank God i jumped ship sharp!
And my French team Olympique De Marseille has not completely returned to glory days yet so ladies and gentlemen... THANK GOD FOR RONALDO.

Because
1. i love that man
and 2. Real is my reserve club. I support Real in all games in Europe and Spain and i am so excited that yesterday, Ronaldo and Benzema sealed things for them.

Congratulations to Real Madrid and heyyyyy Ronaldo! Call me.

Lmao

MCM: SLK'S BIG EPIPHANY

Hi there, you've probably heard the phrase 'omo re bi custard, you are not a bastard' one too many times. But do you know who coined it? Wonder no more, because he's our MCM for today. Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, I present to you Olu Salako popularly known as 'SLK'

He's a writer, stand-up comedian, MC, and Actor! whew. Lets hear from him:

Hi SLK,

1)      You are great with puns, a very rare and beautiful talent, how did you discover it?

Well, I got that from secondary school. We used to call it dry cracks. It used to annoy people then but I loved it. Over time, I discovered that I had a knack for words; Learning words and twisting them.

2)      What’s been the most inspirational thing to have ever happened to you?

The days I watched Chris Rock and Bovi. Something strange happened to me. I can only call it an epiphany. Like wow. I can't explain it. But it sparked up a fire that has not been put out since then.

3)      If you could change something in the world with the flip of a switch, what would it be?

I will switch off the quest for money making by all means. Switch to honesty and doing the right things

4)      What do you do for fun?

Watch football, play football games. Listen to live music. Listen to 2face.

5)    Which comedians do you look up to?

Alibaba, Bovi, Chris Rock and Trevor Noah (Fantastic Four)

Stay Inspired!

WCW: NINIOLA and the real reason for the song MARADONA

Today is Wednesday and we are crushing on the beautiful, amazing NINIOLA! We had a chat with her to find out the inspiration for her new song, MARADONA (she spills all the juice). We also asked her to tell us one fact about her that people aren't always quick to believe, and it was quite an interesting one. If you'll like to know what it is,  keep reading! ENJOY

 
Niniola is a singer and songwriter.  She rose to prominence in 2013 after finishing as third runner-up on the sixth season of Project Fame West Africa.
 

 Hi Niniola, 

1)      Your most recent song, Maradona is a lovely one; what was the inspiration for the song?

Thank you so much dear, we give God the glory for that LOL...Well we were all in the studio while Sarz was making the Beat, he got to the point when he wanted me to record and I started vibing and dropping just melodies, when we got to the chorus MARADONA was the only thing that popped in my head and he went on and said "yes that’s the chorus". So as soon as I got the chorus and melody, all that was left was to write, then I just pieced my personal experience with other people’s experiences and that was how we got the song MARADONA lol.

2)      You have an amazingly unique voice, if you could do a duet with any artiste in the world, who would it be?

 LOL thanks again, your compliments are making me blush o lol...Well if I wanted to, it will have to be CELINE DION. There are others but for now let’s leave it at Celine.

3)      Nini, your style is quite different from the usual, were you ever at any point, scared that your music wouldn’t be well received by the public?

Honestly I wasn't scared...First of all I thank Sarz for giving me IBADI because he helped me get that sound, then I will also thank My manager Michael (Naijareview) who always told me "Nini if it's good music, I will sell it". With these two guys, all I did then was relax and have them do their jobs and that’s was what got me here. But then I still made sure I brought my sound home with the yoruba language infusion.

4)      What genres do you love to listen to?

Oh that will be Country, RnB, Pop, Jazz, Folk, House, EDM and Afrobeat most times it depends on my mood.

5)      Tell us one quirky thing about you that many people aren’t quick to believe?

I guess that will be the fact that I am an introvert. People usually don't believe.

6)      If you could give a piece of advice to younger Niniola, what would it be?

Never give up, don't let anyone tell you it can't be done (never take No); and chase your dream till you achieve it

  

Thank you!

#MCM:What Henry Uduku wants everyone to know about him

Hello everyone, it's another Monday and we are very happy to share with you, our interview with Henry Uduku; Oh! and because we know many of you aren't really excited about Mondays, we asked him to tell us what keeps him going through out a drab week. He shared something with us and hopefully, it can help you too. *Winks

Henry Uduku

Henry Uduku is a writer, creative director, 'streetstyle' photographer and Fashion stylist at Guardian Life Magazine. Of course we had to bring him on the blog! Enjoy 

1)     You are a young stylist who has worked with lots of celebrities like Noble Igwe, Seyi Shay, Chigul and many more. What’s the best part about having to style them?

Working with these people had different perks. With Chigul, it was a first hand comedy experience followed by a very strong inspirational story. With Noble, it was a lot of business talks and talks on his wedding, for some it's straight to business but with side lessons.
In essence, meeting them out of the spotlight and learning from their stories (networking) are usually the best parts.

2)     Tell us a few funny fashion trends that you actually like?

The choker trend I liked, mostly because of how a good number of people improvised [DIY]. The reflector frame sunglasses were good too. You just can't see through my frames but you see yourself. The mule/half shoes comeback too.

3)      What’s that one thing you wish everyone would know about you?  

I always wanted to be a pilot.

4)     Do you think your personal style comes out to play when you style others?

I like to think so. I think my style is all over the place [in a good way] as I take inspiration from a wide range of sources, allowing me put looks together that work with both the theme and the subject in question. 

5)     It’s Monday- share some inspiring words that help you thrive during a drab week?
 Little droplets of water make a mighty ocean.                                                                                        

That's all we have for you. Have an inspiring and bubbly week!                              

Xoxo

PS: CHECK OUT THE PICTURES BELOW FOR A PEEK INTO HENRY’S STYLING.

#LamideLive... That GTB Food and Drink Festival

Hi guys, Lamide Akintobi here!

The other day, i told you all about my 'asa live in Lagos encore' and you can read that post 

What i didn't mention was that the next day, i was at Day 1 of GTB’s Food & Drink Festival, which was a 2 day festival with thousands of vendors, and masterclasses from culinary geniuses from around the world. 

  

I thought it’d be a leisurely day of walking around, eating bits and bobs, popping into a Masterclass and hanging out with friends – I was kinda wrong. I planned to support my good friend and culinary/garden queen Uzo Orimalade of Uzo’s Food Labs, who was selling her delicious gourmet chin chin and some seedlings from her garden, so I made that my first stop, once I was able to park (that was a 25 minute ordeal!). The first thing that hit me was the heat. For some reason, fans and ACs didn’t seem to be doing the job, and it was a hot day outside as well, so it was like walking into a blanket of heat. This probably worked out well for those selling ice lollies, cold drinks, ice cream, etc, but for us mere humans working/walking around, it wasn't much fun. Other than that, my highlights were; being a salesgirl for Uzo, grubbing on Afrolems’ amazing food, catching up with old friends, and meeting new folks. 

The lovely Afrolems

Afrolems' delish breakfast dish - Akara waffles and eggs with sausages and pepper sauce

Uzo Orimalade of Uzo's Food Labs

You name it, they had it – Packaged soups, cold pressed juices, sandwiches and waffles, desserts, amala a la buka, and so much more. 

Sadly, the heat had most people a bit wilted and tired, but it was amazing to see all the different food innovations and creativity on display from my fellow Nigerians. Any platform that has plenty of food - from main course to dessert, traditional to ‘New Naija kitchen’ type meals, drinks – from cocktails to fancy gelatos, and items that meet a variety of needs – from pre-packaged sauces you can throw together, to greens and veggies for the health conscious, gets a thumbs up from me. 

A little nostalgia for those who'll remember these Nigerian snacks

Pre-packaged Egusi, anyone?

Well done to them for another successful event, but next year, GT, make sure all the fans and ACs are on full blast – I’ll be there!!

I had the next day to rest from the weekend, which is really what I think a long weekend is good for; go all out during the weekend, then take the extra day to recover and get ready for the rest of the week! Looking forward to the next holiday, most definitely. 

Lamide, signing out!

#LamideLive... at #asaLiveInLagos encore

Hi guys, Lamide Akintobi here! How is May going for you so far? It's been a busy couple of weeks, and whenever life gets hectic, I can't help but reminisce about the most recent things I've done that made me happy. For me that was the May-Day holiday - A holiday weekend is always chock-full of activity, and this one was no different. May Day weekend was LIT!

On April 29^th, the incomparable Asa came back to Lagos for her “Asa Encore: Live in Lagos” concert. I’d never been to an Asa concert, although I’ve seen her perform at other events. But I knew, from reviews of last year’s concert, that it was an experience I couldn’t miss again. So off I went, ticket in hand, to experience the magic myself. Unfortunately, due to ticket hustling outside, I missed a couple of the opening performances, but I caught Aramide, Lindsey Abudei, Funbi and Omolara. Aramide put up a great show as usual. I’m definitely a fan. I have to say I was hugely impressed by Lindsey Abudei, because despite a restless crowd and sound glitches, she managed to keep her cool and wow us all. I don’t envy any performer in front of thousands of people when there’s a problem going on she can’t fix, and literally has nowhere to run. Next, Mr. Funbi and his sweet voice came on, after which Omolara, who I knew of only as a songwriter, came and slayed! Beautiful songs, beautiful performance. I’d pay to hear this group of performers in a small venue, any time.

Eventually, (because it seems inevitably, Nigerian events just don’t start on time), Asa came up on the stage and the magic began. 

Pure magic!

Weaving her stories through all her songs with help from her amazing 30 piece orchestra and backup singer/manager/sister/friend Janet, Asa was on fire! She shared funny stories (she said she may turn to stand-up comedy if this whole singing thing doesn’t work out) to a poignant story of how she got signed in France, even showing us her flirty side during one of the songs, when she sat on the lap of one of the orchestra members to ask him if he had a girlfriend. From ‘Awe’ to ‘Moving on’ to classics like ‘Eiye Adaba’ and ‘Be my man,’ the crowd laughed, sang along, and I know I got my entire life. 

Asa and her amazing 30-piece Orchestra

When she sang my personal favorite diss track ‘Bimpe’ – you could hear the sheer joy as people joined in. And yes, I said diss track. Ask a Yoruba person to translate that song for you and you’ll know what I’m saying is true J With a set like that, accompanied by that orchestra, eve the set design and lights contributed to the magic - staying on your tush all night wasn’t an option, VVVIP or not! 

2 outfit changes and many songs later, the event was over and we all went home, basking in the afterglow of Asa’s magic. 

Don't I look dazed by the magic? Lol!

Lamide, signing out!