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INTERVIEW WITH TOPE ALABIAsides from singing, you have also been seen in some movies

Yes, I have acted in about 50 movies includingFunmilayoandMalomo.I was the Malomo in parts 1, 2 and 3 of the film so titled. People did not know me then, so they will not even remember. I was Toyin Obayomi, not Tope Obayomi. Toyin Obayomi cannot be linked with Tope Alabi. My mother was also an actress; so it had been a familiar terrain. I also saw it as an avenue to achieve happiness. Whenever I saw them act on the television or hear them on the radio, I felt they were happy people. They were always happy. They never came across as being troubled, so I thought I would be happy with them.


Can you tell us about your experience in acting?

It was fun but my mother was opposed to it.

But you just said she once acted herself

Yes. She did that when she was in school, but she believed it would distract me from my education and she did not want that. Besides, my parents were staunch Catholics. Some of my brothers and sisters are reverend fathers and sisters, and they saw that decision as very odd. They thought that something was wrong with me. I was in Class Three when I joined the Ishola Ogunshola Theatre Group. I was once with the Jesters International Group too.



Were you a comedian or you were just comfortable with the jesters?

As I have said, I was looking for a way to ease the tension I was experiencing and the Jesters were just the drama group that came handy then. I saw no reason why I shouldn’t go for them. Everyone loved them then and they really made people laugh. They were good entertainers. Besides, I also have a good sense of humour as I later found out.

Why the change of name?

I changed the name from Toyin to Tope when the Holy Spirit ministered to me that it was not a good name for me. I changed it before I became popular.

What would you attribute your success to?

Who else? God almighty has been very faithful. He has been good to me. Were it not for Him, I wouldn’t have even been alive, least of all this successful.


Was it part of your dream as a child to become a gospel musician?

No, no, no. My childhood years were very peculiar. It never even gave chance for such fantasies. I never had a fun-filled childhood. My parents were paupers who could barely feed us three times a day. My mother used to makeogi(pap). After sieving the waste product calledeeri,we would grind and eat it witheweduorila alasepo.We even had to beg the miller to grind it for us because we couldn’t pay. It was that bad. And when mere feeding was that hard, you can only imagine what other aspects of life like schooling, clothing, health and others would be like. We were actually 11 children, but eight of us died and only three – two boys and a girl – remain. At a point, they had to take me to Ibadan to live with my mother’s elder sister to afford me a fairer living but fate still did not allow me have it good. My aunt’s second child treated me as if I was brought there to be a maid. The feeling was bad enough that I was always wishing that a trailer should just come and crush everybody and end it all. The suffering was just too much. One day, I decided to run away from Ibadan since the trailer refused to come. I followed a train going to the North but I could not come down when I got there. I had to go and hide myself in the toilet and later followed it back. The atmosphere around which I grew was a very tense one. I could not afford to open my teeth to smile not to talk of laughing. When my host family were all on the dining table eating, I would be at the back of the kitchen to eat. I received 72 strokes of the cane because I did not rinse a cup well. I thought of dying but God did not grant the wish.

How did your childhood experience impact on you?

I have learnt to be brave and courageous in the face of whatever hardship I face in life. Although it is bad to be maltreated, I have come to terms with standing upright all through it all and I have vowed to give back to life. There are still lots of girls wandering up and down for the same reason and my decision is to offer as much help as I can to them. You can see some girls around. None of them is a member of my family but having had the kind of experience I had I don’t want any girl to go through the same thing. So, any one of them I see around, I ask them to come to me and tell me what they want to do. I later realised that it was not good for me to be running here and there because I could not have saved myself. After all I was not the only person being maltreated by a family. I remember a guy called Nurein, now known as Kunle. We were there together. He is now a big person. He also experienced the same and he never ran off. He faced the challenge and he is better off for it today. I am sure there are many others too who almost committed suicide for their bitter experience then and they are successful now.

Will you describe yourself as a hard worker?

Far from it. Listen, except the Lord builds a house, the labourers simply labour in vain. All of the glory, praise and honour are due to His help. Which hard work? Am I the only one who sings or that is talented to sing? I have only received mercy from Him. He only crowned my little effort with this great success. No man can do or become anything except by His help. It is only a fool that will attribute his or her success to one thing or the other that he or she has done to make it a reality. God facilitated whatever anyone may see today as being outstanding of Tope Alabi. I owe Him everything. All the accolades are not mine but His.

Your husband is also said to be very supportive of you


Oh yes, and that is part of the doings of God that are marvellous still in my sight. We met on this job and, honestly, I never thought we were going to be married. We were just working associates, but as God would have it, we are husband and wife today and still working together. Like I said, this, as well, was prompted by God just to make a success out of me. I give Him all the glory.

How did you meet your husband?

He was working at Decross (record label) as a senior engineer and I used to go there to produce soundtracks for Korede Films. That is how we met.

What is the secret that has kept the marriage this far especially as the two of you are in the same profession?

Marriage is a good thing, but as I have said, my husband and I are still friends till date. He does not have friends and neither do I. We are lovers as well as a married couple. He is a wonderful man and the children are proud of him. They always go to him anytime they want to know something that I don’t know.
It’s a surprise that you speak with this kind of a husky voice when you actually sing with an uncommonly sonorous voice
That again is part of His wonderful acts. A lot of people have wondered this way before and I told them the same. Ask me to sing now and it will surprise you how easily I will do it. That’s why I said all glory be to His name.
How much were you able to develop yourself in terms of formal education?

I was able to extend my educational career to an appreciable level in life. Apart from my primary education which I had in Lagos, my secondary and tertiary education were in Ibadan. I went to Oba Akinyele Memorial High School, Ibadan, Oyo State and later to The Polytechnic, Ibadan to study mass communication. I graduated in 1990. I worked as a correspondent with Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), moved to NTA Channel 7, Tejuosho (now home to NTA Channel 10, Lagos) before going to explore the advertising world. I was briefly with Centrespread Advertising Limited.

You are a soundtrack expert in the Yoruba movie sector. How did you journey into this and like how many soundtracks have you produced?

I am an inquisitive person and until I feel fulfilled, I don’t rest on my oars. I went fully into the theatre art profession in 1994 by joining the late Alade Aromire’s theatre group. It was in this group that I became exposed to the rudiments of drama and acting. It was while I was with him that I commenced singing and producing soundtracks. He was impressed with the first one I did for him and on his advice I became focused and strengthened in the act and I thank God for where we are today. As for the second part of the question, I will say to the glory of God, I have produced not less than 400 soundtracks so far. I have become an authority in this aspect in Nigeria today and I am grateful to God for that.

Talking about your ministry, when exactly were you called or is it just a thing of interest or a passion?

Like I said, my passion was really towards acting, not music. The revelation concerning my music ministry first came to my mother when I was still a child. A man of God also delivered this same message to me in 1998 that God wanted me as an instrument to win souls for Him through music. I did not know how this would be achieved but I was ready to be used by Him.

Which one is most challenging of all your albums and which one would you say brought you to limelight?

Honestly, all the albums I have released are evergreen. The first one I released was titledIwo La Kepe but Ore Ti O Commonwhich was the second one really brought me much fame.Angeli Mi,however, was most challenging. Its recording was most demanding. Up till today, it has remained very much in demand. It has since set me on my toes.
Which has brought you much fame and success, gospel or secular soundtracks?
I might have been into soundtrack before venturing into gospel music, but I must make it clear here that it is gospel music that made me popular. Gospel music gave me a face and made me what I am today. And when it comes to reward, it has rewarded me greatly and in all ramifications. I really can’t be saying everything here. I appreciate God for counting me worthy of entrusting such a gift in my care and I pray that He would not allow me to be moved from His presence. He is the reason why I exist. Because of my ministration, and because it touches people’s lives, I keep receiving invitations from various churches and from renowned men of God. My prayer is that God’s message through me and my husband will spread all over the universe.

What have you to say to gospel artistes who sing people’s praise?

It is wrong and ungodly for a gospel artiste to sing praise of individuals while singing gospel. We are called to praise God only and to lead people to Him. We must exercise strong faith in God because He is able to provide for us. Whatever gift God gives a man, if well used, will make way for him. Whether or not you use it well, you must give account of it in heaven. We must all bear this in mind so as not to be misled by our personal desire. No one is perfect, but we must be conscious of the judgment day which is the day of reckoning. It will come one day and like we have it in the Bible, the owner of those gifts we have in our possession will ask us how we have made used of them. If we want to sing people’s praise, then we must not parade ourselves as gospel singers and vice-versa.

How did you meet God?

Actually, my mother used to tell me that when I was seven years old, some pastors met her and told her “Mama, you have one girl who is going to work for God”. But because we were Catholic, my mother did not understand what they were talking about, she thought I was going to become a Reverend Sister. I grew up and insisted that I was not going to be a Reverend Sister and my mother objected. She insisted that I should go to a convent and become a sister. But when I went to sing at my husband’s church, The Apostolic Church, Ogba, Lagos, the man of God (pastor) made an altar call at the end of his sermon and I asked my husband if I could go out. He said if I was convinced by the word of God I should answer the altar call, thus I walked to the pulpit. That was how I got born again.
I gave my life to Jesus at The Apostolic Church, Ogba, Lagos. Though I have been going to churches to sing before then, it was simply because I just loved singing. I told people they should invite me if they have any programme in their churches, promising to sing free of charge. I started receiving the vision of my divine call when I went into courtship with my husband. I would close my eyes and I will see people in gathering and I saw myself preaching to them. I told my husband what I saw and he told me maybe I would be a minister of God in future. He later advised that perhaps I should attend a Bible school.
So, these things kept on coming; at times as a dream or a vision where a voice kept on talking to me that “I want you to work for me”. I was always getting confused about the voice I was hearing. I thought it was a spirit. Later on, I went to meet one pastor who told me that “You are a minister of God” and I replied that I have heard it before. Somebody later advised that I should put all my soundtracks into an album. I anticipated an escape route from all those people who were saying I am a minister of God. Later, High Waves Video Mart Chairman, Aina Kusoro, asked me to release an album. He told me he could help me go to the studio; that he wanted to see what I could offer. He is from Yewa, while I am from Egbado (both in Ogun State). He is just like a brother to me. He gave me N170, 000 for the album. That was in 1996. He gave me the money. I can say he was my Angel, being the first person that said, “You can do something, go on and do it”.

Was that your first album?

No, my very first album was in 1994. But my very first gospel album was in 1996. The very popular album I released wasEji Ewuro. There was a film that was titledIkoko Dudu. I did the movie soundtrack for the late Alade Aromire. When we finished the movie, people liked the soundtrack, so Aromire turned the soundtrack into an audio CD. Then I started preaching to my colleagues on location because of their negative lifestyle. But many of them would not listen; they said that was their way of life on location.


How rewarding has this job been?

The best of all the rewards I have got so far is the fact that people keep surrendering to Christ. My experience in America, Nigeria and the United Kingdom confirmed this and I am happy about it. You see it is not all about money. If we are talking about money, I don’t have money oh. But feeling God strongly wherever I perform is enough for me. There was a place I went to and one woman told me that God told her that I was singing from the inside of God. She said when people were suggesting names of artistes to invite to her church programme; she was at a point confused. Some were against her inviting me, but when she went into prayer on the Saturday preceding the Sunday over the matter, God gave her the go ahead to invite me. She said God showed me to her. But all the same, I bless God for everything.

So na only me right no problem ama continue to talk to myself....

I heard that she wanted to sleep with Pastor Ajanaku! Is it true?

homesteady: I heard that she wanted to sleep with Pastor Ajanaku! Is it true?

NO ajanaku wanted to lure her into his occultic member but she decline that was hw the lies came up.

Tope Alabi, also referred to as “Ore ti o common” was born in 1970, in Ogun state of Nigeria. Tope is a multi-platinumNigerian Gospel singer(artist) and as also acted in a number of Yoruba Nollywood movies. Tope is a movie sound track composer; she started her career in her secondary school days as an ordinary member of the Jesters International comedy group before she broke up from the group in 1984.

Tope Alabi biographyis not complete without mentioning the fact that she is the only girl among 3 children born to a family of 5.Tope Alabi agerecords shows that the singer is 42 years old; she was born on October 27, 1970.

Tope Alabi music and career
It has been more than a decade thatTope Alabi musiccareer gained prominence in the contemporary Gospel music industry in Nigeria, what makes her unique is her voice as well as her ability to create several melodies with different traditional and modern beats- Tope Alabi has several Yoruba songs in Makossa, Salsa and hip hop beats. “Alagbara” is Tope Alabi latest album launched in 2013 and just like other albums before now, this one is enjoying fantastic airplays as well.

Tope Alabi Albums
Tope Alabihas released a total of 8 albums in one decade, these include; Ore ti o common {2001}, Agbara Re Ni {2005}, Angeli Mi {2007}, Kokoro Igbala {2008}, Kabio o si {2010},Agbelebu and the most recent is Alagbara {2013}.

Tope Alabi is educated; she obtained her primary education in Ibadan, South West Nigeria in 1986, and also obtained a Higher National Diploma in Mass Communication at the Polytechnic of Ibadan. After graduation, Tope joined the Nigerian Television Authority in Ibadan as a correspondent in 1990 and has also worked in several theater groups before she

As at last year the Most popular Tope Alabi songs
Some of the bestsellingtope Alabi songs are; E Gbe ga, Mino L’Oluwa {medley}, Angeli mi, and Olorun Gbangba, these four songs are the most listened to among Tope’s songs. Tope has also composed over 350 sound tracks for different Yoruba movies. But considering her two new albums agbalebu and alagbara this two albums are hot and inspirational pack...

Latest

Her songs are yoruba pack.....

Except one english i.e I BELIEVE.....

Fynestboi: NO ajanaku wanted to lure her into his occultic member but she decline that was hw the lies came up.

But he was her spiritual adviser?

homesteady:
But he was her spiritual adviser?

yes he was, then tope alabi though the man was honest..

This woman and Ajanaku were one, he brought her to limelight and was her mentor and spiritual father. There were even concerns that they may have had sex several times together, she only turned her back on him when bubble was bursting. She is a devious two-faced viper.

olumidazz: This woman and Ajanaku were one, he brought her to limelight and was her mentor and spiritual father. There were even concerns that they may have had sex several times together, she only turned her back on him when bubble was bursting. She is a devious two-faced viper.

really? Tell me more?

olumidazz: This woman and Ajanaku were one, he brought her to limelight and was her mentor and spiritual father. There were even concerns that they may have had sex several times together, she only turned her back on him when bubble was bursting. She is a devious two-faced viper.

Tope saw Ajanaku as a godly man but when she knew his true colour and left his church,he tried to blackmail her with his lies.God has vindicated Tope by exposing the true Ajanaku with all d drama that happened when he died. How would you believe the lies of an occultic man who tries to blackmail any uncooperating church member?

akejujoe: Tope saw Ajanaku as a godly man but when she knew his true colour and left his church,he tried to blackmail her with his lies.God has vindicated Tope by exposing the true Ajanaku with all d drama that happened when he died. How would you believe the lies of an occultic man who tries to blackmail any uncooperating church member?

i feel like kissing you #sage#

which of her song do you find more inspirational....?? let start with that

Am also a v.loyal fan of Tope Alabi

Oysdam: Am also a v.loyal fan of Tope Alabi

welcome