Queency Unleashes Woman Panadol Music Video

Uzo Chikere

As if the Nigerian beat scene is lacking in what can be described as quality musical videos and asking for more, another one which promises to inject vibrancy in the consumption of music through visual presentation was unleashed last weekend in Lagos by Queency Bernado.

The music video is the visual presentation of one of her tracks entitled Woman Panadol which the artiste said is a description of the woman as a care and cure provider to the husband, boyfriend or brother. According to Queency, “as a man, you cannot be successful without a woman beside you; every man needs a woman panadol.”

She further pointed out that she had been a woman panadol to her brothers, friends and father. She however disclosed that apart from it being showcased as a musical video, that in terms of content and presentation, her attitude comes to play prominently to position the work as unique among others in the market place.

As a reggae artiste who finds expression in its sub-genre called dance hall, and hailing from Idoma in Benue State, Queency confessed that she would like to be an outstanding female act from her part of the country since according to her no woman from there has been heard in the music industry.

Talking about her attitude, she said although, “I don’t know how to dance, I use my attitude on stage to portray what I have inside me”, adding when she is on stage, she becomes quite a different person a situation that she is even marveled about.

In a convivial atmosphere, which witnessed a large turn-out of friends, fans and revelers, Queency did not disappoint as she courageously performed some of the numbers from the up-coming album which also contains musical video that was unveiled, Woman Panadol to the admiration of those in attendance.     

 

Nollywood Artiste Inojie, Set To Join League Of Producers

Uzo Chikere 

NOLLYWOOD artiste, Charles Inojie, has concluded plans to produce his maiden movies after years of directing and acting. He explained his desire to try his hands on doing so from the early period of the coming year.

Said he: “Yes, I am going to try my hands on producing from early next year. So your information is very correct, but we are keeping the details very close to our hearts just yet. Discussions have reached top gear with potential sponsors and I do not want to preempt anything at the moment. Let me assure my fans however, that they are in for a great experience.”

The Edo State native agreed he had been very busy in the last couple of years. “Everyone knows me hitherto as the writer/movie director, but in the last four years or so, I embarked on a deliberate journey to expose the actor side of me to my teeming fans. Even though I had made minor appearances in some movies in the past, not many people knew that I was actually a lead role material. So I got to that point in my career when I could no longer continue to suppress my acting talents. I had to take the bull by the horn by going all out in front of the camera as a full-fledged actor, and believe me, the experience has been awesome.”

Charles Inojie has paid his dues in Nollywood. “Surely, I have paid my dues in every respect. Close followers of my rise from those humble beginnings to where God has placed us today would readily concede that indeed I have paid my dues. From whence I left the university as a graduate of Theatre Arts till date, Ihave literally navigated the lowest valleys of Nollywood right to its mountain tops. You would recall that I started out as a writer/Artistic Director, but over the years I have since earned full credits in well over 70 titles as director while appearing in leading role capacities in over 40 very successful movies.”

And since his journey into Nollywood till date, he believes the standard has risen. “Honestly speaking, the standards are higher today than they were a couple of years back. There's greater attention to details and I dare say producers are much more willing to get it right. I think the viewers too have become more selective about what movie they spend their monies on. So if you ask me, I would say whereas there are still a handful of quacks masquerading as filmmakers in Nollywood, most practitioners are more disposed to availing themselves opportunities of training and retraining.”

And what are the challenges in Nollywood? “The greatest challenge the industry faces still remains that of piracy. It is most regrettable that whereas anti-piracy laws exist, they are either obsolete or in most cases not enforced by the relevant law enforcement agencies. This scenario has given rise to a situation where common criminal reap where they did not sow. A case of 'monkey dey work, baboon dey chop.' We sincerely believe that if government should face these robbers of intellectual properties headlong, producers would have better returns on their investments and ultimately be in a position to engage more hands. I also think government should look seriously at the need for a regulatory body for the industry. That would help eradicate the current all comers affair situation that is largely prevalent in Nollywood.”

Inojie has a word of advice for government. “Nollywood has done well enough for government to take it much more seriously. I think it is time government established world class film schools across the country or better still fund specific universities to run training programmes in filmmaking. There is also the critical need for filmmakers to have access to soft loans and grants. I mean the type that would not only be accessible, but also deployed to practicing filmmakers.”

Being married Inojie said, “has added all round value to my life. My wife is my number one critic and she makes it a point of duty to see all my movies as soon as they are released. No doubt I'm a better person now than I ever was.”