A Man Needs To Be Confident To Tame Me - Ms Jaie

Janine Ayorinde Temitope Dada whose stage name is Ms Jaie, is a rising RnB artiste. She relocated back to the country from London to pursue her career in music. She gained attention when she was signed on to the now defunct Storm Records, releasing groovy songs like Kilon poppin, Korrect guy and Right Here.

She was dubbed to be Nigeria’s version of Kelly Rolands and signed an endorsement deal with Christian Audigier, a beverage bottling company back in 2012. Ms Jaie is ready to take the front seat in the music industry. In this interview, she opens up on why she relocated to Nigeria, her experience working with Olamide and what transpired between her and Storm Records among others.

Who is Ms Jaie behind the cameras?

A lot of my fans don’t know that I am actually a shy person. My perfect day is being at home and listening to good music. So, my home persona is very different from my ‘Ms Jaie’ brand. I laugh a lot. I laugh when I’m nervous and I laugh when I am happy. Ms Jaie is my own way of connecting with people, you know music connects. I stand for strength . I let my girls know that no matter how many times you fail, the most important thing is for you to rise up again. I am more reserved as a person.

When you say you stand for strength what exactly do you mean?

Moving back to Nigeria in itself is a leap of faith. I relocated towards the end of 2011, and that was crazy. I always knew that when I was old enough I will move back . But I didn’t know exactly how it’s going to happen.

What was your growing up like?

I grew up in South London, an estate called Dudeenton. It was rough but I didn’t know it was. When I was growing up, you have drug dealers in every corner, you have crack pills on the floor. That was just life. When I was a little older, I realized that there were some white kids that lived across the road .

A group called So Solid, lived right down the way. They became role models to the other young people who lived within the vicinity. This made me realize that you can become famous through music.

Did you study music?

I studied Music Technology which focuses on mixing and mastering music.

Have you ever mixed any of your songs?

I have not mixed anything song per se. The guys I’m working with now are far better than myself. I know what I wanted. For example, the song I did with Olamide was mixed about ten times. I was not just happy. I wanted to feel it in my soul and make the bass heavy. I am very much involved in my music because I studied it and I know what I am doing.

What inspired your decision to relocate to Nigeria?

I think it’s God. When you work with God, you will learn to pray about your decisions. If he tells you to move, just make that move and trust in him.

You have mentioned God a few times, are you that spiritual?

Without God, what can you really do? I can’t do anything in my strength. Everytime I get a cold, I remember that my voice is from God and If can’t sing any more, it reminds me that the talent isn’t mine. I am grateful.

How do you balance between being spiritual and being in showbiz?

Sometimes you get into a compromising position, like people wanting you to wear something or say something that doesn’t really agree with your beliefs. I just don’t do anything that I don’t have the desire to do. I won’t wear what I don’t feel like wearing or sing about what I don’t feel like singing about. At the end of the day, I am accountable for what my fans listen to, on air.

So what it’s the limit for you?

The limit for me will be something I don’t feel comfortable in .I won’t wear an outfit If it’s not something I want my future children to see. At the moment, I cannot say what the limit is, and what it’s not. I do understand that this is entertainment, it’s not suppose to be that serious .Ms Jaie is a brand. I stand for happiness, I stand for fun. So I don’t take myself too seriously.

Why did you decide to work with Olamide?

Not only do I love him, I love his music so much. I love what he represents. I love his energy. I think that we are so different that it was interesting to see what will happen if we actually made a song together. This guy is amazing. He got into the studio, heard the song and was like: “Put the mic on”. He didn’t write anything down and recorded his part within ten minutes. I will definitely like to do more songs with him.

Why did you leave Storm records?

I won’t say I left Storms, Storms ended. There isn’t any Storm records anymore.

What was your state of mind when it ended?

Storm is more than a record label to me, it’s a family. So when everything happened, it took a lot from me emotionally. It was difficult emotionally. Like everything in life, when you fall down you definitely come out stronger and that is what I feel.

Which one pays more. Your lingerie line or music?

I didn’t work last year in terms of my music. When one is consistent, music pays more. But my lingerie line has been paying me more for now.

Are you signed to any label?

Right now, I am working with Stars Up Entertainment. Its a record label and a management company. I am excited because they understand what I want to do and I am in control of what I am doing.

You said in an interview that only a strong man can handle you. What did you mean by that?

People reacted differently to that story. But what I meant was I am a strong personality. I know what I want and I don’t compromise much. For a man to tame me, he needs to be extremely confident. He needs to know exactly who he is, and not to be fazed. I am busy working and my life is not different from a man’s. So anyone that will be my guy has to be strong enough not be fazed by that.

Don’t you think that statement will scare away your male admirers?

It will scare away the scared cats which is what I want. The strong ones will come closer.

Who is the love of your life at the moment?

It’s Jesus and my music right now.

What is important to you right now?

Becoming successful and being a better person is important to me right now.

Who is your industry crush?

They are all like my friends. Burna Boy is cute but he is a baby. He is young.

What is your opinion about the injection of soft porn in our music?

It’s a shame. When we were growing up music was the soundtrack to our lives.You see Alicia make braids and you want to make braids too.You see Jayz on a certain trainers and you want to wear the trainers. Now, I feel like people are moving away for what music stands for. I never condemn anybody. I have seen enough twerking to last me a lifetime. It will be nice to put on my TV and see something different. Men are more about what they can see so when you show them everything, they are bored.

What does love mean to you?

Love is amazing.If you are lucky enough to find love in your life, you are a blessed person.

Have you ever be heartbroken?

Yes. I broke up with my long time boyfriend and you know there is no drug to help with heart break unfortunately.They need to actually invent one. When you are heartbroken, you will be like “Oh my God! I want to die”. Its horrible. Once you get over that hurt, you realize that life does go on and life actually gets better and what’s yours will come back

What do you think Tiwa Savage’s pregnancy means for Nigerian female musicians?

Tiwa Savage is very professional and her music is her passion. She is not going to be away from the scene for that long.I think her doing this, shows that we can be versatile.We can be family women and have a successful career. Its like an inspiration for me because being a mum is important more than anything in the world and shows me that I can aspire and aim at doing that alongside having a successful music career.