by Amaechi Kingsley
With the increasing rate at which the Nigerian Music industry is gaining the international market, one question that must be answered is “are Nigerian music lovers listening to quality music or just dancing to the beat”?
Speaking to Weekend Extravaganza in a brief interview earlier in the week, Gold a Lagos based artist gave us an insight into her life and musical career.
Introduction; I am Anwuli Nwangwu, my artist name is Gold, from a family of 6 of which I am the third, and from Uralla in Ideato North L.G.A.
Educational Background; I attended Shell Camp nursery & primary school, from there I went to Owerri Girls Secondary school, there after I went to further my studies in Imo State University where I studied Estate Management, where I of course graduated with distinction.
How And When Did Your Musical Career Started; I started singing years back while I was in the university, with the encouragement I got from friends and fans, performed in organized school programmes, shows & Church fellowships, from there my parents got to know about my passion and enthusiasm for music, at first they were unsupportive based on the fact that artist/musicians as at then were not respected in the society, but even without their support I was driven by destiny to make quality sounds.
What Kind Of Music Are You Into; My kind of music categorically falls into the contemporary, although I have songs for all classes, ranging from pop ballad which I am mostly known for, dance and gospel.
How Many Album Do You Have To Your Credit; I have 2 Album for now, “My Chariot” which was the first album I embarked upon in 2005 immediately after my graduation, and was finished in 2009, “My Chariot” also was nominated for the top 10 foreign chat in Nigeria, then I was a freelancer, but now I have been signed to a label called “Tgroopzmusic” ltd. Where I’ll be releasing my second album, thou we haven’t got a title name for the album.
Have You Contested In Any Reality TV Show? Yes I have, I was a contestant in the Sunday BET show, where Kirk Franklin and some other top gospel acts from the United State were judges for the competition where I successfully came out 7th out of over 1000 contestants.
When They Say Quality Music, How Can One Determine It; talking about quality music or songs, after I discovered and developed my singing talent in school and released my first album in 2009 “My Chariot”, I went for hibernation, where I learnt the (piano) musical instruments, voice training and now I just finished learning music production where I produced 11 tracks of my new album in 2011, to be premiered in April 2013, with hit tracks like NA YOUR DAY, POP BALLAD and STRONGER (a soundtrack of a new movie titled “GOLD IN FIRE”) which will also be out by April 2013. Currently I can say I am the first female music producer in Nigeria, my point is that a quality song can be determined by the quality of the artist and a quality artist is determined by the additional input he/she makes to the improvement and development of an already discovered talent.
What Are The Challenges’ You Faced; While coming up in the industry, it was very tasking because I had to cope with my education, my family and the absences of a structured platform in the industry.
What Kept You Going/ What Inspired You; God, the destiny that drives me from within and the encouragements I get from friends and fans.
What Are Your Advice To Up & Coming Act; my advice for them is to hold on to their dream with God, Patience and determination, using me as an example, I was one not making any money from music but today I am earning my living through music, so just apply faith to hard work.
