\u2022To\nCelebrate 50th Birthday<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u202220\nYears On Stage<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022To\nLaunch Her New Book<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\nQueen of Gospel music, Evangelist Tope Alabi was our Guest recently on our\nCityPeopleTV Instagram Chat. For 60 minutes, the beautiful woman of style spoke\nabout how she has coped with COVID-19 and the story of her successful career in\nmusic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her\ncoming on the programme attracted a huge turn out as she revealed a lot of new\nthings about her life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tope\nAlabi, an indigene of Yewa in Ogun State was born on 27th October, 1970 into\nthe family of Pa Joseph Akinyele and Madam Agnes Kehinde Obayomi. After\nstudying Mass Communication at The Polytechnic Ibadan, Tope Alabi became\nexposed to the acting profession and was involved in various film productions.\nHer talent in music gave her the privilege of becoming one of Nigeria\u2019s\nfrontliners in movie soundtracks. In the Yoruba movie genre alone, she has made\nmore than 1,000 soundtracks and signature-tunes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Patricia\nTemitope Alabi had a divine calling into the singing ministry in the Year 2000\nwith \u2018Oore ti O Common\u2019 as a debut album which shot her into limelight. To her\ncredit are some albums including \u2018Oore ti o Common\u2019 \u2018Certificate\u2019, \u2018Agbara\nOlorun and Agbara re ni\u2019, \u2018Kokoro Igbala\u2019, \u2018Angeli mi\u2019, \u2018Mori\u2019Yanu\u2019, \u2018Agbelebu\u2019,\n\u2018Alagbara\u2019, \u2018Oruko tuntun\u2019, a Compilation of Sound Tracks from the archives of\nTope Alabi and her most recent project, \u2018YES AND AMEN\u2019. The Gospel, to the\nglory of God, has taken her to several countries across the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
One\nof Tope Alabi\u2019s strengths lies in her spontaneous creativity. She is usually\ninspired for new songs anytime she worships God. An example is the 16 track\nalbum titled THE SPIRIT OF LIGHT which was done in conjunction with Ty Bello.\nLOGAN TI O DE, one of the tracks is a song of hope and faith that broke the\ninternet recently and empowered millions of people all over the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today,\nTope Alabi, alongside her husband, Soji(who is also her producer and manager)\nruns a registered organisation in Nigeria named the MARDEBRA COMFORTER FOUNDATION\nwhich caters for the less-privileged, their music label GOSPEL VIBES and also\nhosts an annual event tagged PRAISE THE ALMIGHTY CONCERT every third Sunday of\nFebruary in Lagos with multitudes of worshipers attending to honour the King of\nKings. This wonderful couple is blessed with God-fearing children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How has it been in the last few months? How have you coped with the lockdown?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n By the grace of God, we have been coping. We all understand what is on the ground and we just pray along and we are keeping safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When the whole thing started in March, what did you make of it?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Actually, I was in the UK when it all started, I had to rush down back to Nigeria. We all know that Covid-19 gets to you when you are cold. The first thing that came to my mind was to be in Nigeria where it\u2019s hot. I wasn\u2019t even thinking of what is going to be like or how long it will take. All that was in my mind is to be in Nigeria. When I got here, we started counting weeks. And you know with my ministry we do lots of events and different ministration. When I got to know that it\u2019s already 2 months and we are still on lockdown, I was shocked and felt bad about it, but then we just have to keep safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since\nthen nobody is working and we have to eat. It\u2019s not funny at all but we thank\nGod.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s talk about your huge brand, how does it make you feel when you see the reaction from people and how big the brand is today?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I feel good, I feel honoured, I feel grateful. Every time I thank God for where He has taken me and where He\u2019s taking me. I thank God for his spirit because I know it is not by power nor by might and I do not take it for granted at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How many years now?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Officially,\nTope Alabi\u2019s brand will be 20 years this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Is there any plan to celebrate it?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes,\nI plan to celebrate it, because I am also going to clock 50 years by October. I\nactually want to do something like 5 hours praise on the street, then I will\nmark my birthday on a low key, not because of the Covid-19 because I never\nthought about it before I never knew it was coming. I am just thinking about\ngathering 100 people. I also have a Christian movie that I just shot \u201cThe\nWeight\u201d. Then, I am also going to launch my book \u201cthe story of my life\u201d too, in\nthe same October. So it\u2019s going to be like 4-1 event. I just pray Covid-19 is\nno more by that time. And if we are still at home we would do everything on\nInstagram by God\u2019s grace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How do you prepare for your shows?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I\nalways pray before I go to any show. I do ask God what he wanted me to tell his\npeople not what I want or what I am going to see there but exactly what God\nwants me to tell them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s talk about your lovely and powerful voice, how did develop that?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s\na gift from God. When my mother was still alive, when we are still young, I\nheard my mother sing. I can still remember vividly that I sing so much like my\nmum. It\u2019s a gift from God and I took it to another level. I just bless God. <\/p>\n\n\n\n He\nhas been my everything. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s talk about your love for dancing. How did that evolve too?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I\nlove dancing so much. Most times when something I never expected happens to me\nor when I feel like blessing God for what He has done for me, I love dancing. I\nhad to even ask my children to teach me some steps. Dancing is one of the\nthings God has asked me to be doing for him. Like when my daughter gained admission\ninto the University, I danced to appreciate God for my new big woman status\n(laughs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, dancing is one of my weapons. I noticed that over the last few months you have been doing lots of activities, what explains that?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Actually, God told me to do a 21-day praise with my family. At times He tells us to do 3-days, 7-days. Sometimes it may be fasting and prayers. That\u2019s how we do in our family. When I heard 21 days, I concurred since we are already on lockdown, and we started. The first day I called my family members and my domestic workers together and we started at a place we call war parlour in our home. It\u2019s a place where we call on God, where we bring our war to God. So, we gathered there and as the praises were going on my husband brought out a camera and started recording us, at first I wanted to stop him, but he said there is no big deal and I also felt in my spirit and I agreed with him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\nwas how we made it public, and we have been enjoying the grace of God. We\ntagged it 21 days family covenant praise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And what was the response?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nresponse was fantastic, awesome. The Lord used the program to bless lots of\npeople and we thank God for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When\nyou were young did you ever imagine you are going to end up singing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Never, I was thinking of going into fashion designing because I love fashion so much. I was thinking of making clothes for people. My father was a Tailor, I met him doing the job and I love it. Aside from that I love acting too. Those are the two things I wanted to do but as God would have it, this is where we are today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many don\u2019t know that you are also an actress. What was the attraction and why did you go into acting?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Ishola\nOgunsola Theatre Group came to my school when I was in Oba Akinyele Memorial\nHigh School in Ibadan to stage Efunsetan Aniwura drama. I love watching them\nand I felt the urge to be like them. When they finished I went backstage to\nmeet one of them and the person took me to late Ishola Ogunsola. I was given\ntheir address and I started going for rehearsal. Actually, my mother was also\nan actress in her school too. I think all these are in the blood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How did you now get into doing soundtracks?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I was with Ogunsola Theatre Group and whenever we are in any location I always sing. Someone just walked up to me and said \u201cdo you know you can be doing soundtracks?\u201d I asked what is a soundtrack? He explained all I needed to know about it. I didn\u2019t feel I can do it until they invited me to sing for a series on NTA titled \u201cAfefe\u201d but the very first one I wrote and performed was \u201cAgogo Ogbon\u201d. Then late Alade Aromire really assisted me a lot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the time you started, can you recollect the people you started with?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I started with Peju Ogunmola, Toyin Adegbola (Asewo To Re Mecca). I also went to \u201cJaiyesimi\u201d location at Ososa. So many experiences in the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How do you balance all your roles as a celebrity, wife, mother etc?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n By\nthe grace of God, we are coping. God is helping us. I always try to balance it,\nand God is helping. Jesus told us that we should occupy till he comes, so,\nthere was no much time to rest except during this Covid-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How has it been working together with your husband?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Working with my husband makes the job easier for me. I have him beside me doing most of the work. What people see on stage, and hail me is his handiwork. My husband, Pope Soji Alabi is a fantastic man, if I come to this world again, I want to marry him. He plays the keyboard, manages the band and so many things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is no home when we are on stage. He is a Minister of God to the core. It\u2019s been an honour, it\u2019s been wonderful working with him. At times when I am composing and he hears me, he would ask what I mean line by line, I will have to open the Bible for him to justify what I am composing. He would tell me \u201cyou know I am a Yoruba man, so I need to understand what you mean very well\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pope\nSoji is a teacher, he is a pastor with so many other qualities. So, it\u2019s been\nan honour working with him and it doesn\u2019t affect anything at home at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n