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When her album Opelope Anointing was released in July 2000, everybody thought she was a rookie. So many believed the album would ba a feat that cant be repeated. judging by the fact that so many had cut such popular albums and went into limbo. But not so for Dunni Olanrewaju. In fact, the title of the album stuck on her like a leech. It became her name. She became the toast in Nigeria. But not many people knew what this daughter of Abraham had gone through. Opelope Anointing (But for the anointing, her star would have
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been dimmed) She confessed to have come through so many pains. But for the anointing of God upon her life. Excerpts from an interview she granted recently.
One of your albums is titled Victory At Last. Victory over what?
“When my hit album Opelope Anointing was released in July 2000, I was 39
years old. Going through the memory lane, I realised that in my family, many
people hardly cross the age 40. I was so scared of the prospects of death and I
went to God and vowed that if I crossed this age that has remained an albatross
in my family, I will use what I have, which is my music, to thank the Lord. The
song was finally released in 2002.
Love for music
“My initial passion was Yoruba poetry, which I performed at weddings, etc. I have so many verses of poetry in Yoruba but my love for music relegated this to the background. In 1976, I noticed that in my church,Christ Apostolic Church, Ikorodu, Lagos State, we were hooked to one song Ire x5 / Ire x5 Ayo/ Ire ayo to wa sodo mi/ Ibanuje kosi loro mi / Modupe.
"I was sick and tired of the song that I thought of composing some new songs. As a prayer warrior in the church, I committed it to God in prayer and I began to express myself the way I could and God blessed it. When I decided to make my first album, my father-in-the-Lord, Rev. Sola Rotimi
also a gospel musician in Nigeria, advised me to include some poetry on wedding, hence Adun Igbeyawo (The Beauty of Matrimony), which was my debut. Producing the first album was enervating but thanks be to God that Rev. Sola Rotimi cushioned the pains in releasing my first album.
The album Opelope Anointing
“The story behind the hit song is deeply rooted in my history. When I looked back in time, I found out that all through my school days to the time of marriage, I came through great pains and difficulties.
"Whatever others do with relative ease and get great success, I have always met with resounding failure and pain. I hardly succeed when others do. I began to wonder what did I do such that the Lord hates me with passion. I know He gave me the talent of a singer but what was happening to it? "On the recoding day at the studio, one of the people in the studios confessed that everybody who came while the recording was on fell in love with the song. Many of them were said to have abandoned what they were doing to listen to the song.
"When we began to think of a title for the album one of he people suggested Opelope Anointing. It opened a floodgate of fame and material benefits for me, and the title stuck on me as trade name.
The gospel scene
“I believe that the Lord is using the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. I have nothing against the different types of Gospel music released in Nigeria, as long as they have messages of salvation. God has been using such songs to win the souls of those who are sold out to those kinds of secular music.. |
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"But I don't buy the idea of using the secular as a standard for the spiritual. The devil is doing all he could to disrupt Christendom and gospel music through worldly dance steps, instrumentations and all sorts. At a Praise Night we had here recently, the dance step of some |
people was very suggestive. But I had to draw their attention to the solemnity and decency that goes with gospel music. We can't send them out. We need to bring them close for the Holy Ghost to arrest them, enter them, convict them and convince them totally. We can't win them by shunning them. God uses the foolish things of the world to confound the wise.
Church planting
"This interview was conducted on a site she proposed as a church. “The dream of this church began on a day we had an engagement at Abeokuta, Ogun State. The organisers had promise to transport us but having waited for them for a long time to no avail, we began to rehears to while away the time.
"Then the spirit of the Lord told me that we were disappointed all because we were to be paid only N70, 000. Why don't we begin a praise programme in our local church so that those who want to listen to gospel music could come?
It sounded beautiful to me but I asked where should I begin? The following week someone told me that there was a vacant land here. The next problem was how to purchase the land, but the Lord provided it and so the programme, which we called Praise Night, took off in November 2001. God mightily blessed the programme that so soon, the space was too small for the thousands of people who attend then Praise Night. We then
thought of graduating the monthly praise programme into a church for properdiscipleship of the people who come. Even if only one soul is won for Christ, I feel fulfilled by that.
Your love for talking drum is well expressed in your productions. What do you think of Bata drums? Someone said it's for idol worshippers .
“Everything the Lord has created is good. God created the hide and the wood with which the drums were made. Whatever we can use to praise God is acceptable to me.
"I love experimenting with new things in each album. I incorporated the Bata drums into my music because I love it. The Bata drummer in my band was an acolyte of the masquerade but now, he is for Christ.
"He confessed that his life has been transformed by being in Christ. The best way to engage him is to invest his energy and ability on the drums for Christ rather than stigmatise the drums as an instrument of idols worshipping.”
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