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Goldie. Photo: goldieharvey.net
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Growing up in a family where music was
virtually the only bright spot in a tripartite existence that revolved
round home, school and church, it did not come as much surprise that
Susan Oluwabimpe Harvey now known as Goldie chose to be a singer, songwriter and performer.
If it was to give vent to a childhood
social denial, available indices indicate that Goldie is making a
resounding success of her career choice. If it was to prove to her
hitherto unbending dad that her sometimes rebellious streak as a teen
was just a quest for her true essence, she has equally succeeded. And
everybody must indeed be very proud of this young lady because less than
five years into her musical odyssey, the crown of Nigeria’s nonpareil
pop diva now nestles snugly on her golden mane.
Since her emergence onto the pop culture
radar a few years ago, Goldie has cut large swaths though the fields of
musical accomplishments; exemplifying a special conception of musical
heroine who can say or show anything while providing a view of the bold,
confrontational and liberated woman. Colourful and cerebral, Goldie’s
musical strength and depth, sensuality and serenity have appropriated
her as the high water mark that other female singers have to live up to.
Add to that mix the fact that the multiple awards-winning singer has
created a smouldering, public persona that borders on the eccentric and
eclectic, otherwise creative and precise, but engaging enough to keep
you talking about her. Despite the mixed reactions to her musical style
and outré outlook, Goldie has fitted perfectly into the role of
Nigeria’s most consistent female performer of the moment.
EARLY LIFE
Indeed, in the case of talent and
passion, the apple does not fall too far away from the tree. Goldie was
born In the early 80s to very educated and successful parents – her mum,
late Mrs. Olabisi Betty from the illustrious Olaiya family in Ijebu,
Ogun State was a former managing director in a bank, while her dad, a
native of Ikole-Ekiti, Ekiti State, also retired as a director in a new
generation bank. He is now into full time clerical works in Lagos. The
first of four kids, Goldie’s education began at the Green Springs
Montessori Primary School and then St. John’s College, Palm Grove, Lagos
where Christian Religious Knowledge, she said, was her favourite
subject because she didn’t have to study too hard to pass it. In fact,
by the age of 10, she already knew so many bible verses that belied her
age.
She recalled, ‘My childhood was very
interesting but regimented. My Dad was a leader in church and very
active too while my mum used to lead the choir. So, as their first
child, I took very active roles in all church activities – drama, choir,
bible classes and so on. Church was the only social life we had. On
Mondays, we went for bible classes; Wednesdays were for prayer meetings
and then one Friday in a month, we went for vigil. I never had toys or
friends because my father thought they would lead me astray.‘ Thus, her mum was her closest friend. However, the bond that held mother and daughter together snapped irretrievably in 1994.
LOSING HER MUM
Goldie described her mum as a woman of high intellectual and moral values. ‘She was the first to have a scholarship in her family. She was an avid reader and had a lot of certificates and degrees.’
Every night, when every other person had gone to bed, Goldie and her
mum would stay up chit-chatting and watching television. She was the
only friend Goldie had. But she died too soon after a long-drawn battle
with cancer, leaving behind four kids. ‘It was a traumatic
experience for me especially because it was like losing my only friend
and confidant. I cried bitterly and even up till now, over a decade
later, the pain of her demise has not left me.’ Goldie is however consoled that she now has another mum in her step-mother who she describes as God-sent.
FORAY INTO MUSIC
A prodigious kid with a strong flair for
the arts and everything creative, Goldie recalled drawing sketches of
anything that caught her fancy but whenever her dad saw her drawing, he
would tear it, asking rather erroneously how many people have achieved
outstanding success in arts. This however did not deter the blithely
ambitious young lady from wanting to give vent to her dreams because
like the cliché goes, music expresses that which cannot be put into
words and cannot remain silent. Goldie had found music through the prism
of divas like Celine Dion, Mariah Carey and Toni Braxton.
And even at that age, she was already learning the style and nuances of
pop, even emulating Braxton’s style of keeping her side burns oiled.
At that time too, it had become pretty obvious that Goldie was an embryonic diva. ‘I’d
been flirting with music all my life. I don’t remember exactly how old
but I was incredibly young when I knew that I’d go into some form of
entertainment. Everybody who knew me back then knew that I could sing
because I was always singing in school or church; I’ve always had that
artistic flair.‘ So, when she got to the UK where she had been
admitted to study Business Management at the University of Sunderland,
she and a couple of friends formed an informal group which performed for
friends and family. The group even did a couple of demos which never
really made it out.
GOING PROFESSIONAL
Interestingly, Goldie’s return to
Nigeria in the mid-2000s did not quite signal an immediate take-off for
her career. Rather, she concentrated on building her date-reminder
services business. In the course of this, she needed to do a jingle and
was introduced to Mani of Cool FM who bowled her over with his
production aplomb. They talked about music and what they’d like to
achieve. The young lady evinced unadulterated passion and determination
which prompted Mani to introduce her to industry players. Then, she met
renowned producer, OJB Jezreel who would produce her first single,
Komole. This was followed by three other singles Spin Me, Nothing has
Changed, and Shift, which all formed part of her compilation CD. Since
then, there has been no stopping her. Through the turbulence, drudgery
and seeming imperviousness of the music industry, Goldie held her own,
talent for talent, and creativity for creativity. After a tentative
management deal in 2009, Goldie was signed on to Nigeria’s foremost
music label, Kennis Music in 2010.
A few months later, she released her
debut album, Gold, which given Nigerians’ apathy towards pop music, has
been a critical success. The album exudes the audacity and flamboyance
of Goldie, and has spewed a couple of provocative, smart, and infectious
videos; You Know It, JawoJawo and DTMB (Don’t Touch My Body) The 3
songs are now certified street anthems with increasing followership. ‘For
me, the clothing, the props, and the creative direction must be
properly coordinated because I want my fans to have very specific
imagery in their head when they’re listening to the music and watching
the accompanying video.’ Continuing, she says, ‘Entertainment
as a whole has gone visual. The best way to sell yourself and your music
is to make a video… I will say for the record though, that I love
shooting music videos, that’s one of the highlights of being in my
profession; I like bringing my fantasies to life. A good music video is
just one of the many ways to do this.’ Little wonder, the video for
‘You Know it’ won the best female video at the 2010 SoundCity Music
Video Awards and also picked the award for best use of costume at the
Nigerian Music Video Awards; while DTMB picked up best Afro Pop video at
the 2011 Nmva’s.
TRIVIA
A movie buff and avid reader, when
Goldie is not in the comfort of her home, she is making good music at
the Kennis Music Studio. Though a nocturnal person, you can hardly find
Goldie at Night clubs because she believes in channelling such hours
into creative engagements.
ACCOLADES
Goldie is an ambassador of Project
Alert, a world renowned not for profit organisation aimed at advocating
Zero tolerance to all forms of violence against women and young girls.
This rare honour was bestowed upon her after the president of the
organisation saw all the charity works she had been doing on her own.
Goldie has so far in the past year
nabbed a total of ten (10 awards) including Exquisite Lady of the year
(ELOY) Best Female Artiste award and City People Best Female Artiste of
the year… She has also been inducted as a Federal Celebrity Special
Marshal alongside other notable Nigerian Celebrities. The Law Students
Society of the Obafemi Awolowo University (O.A.U) recently issued her an
Award for Musical Excellence under the category of Best Female Artiste
of the Year. She has also been conferred a United Nations Youth
Ambassador for Peace by the Federal Government.
Having won all the major awards on the
African continent, headlined major events within and outside the
continent, hosted sold-out tours, Goldie is not just a name but a brand
that have since carved a niche for herself as a leading African Female
pop Diva.
Goldie became the final celebrity to exit the BBA7 star game house in 2012 as the 3rd runner up.
The video for SAY MY NAME received BEST
POP COSTUME at the Nigerian Music Video Awards (NMVA) in December 2012.
She was also honoured with a SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD at Top Naija
music awards same month.
Queen G until her recent untimely death
was currently working on a Continental-wide musical project titled THE
AFRICA INVASION ALBUM. The first 3 hits off the Naughty Singles
compilation; SKIBOBO featuring AY (Tanzania), MILIKI featuring NAVIO
(Uganda), and GIVE IT TO ME featuring J MARTINS (Nigeria), have all
recorded massive downloads worldwide.
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