Demola Rewaju: Okay, here is what I think about Maheeda

And so I wish Maheeda success one way or another – if music doesn’t work out, stripping and dirty dancing are talents she apparently has if you have seen the videos. I hear she was a former prostitute but I won’t advise going that route again.

First let me apologise for the absence of any fresh post since last week or so on this blog – blame it on circumstance beyond my control but I’m back again, again and there is no better way to make a comeback than to talk about what every gossip blog has already talked about – this chic called Maheeda.
The little I know of her I gleaned from third party sources I follow and I have seen her type before…or so I thought until few minutes ago when I heard three of her songs on youtube and to convince myself that I was actually listening to the voice and not distracted by the body, I closed my eyes and listened again and I can say with as much assertion as I would my name that this girl has something very close to musical talent or at least more of it than I have seen in the past few years and at the risk of playing my usual role of contrarian or nonconformist – I think Maheeda is cool…if you overlook some other things.
Truth is we live in a society and world where sex sells and nowhere is this more demonstrated than in the music industry. On the other hand, we live in a society where women are relegated to the background and there are several more places where this is demonstrated more obviously than in the music industry but let’s face it: female artistes are a dying breed. I lauded Omawumi in this article and hailed her as one who would probably be what Onyeka Onwenu was to a previous generation. Omawumi and Tiwa Savage are the onIy top female earners in a list of twenty artiste that also includes several half-talented men (and boys too). So what we have is that the men use women and nudity to push themselves to the top but society makes it impossible for a woman to do the same on her way to the top. I am a tad irritated at the way our society defines what and how a woman should be and so whenever anyone comes along with a bit of difference, I smile and pay some attention. I’ve never been fascinated with ladies who show no sign of wanting to break from the norm; yes, I like the regular decent lady but I’m deeply attracted to a bit of the irregular. Well dressed, well spoken and posh until she sings Fuji along with K1 the Ultimate on the radio or I glimpse a tattoo somewhere inside her wrist – stuff like that thrill me.
But there’s got to be substance or everything else just looks tacky. I’m a sapiosexual so intelligence plays a huge role in any attraction I may feel and that’s where Maheeda shocked me. See, I decided about three weeks ago I wasn’t even going to say anything about this chic that was obviously looking for attention via the route taken by Cossy Orjiakor and Jurith Mazagwu aka Afro Candy. I wasn’t going to write about her but I paid some kind of attention on the news around her and one thing is obvious from some of her tweets I saw: all she’s doing seems to be part of a sort of plan and that plan may well work.
She tweets semi-nude pictures (that gossip bloggers post within minutes under the guise of condemning her) but her videos didn’t really portray her as a sex figure so I suspect she is doing this to create some form of awareness about her and it’s working: the only reason some of us even know Maheeda is because she’s caught our attention with her outrageous pictures. Anything below a certain range in plus size doesn’t attract me (read this article) but no one can deny that Maheeda is sexy and she knows how to sell her sexiness. The important thing for me is that she has substance, not empty like those ladies I mentioned who cannot act to save their own lives.
Here’s the crunch part: I foresee huge challenges ahead for Maheeda but can we first agree to stop referring to her as a gospel singer? I think that tag is a bit of an oxymoron – there’s nothing gospel about her in the strict Christian definition of the word.
In a country of hypocrites who every single week make sure that a porn site is on the top ten most visited websites in Nigeria according to alexa.com, Maheeda may be trying to push too much or change too much all at once. Artistes make the bulk of their money these days from endorsements, not album sales and no company would want her face anywhere near their brand, even the condom, tobacco and alcohol manufacturers. Without endorsements, no artiste can go far. I also think she can work more on her voice – it comes across like she’s a bit in between music genres and her voice would be better suited to rapping or fast-flowing where she comes across quite audibly and intelligently. I heard a line that ended catch-up and the next line was ‘spill on you like ketchup’ among other better than average lines and lyrics. I also worry just a teeny little bit that many men (and women of course) may not take her seriously when she expects to be so treated such as in negotiating a deal for instance – she may have to use that body as leverage since it is like her brand identity at the moment. I suspect too that she may be skirting close to the line between doing this as business and doing it for pleasure. I was mildly shocked to watch the making of a Nicki Minaj video and I noticed that every single time there was an interruption in the shoot of a semi-nude scene, she asked for her bathrobe (or one silky look robe sha) to be brought for her to wear over the skimpy bikini yet, he has created an image of herself as one who loves to expose her body but in reality, she may be far from it. It’s show business – what you sell is the show, never yourself. When your person comes too close to the brand you’re trying to push, you may enjoy yourself too much and forget that the crowd would forget you as soon as the next sex symbol comes around.
If people who are sexy and untalented use their sexiness to promote themselves, should people who are sexy and talented not do the same? Don’t answer though, even in the feminist movement, the argument rages on but my stand is manifestly obvious.
Do whatever you need to do (legally) to get results but make sure you get it. When you do, it will all make sense. Before it makes sense though, endure the criticism, keep a pure conscience and focus on the plan. When it makes sense, you won’t need to say a word – res ipsa loquitur. And so I wish Maheeda success one way or another – if music doesn’t work out, stripping and dirty dancing are talents she apparently has if you have seen the videos. I hear she was a former prostitute but I won’t advise going that route again.
Happy new month, have a great weekend friends and yes, I’m back again, again