Noella Uloko is recording artist and an itinerant gospel singer. She a young woman with passion for touching lives by using music as a tool to heal the minds of people, especially in difficult times. For her, just like the popular quote by William Shakespeare: If music be the food of love, play on. She speaks about her life and career in this interview.
Can you talk about your background; growing up and academics. Did it influence you being a musician?
I am a Christian with a strong passion to see God’s kingdom expand on Earth. I was born in Adamawa state, where I did my primary education before proceeding to early high school in Benue state and completing my secondary education in the FCT.
I have a BSc in Biochemistry, a Master’s Degree in Business Administration, and a certification from the University of London in People Management Skills.
I have been singing since I was a child in children’s church, but I also got to sing special songs in my parents’ church occasionally. That helped me build confidence from a young age to sing before an audience.
During my time in secondary school and undergraduate studies, I also had the opportunity to be part of some musical bands and choirs. Eventually, I became music director in my final year at the Winners Campus Fellowship, University of Jos Chapter.
Upon completing my National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), I launched my debut album: Wealthy Places in August 2013. At this time, I launched into music professionally as a recording artist and an itinerant gospel singer.
What actually inspired you to go into music professionally, and how has the journey been?
During my NYSC year, I volunteered in my local assembly’s choir department and helped lead praise and worship consistently. While volunteering, I started to write songs that would fit the themes of some special programmes organized by the church and monthly declarations.
On one occasion, the choir performed one of the songs I had written with God’s help, and a visiting minister asked me who wrote the song and was pleasantly surprised when I told him I did. He encouraged me to venture into music professionally and spoke to my family about it too.
I moved to book a studio and an excellent producer to work on some songs I had already written, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Do you face any challenges being a female artist?
I have no unique challenges as a female artist, actually. The challenges I face as a female artist are the general challenges that male artists also face, and I have the belief that with faith in God, no challenge is insurmountable.
What impact would you like your songs to make against the background that most artists are believed to be only after financial benefits?
I would like people’s lives to be transformed by listening to my songs. I want people to be edified, comforted, and inspired by the songs. Financial profit will definitely be a great addition but it is not my primary motivation for doing music.
What language is your song: Aleya Chaba, and what’s the message to your listeners?
Aleya Chaba is a song of thanksgiving to God in the Idoma dialect, Benue state, and it simply means: “You Have Done More Than Enough.”
The song also has many parts sung in English, which helps the non-Idoma speaker grasp the song’s message.
The song reminds the listener that Jesus Christ paid the ultimate price on the cross as the perfect sacrifice to take away the sins of the whole world, and even if he (Jesus) does nothing more beyond that, he has done more than enough for all eternity.
It is wonderful to thank God for things that he gives to us, but we take our thanksgiving to a higher dimension when we thank him for the price he paid when he died on the cross for us and the victory we obtained in him when he resurrected from the dead on the third day.
Aleya Chaba is going to officially hit the airwaves on Friday, June 30, 2023.
How does this milestone make you feel, and what are your expectations?
The release of Aleya Chaba will be done online, and this means it will be officially released across various digital music streaming platforms across the globe, including Youtube, Itunes/Apple Music, Boomplay, Spotify, Tidal, Deezer, from midnight WAT that day.
I’m particularly excited because the release of this song is accompanied by the official music video’s release on Youtube and some TV stations within and outside Nigeria.
I’m excited about the song’s impact on the lives of viewers and listeners, and I am hopeful that it will reconcile more souls to God.
I look forward to having media outlets partner with us to spread this new sound far and wide.
You are planning to release your album later in the year; can you tell us more about it?
Yes, I plan to release an album before the year ends, and it is a compilation of songs so dear to my heart.
The album will have at least eight songs and will feature some known Nigerian gospel artists like Freke Umoh, Prospa Ochimana, David Dam, and Manus Akpanke.
So, where do you see yourself in the next five to 10 years in the music industry?
In the next five to 10 years, I plan to expand beyond the shores of Nigeria and have live concerts in other countries within Asia, Europe, and the United States.
Many more songs and albums are to come as well.
What motivates you to use music as a tool to express yourself?
My key message to the public is that there’s real healing and victory in Christ Jesus. It does not matter what you have been through, the pains, the setbacks, or the failures you have experienced. Jesus can heal, restore, and grant you all-around victory.
As a matter of fact, he already did this through his death, burial, and resurrection, but by coming to him by faith, you take delivery of all these benefits.
I use music as a tool because it is a timeless vehicle for feeling, healing, and connecting.
What is your advice to upcoming artists?
My advice to upcoming artists in the music industry is to go for knowledge, build value, remain consistent, connect with others of like minds, and always be connected to God because he is our source.
I will also suggest that young artists find jobs or businesses that they can do alongside the music early enough in life until they can comfortably face it full-time.
I have a day job, and I combine this with my musical profession, which has helped me in many ways.
If you had the means, what would you do differently to promote music in Nigeria that hasn’t been done?
I will help young and talented singers and musicians get properly trained in the various aspects of music.
Being able to grant massive scholarships to reputable schools such as the Berklee College of Music will be a dream come true because the more we know, the more we’ll show.
How can fans connect with you?
I am on all the major social media platforms as @NoellaLive (Facebook, Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube). My management can be reached at: [email protected]
