Temitope Samantha Phil-Ebosie a trained Fitness Instructor and who goes by the moniker, Temi Dollface, is a Songwriter, Singer, Tunesmith and a Fashionista. She supported Mary J. Blige at the Sisters with Soul concert held in Lagos in 2013. She was also one of the few African Acts recently invited to Nairobi, Kenya to kickstart Coca Cola’s Coke Studio project. In this chat with Senior Reporter, Anthonia Soyingbe, Temi DollFace went down memory lane to reveal some things about her career. Excerpt:
How did you come up with your stage moniker- Temi Dollface?
Temi DollFace
I used to frequent Flea Markets in London and a couple of Street Photographers told me I look like a doll. I never used to see it but after four people told me, then I started believing it. At the time I was fronting a Band so I told them about it and next thing you know they introduced me as Temi DollFace and the name stuck ever since then.
Can you tell us how you got into music?
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been drawn to music, singing whenever I got the chance as part of the School Choir, at Church and to whoever would listen. I was told I even tried humming melodies from my cot as a baby and sang and danced when I was sung to. I, however, wrote my first complete song at the age of seven with a keyboard gifted to me by my Pastor. It was just an instinctive thing. I found my way around it without having had Piano lessons.
What is the magic wand to your rise in the industry?
I don’t know what you mean by that but I can attribute the rise to God’s benevolence. God has bestowed me with both a musical gift and a flare for creative visuals. I think both things work nicely together to culminate in my own special brand of differentness and that has definitely been helpful. I have created quite a large body of work but so far, only released two singles, ‘Pata Pata’ and ‘Just Like That (Story), I still have more coming. Music was my first love and still remains my first love. Being a shy, only child, I felt I could express myself most this way when up against my more outgoing peers.
Aside passion, what are some of the things that influenced you to choose music professionally?
My earliest musical influences were Gospel Artists like Sounds of Blackness, Bebe & CeCe Winans, Tramaine Hawkins. My family is very heavily steeped in the Church so this was what I heard blaring out of the Speakers more often than not. I spent a lot of time with my cousin after school and his Dad would play artists like Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, James Brown, Fela Kuti, Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones, Roy Ayers, and George Benson. They definitely had an impact on how I see and create music now.
Did you get your Parent’s support when you started music?
They have always known that I will one day follow the path of music, because everybody around me will attest to the obvious that I was born to do music. It took my mother a while to come to the reality that I am doing music professionally but she had no choice than to accept and support me.
What did you study in School?
I studied something completely different from what I’m doing right now. My first degree was in Food and Nutrition which was more of my parents wanting me to have something to fall back on because you can never be too sure. I wasn’t particularly interested in it but I am very interested in the Sports aspect of Nutrition so while I was there, I trained as a Fitness Instructor.
Can you name some of the artistes you have worked with in the past?
I have worked with Kazai Jones, Black Magic, Poe and Show-dem Camp from Nigeria, and quite a few others.
Where do you draw inspiration for your lyrics?
My song writing is spurred, not just by reading, but by triggers like something someone said, Street signs, a phrase from a TV show that I might not even be paying attention to. Why these things are triggers, I don’t know. It’s the one moment that sets it all off though, and my imagination does the rest. I’m also always writing song seeds down as they come to me so I always have a few ideas floating around when I put pen to paper.
You have an imposing stage presence. How did that part of you evolve?
Funnily enough, I’m more comfortable on stage than I am anywhere else and I think that comes across.
Are there any Nigerian artistes you will love to work with?
I will love to collaborate with Tuface and Phyno.
Do you really think you have what it takes a female artiste to succeed in the industry?
I wouldn’t be in this business if I don’t have what it takes. As for rivalry and competition, that’s not what this is all about for me. I believe the competition is with oneself to be a better you than you were yesterday. You hear of artists who do not have the best of attitudes or bedside manner but are still achieving amazing things. Ultimately, the music should speak for itself but it’s equally important to treat everyone with the same respect you want to be treated with for good measure and the balance of the universe plus it takes nothing away from you to just be kind and polite.
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