Tunde and Wunmi Obe talk family, career and their future

Having spent about 26 years as active players in the country’s entertainment scene, the duo of Tunde and Wunmi Obe are no doubt deserving of kudos, more so for their flourishing union in the face of constant divorce amongst celebrity couples.

In this interview, T.W.O as they popularly called, share the secret behind their marriage and details of their forthcoming album.

What’s it like being the longest married couple in the Nigerian Entertainment Industry?

We give God all the Glory and we pray that he continues to keep us.

Your kids are rarely in the limelight. Why have you decided to shield them from publicity? 

While we believe strongly in a sound education for our children without unnecessary distractions, we also believe their privacy should be respected, until they’re old enough and ready for all that.

There are many powerful singers and performers in Nigeria, why did you choose 2face Idibia for the ‘Green-white-green’ collaboration? T.W.O and 2face Idibia.

2face and us go way back in the music industry and a strong mutual respect exists between both brands. When he wondered aloud a couple of years ago why T.W.O and 2face hadn’t done a collabo after all these years, the eventual result became inevitable. We also felt that if we had to work with a mature minded artiste like 2face, there had to be a strong and inspiring message involved, hence Green white green.

Is there any female Nigerian musician that we should expect T.W.O to collaborate with in future 

albums?

Oh definitely! We look forward to working with beautiful and gifted female artistes like Omawunmi, Chidinma (Ms Kedike), Waje and Ego (Lagbaja). Not forgetting also, rappers like Muna Abii and Eva.

Five successful albums and numerous hit making singles, what’s the secret behind the success of T.W.O?.

God. Because when he says yes, nobody can say no and Humility. We’re always open to constructive criticism, which we take in good faith, and ultimately use to strengthen our weaknesses, resilience. We learn from our mistakes, dust ourselves off and keep moving straight ahead, versatility. I doubt that there’s any genre of music that we cannot deliver, should the need ever arise. Teamwork. Our strengths as individuals vary. When our Management (Dicotyledon Ent), Publicists (BHM), Production team (Kopykats) and T.W.O join forces, we make a formidable team.

With the rate of group breakups in the Nigerian music industry, is there any possibility that T.W.O will go separate ways in terms of music?

We doubt it. Except one retires and the other decides to drop one (album) ‘for the road’, lol.

26- years in the music industry and rarely a scandal. What’s the tactic to that?

Respecting yourself and not doing anything that would lead to a scandal. Basically minding your own business and not going where your presence is not required.

When should we expect the next T.W.O album?.

God willing, by early November, our album ‘T.W.O Plus.’ will be out.

How have you been able to sustain your marriage for so long and what advise do you have for young couples?

The key factors are God, love, friendship, humility, mutual respect and communication. 

Have any of your children shown interest in the Nigerian Entertainment Industry? 

Yes, one. But not until school’s done with.

After The Charly Boy Show and Zoom time, T.W.O has stayed away from TV. Any plans to make a comeback?

Most definitely. In fact, we have already set up our own editing suite and have just taken delivery of our own production equipment such as cameras, lights, boom, tripod, etc. As soon as the album is released, T.W.O will be recording pilot episodes of our new TV show to air from mid next year 2015.

What’s the major inspiration behind the songs written by T.W.O?

Once again God (is anything really possible without Him?) and of course, things that constantly happen in the world and society around us.

What can you say about the growth of the Nigerian Entertainment Industry?

We’ve come a long way in terms of talent, creativity and music. But we’ve lost a lot in the area of structure and lyrical content. One cannot deny the fact that there are still young artistes today who put a lot in their music in terms of lyrical content, but you must agree with me that these days, it’s mostly about the beat.

What’s the one thing you wished you could change about your spouse and why?.

 

Changing something you don’t like about your spouse might ultimately affect something you do like about him/her. Besides, no one’s perfect so we’re grateful for each other, just the way we are.

Why ‘Green-white-green’?

Because the various crises plaguing the country right now - Chibok girls, kidnappings, bombings, killings, robberies, hatred, tribalism – call for it. We believe it is our corporate social responsibility as Nigerians to advocate for peace and unity amongst Nigerians, in the best possible way we know how – through our music. The song title represents the colours of our flag. Green represents the abundance of food and agriculture, whilst White represents peace. We want these colours to always mean something positive to Nigerians whenever and wherever they see them. Remember a country is not bad – It’s the people in it.

Being a group that is lyrically conscious, what do you think of the present crop of artistes who sing to glorify sex, drugs and sorts? 

Everyone is led by something, everyone is inspired by something. We are therefore not in a position to judge what makes others tick. What we can only do is lead by example, doing what we believe in, in the hope that many other hopefuls will be inspired by what we do.

Any chance of featuring younger mainstream artistes?

Yes as a matter of fact. Dammy Krane is on this album. So also is Floss a.k.a. Mazi of YSG Ent. We also have Teniim whom you must’ve heard by now on the ‘Wedding day’ single, and Brace, who though not exactly mainstream, does bring in some interesting traditional flavour.

How active has the band, Dejavu being considering you haven’t released any album in two years?

Along the line, we’ve had to disband and re-audition and regroup the band in preparation for our re-emergence onto the scene. So yes, the band has been rehearsing and we are back, bigger, stronger and better.

Which is your favourite track of all time?

Tunde: ‘Unchained Melody’ – Righteous Brothers 

Wunmi: Hard to decide but I’ll name the first that comes to mind: ‘One day in your life’ - Michael Jackson.

What is responsible for your relevance, twenty-six years after you started?

Respect for our fans. The ability to tap into what our fans want and giving it to them. Most importantly, as long as you are consistent with playing good music that can still be enjoyed many years after, you can hardly go wrong.

When do you plan to retire from doing music professionally?

When the mind, body and spirit say so.

What would T.W.O like to be remembered for?

That we played good music and were able to touch lives positively with it. That we remained consistent in our delivery, all of which contributed largely to our staying power.

What’s your relationship like with the members of the group T.W.O originated from?

Very cordial. Although our various careers have caused us to lose constant touch the former members of Turning Point band still communicate now and again.

What’s your relationship with Charly Boy like after previous works done together?

Tunde: After working with someone for almost two decades, the relationship cannot but be cordial. It’s just that at some point in time, people must make solo moves. Suffice to say, he’s still my big brother.

What do you wish the new generation of singers will learn and retain from legends of Nigerian music?

That it isn’t every single time that lyrics are created in the studio. Some songs come inspirationally and can be written long before you enter the vocal booth. These usually turn out to be the most meaningful songs, the ones that are likely to become evergreen.

What other project is T.W.O currently working on?

Our TV show, ‘It Takes T.W.O’. It’s a variety show that’s family friendly and funny. It’s been well thought out, and we’re very excited about bringing it to your screens.

Over the years how have your parents come to accept the fame related to their children?

Unfortunately we both had become orphans long before we hit the limelight but we’re sure our parents would be very proud if they could see us now.

Your new house is amazing. What’s the story behind such a mansion?

Focus, resilience, teamwork, patience and sacrifice. We’d always known what we wanted and we worked towards getting it. There was also a great deal of sacrifice involved. We scrapped the idea of new cars, flat screen TVs, ditched the summer holidays as well as some basic amenities, and reasoned that all those could come later. And for that time being, we simply kept our eyes on the prize. It took us some time, but we finally achieved it.