As Celeb, It Takes God To Have A Decent Marriage—Seyi Shodimu

Love me Jeje crooner, Seyi Shodimu, depicts the image of the responsible and caring father. In this interview, he talks about his family and career

How did you meet your wife?

I met her in Washington. We were both in the university. I was dating an American girl at that time. I saw her and I felt she was the cutest Nigerian I had ever seen. My mum started praying and fasting and wishing I would marry her because she didn’t want me to marry ‘Akata’ (American).  If I hadn’t met her, I would have married an American, I am very sure of that. She was the last person I dated and I married her.

You speak so passionately about your wife but most times, Nigerian couples abroad usually break up, what has been the thing that sustained your marriage?

It is the upbringing and the values I decided to uphold.  I was raised very well and I put God first in everything I do. People would always have misunderstanding but it is what you do thereafter when such happens that matters. I thank God for the life He has given me. It is His grace that you are a celeb and you are still able to maintain a decent home.

So you just left music after Love me Jeje

I have been doing music behind the scene. I funded some artistes in Nigeria here that you would not know about and I may not tell you. I have been recording, I have raised two kids and I also invested in real estate. I built a school here in Nigeria about two years ago. I asked my wife what she wanted and she said she wanted to build her own school. I see that project as one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. She supported my music.   So I had to support her.  But then, I still record music, I have not left.

You have been off the radar for more than 15 years, where have you been?

I have been around. I  moved to Nigeria about eight years ago. I went to the US in 1985, I was a kid then. It is really hard to detach and get up and come back home. But now, I have a house in Nigeria and I also have a house in Washington.

Are you fully back home now?

Yes, I am but I travel a lot like any other person. It is a global economy now. I am here 70 per cent of my time. But in summer, I am not usually here. I take off at that time to spend the holidays with my kids. Children grow up so fast these days. My greatest achievement is my children.  They are the ones I will leave everything I have for, so they deserve that time I spend with them.

Are there times you wish you had stayed back in Nigeria and maybe, release another hit so that you would always be in people’s minds?

Oh yes, I do wish I did that sometimes. The business that we are in, you have to be spiritually sound. I wish I had stayed back because when we did it, it wasn’t like this and if I had continued I may not have had the two kids I have now. I may not have been able to raise them; I may not have had all the business I have now. You have to be smart about your life. You are responsible for your wife and kids first and not music. I wish I had done both at the same time but something would have had to give way.

SOURCE: SATURDAY PUNCH