by Wilfred Okiche

After dropping into national consciousness with her quirky hit single Pata pata and its accompanying video, singer Temi DollFace disappeared from public glare just as suddenly as she arrived.

She resurfaced last week with a fresh new single Just like that and we spoke with her about the origins of her name, her looks and the challenge of being different.

Enjoy excerpts from the session.

It has been about a year since Pata Pata and your latest single, Just Like That which you released during the week. What is responsible for the long wait?

I released Pata pata after I moved back to Nigeria and I was doing quite a lot then. I am a creative multitasker but I realised that my creativity, which by the way, is the reason I am here had started to suffer so I decided to take a step back, regroup and get in the studio and focus on being the creative that I am. I thought it was necessary to take a step back from everything and just give the music my complete undivided attention.

How did this time off affect your sound, do you think it was worth it?

That wasn’t time off, that was time working hard, grinding in the studios and not doing interviews or photo shoots or publicity or even the administrative work. it was very rewarding, everything that I wanted and I am back to show the world how vast Temi’s music is.

What has been the outcome of these sessions, do you have up to an album’s worth of material recorded?

I have more than 2 albums worth of material recorded.

What is the plan for unleashing the new material on the audience; singles, albums?

That would be telling. You will just have to wait and see.

I once watched you rehearse a song, Exception to the rule and I loved it. I assumed that would be your next single.

No, we chose Just like that.

Is Exception to the rule going to be released anytime soon?

Maybe. I don’t like to give everything away, let there be a bit of mystery, something to look forward to.

Your appearance is a refreshing change from the normal. How much of the DollFace image is an act and where is the real Temi in all of this?

I did not dream up the name Temi DollFace. I was just Temi and I had left a particular industry set up and felt like I needed to start on a clean slate. I wanted to add something to the end of my name but I wasn’t sure what it would be. It just so happened that I used to frequent flea markets in England and a couple of street style photographers came to me- 4 of them at different times- and told me I looked like a doll. At the time I was fronting a band and I mentioned it to one of our band members and the next thing I know, he introduced me at one of our shows as Temi DollFace. That is how I got stuck with the name. There are so many people called Temi so I figured why not roll with this. I also liked the juxtaposition it created because you hear the name and you imagine I am going to be doing mindless, bubble gum pop and then you hear the music and you can feel the investment in lyric and the sound. It becomes everything you wouldn’t expect it to be.

But honestly I don’t even think that I look like a doll. I am trying hard to live up to the name but the truth is there are all kinds of dolls; kewpies, cabbage patch, trolls etc.

The name has been good to you obviously but are there times when you have found that people do not take you seriously because of it?

I haven’t ever not been taken seriously I don’t think, because I feel the music speaks for itself and the Temi DollFace brand is 50percent music and 50 percent visuals and I think that I have got a strong enough image and the DollFace thing doesn’t even have to come into it most times. It should be secondary.

You say you are a creative multitasker. What other pies are your fingers stuck in?

Some of the hats that I wear on stage I make them, I make a lot of the things I wear on stage. I am responsible for my own styling; I have never had and will never have a stylist because it is something I am capable of doing myself. Putting together outfits in the morning gives me great pleasure and I cannot imagine life without it. Maybe I can just have someone who understands what I like pool the clothes for me and I’ll put them together. I style my band and am responsible for the creative direction on all my photo shoots. I am a songwriter, producer, singer, perfomer. I pretty much do it all.

You have this strong, vivid personality. Have you considered other avenues of entertainment; theatre, musicals, film?

Acting is a natural evolution for music. Being on stage is acting. I call my sound Drama soul and there is a reason for that because I am heavily influenced by theatrics. I haven’t had any theatrical training but I have a love for it and there are huge theatre elements in my sound. So it is something that I would love to consider.

Do you get frustrated by the nature of the industry and heavy reliance on disposable afro pop?

I am not going to lie, everybody gets frustrated. The dream has never wavered, the pocket has. There are days I am like I can’t be bothered to get up and put up with this another second. It gets to me that people are asking me to be a certain way or fit into a mold but you have got to roll with the punches, turn the bad into good and make it work for you.

Who are your musical influences?

Fela Kuti obviously. Stevie Wonders, Pharrell Williams, Missy Elliot. Ella Fitgerald, Billie Holiday, I could keep going. My sound is a mishmash of Afrobeat, Hip hop, pop, R&B, soul, gospel. I just like to express everything that I have sponged off.

What do you want to get out of music?

It is about God’s purpose for my life. I don’t doubt in any way that this is what I want to do. I was born for this and the rush that I get out of it. I want to keep doing this, to write music that I can be proud to see in an exhibit in a museum, music that outlives me.

Would you ever do something for the clubs?

What do you mean? Can you not club to Pata pata?

Yes but you don’t think of it first when you think club songs

I can’t believe this. That is only because we have been conditioned to think so. You mean after this great conversation we just had, you still think that way? Pata pata is for the clubs, Just like that is for the clubs. Remember that back then in the clubs, after playing the hits of the day, the DJ would play the slow songs and people will slow dance to the sounds of Boys 2 Men and co. These days we don’t slow dance anymore because all we do is grind and twerk.

Ok maybe my question should be, would you ever do something that we can grind and twerk to?

You can grind to anything with an amazing percussive beat. It is up to you what you want to do but you can grind to Pata pata. Just like that has an amazing drum pattern so it is a club song. We should take the limits off the categories we put on songs and just learn to enjoy them.