“I have already spent the prize money” – Nigerian Idols winner, Moses Obi-Adigwe
In a recent interview with YNaija, Moses Obi-Adigwe, the first ever male winner of Etisalat-sponsored Nigerian Idols, spoke about his new found fame and what he hopes to do with his N7.5million prize money.
Excerpts:
Has the win fully sunk in yet?
Not fully. I still wake up and I am like, whose life is this? For a few hours I wake up and it’s like the regular old Moses and then it hits me, dude you just won Nigerian Idol and I cannot believe it but as the days go by, it becomes more real to me
So what has changed?
I get recognized a lot on the streets nowadays. I step out of my house and people just begin to scream, ‘Hey
Moses’ and they don’t even call me Moses anymore, they call me the big teddy bear. There is so much love and at times I feel shy but yeah it’s all good.
Are you comfortable with the moniker ”Teddy bear”? Ruben Studdard, the American Idol Teddy bear seems to be forgotten now
I think Reuben is slightly retired from the pop scene but then he is still doing lots of small shows in the U.S. I am not worried about the name, I kind of like it because it is like a personalized brand; Moses the teddy bear and it goes so well with my size. A teddy bear is big, huge, cuddly and you just want to hug him so that helps my image and it sort of goes in line with my character and personality. It works out very well for me.
What is the typical day like for you since the win?
Generally I have interviews, studio sessions, meetings all day long. Sometimes I am out from 9:00am to 10pm but sometimes it is from 12noon to 4pm. I am usually very busy because even if I am not out, I am at home working on my songs and trying to think up new plans and ways to get my career on the fast track. Winning Nigerian Idol was just the beginning, launching my career is the next phase. In this industry it takes a whole lot of work.
Do you fear the curse of the Idol winner and other such talent shows?
Who is on your playlist now?
My playlist is weird, just a couple of songs I really like. I love Beyonce’s ‘End of time’, Ebisan’s ‘Jowo’. Omawumi’s ‘When the boss is coming to kill the actor’ is so mad, it is on repeat right now. My family is tired of it but I don’t care, I love the album. Ne-yo’s ‘Let me love you’, The Glee cast version of Aretha Franklin’s ‘Aint no way’, Rob Thomas’ ‘This is how a heart breaks.’
Has the prize money been paid?
The money is on it’s way. I am just waiting for a bank alert. I am just waiting for my phone to ring, men enough flexing.
But you have gotten the car right?
Oh yes I have and I have been flexing it. And you know what, the car draws more attention because people see it, they look for me and then the screaming begins. I could move around in a plain car and no one would know it is me but in the Idol car, there is little chance of that. All eyes are on me but it has been an awesome experience so far.
You sound like you are already tired of being recognized.
No! I love every second of it because it is like every single person that recognizes me is an extra validation of my dreams and what I want to achieve in life because you have to be known in other to influence people’s lives and that is what I want to do with my music. So I am happy to be recognized.
Do you have a plan for protecting yourself and your winnings from people that might want to take advantage?
I already have a plan or plans for my money so anybody that comes up to me to say, do this, do that is kind of wasting their time because the money has already been spent. The trick is not spending everything and making sure you are spending on the right things and I am not really a big spender so it works out well for me.
You live in Abuja?
Yes, I do. But I am relocating to Lagos because that is where to be and where it all starts out so I have no choice really.
