The secret of our togetherness —Tunde and Wunmi Obe 

 

Showbiz couple, Tunde and Wunmi Obe, popularly known as TWO, are all-round entertainers who have carved a niche for themselves with their peculiar kind of music. They are also believed to be entertainment industry’s most popular celebrity couples. In this interview with KATE ANI, they spoke about their music, home-front and how they have been able to sustain their marriage 26 years on, amidst celebrity marriage woes.
Congratulations on your recent  birthday celebration,  Wunmi. How does it feel being a year older? 
I thank God. People are dropping dead here and there and there have been several cases of kidnapping, I thank God that I am still here and alive. There was no party, just a get-together with family members and close friends.
Your new singles, ‘Green White Green’ and ‘Wedding Day’ are currently receiving massive airplay and downloads. Why was Tuface your preferred artiste to feature in ‘Green White Green’?
Wunmi: We and Tuface go way back. Two years ago, Tuface wondered why he hadn’t done any collaboration with T.W.O and when we decided to do the song, Green White Green, we felt it was time to work with him. We didn’t want to drop just any song about wine, women and sex; we wanted to do something that would impact on the people and be relevant to our society. So, we came up with that song and decided to feature him. Both are singles taken from an album that we are working on, entitled: T.W.O Plus and hopefully, before the end of the year, it will be released.
How did music begin for you as a couple?
Tunde: We came together in 1988, but before then, we had both been doing music with different bands and colleagues in the industry. I used to be in a band called Turning Point and at a point, I felt I needed a female mate and one of our band members suggested Wunmi and she joined the band. We became friends and the rest, they say is history.
Wunmi, you are a wife, mother, singer and entrepreneur, how do you juggle all these together? 
It’s all by the grace of God and prioritising. In anything, you have to prioritise.  By prioritising, I can decide what comes first and what I can do without. First, I am a mother and a wife, every other thing comes behind.
Many artistes you both started with have been relegated to the background by new comers, how have you still maintained to be relevant?
Tunde: I think the most important thing is to respect your fans by releasing good music.  It’s not really about how long you have been doing music. Whether you are have been doing music for two years or just joining the industry, just come up with good songs and people would take notice of you. We work hard, we know it’s a competition, we take our music serious and we work with competent people and reputable managing company. We are surrounded by lots of good people; a lot goes into the music before releasing it to the public.
Where do you get your inspirations from? Most artistes and producers tend to get their inspirations ranging from nature, environment to women and weeds?
Wunmi: Anytime we want to release a song, we ask ourselves what the message we want to pass across is.   We also get inspirations from things that happen around us and address issues happening around us via music.
Tunde: We can be inspired by the beats, by God or things around us.
What is your connection with Aso Rock? You guys are reported to be close to the presidency and always play for them whenever they are having any event. Are you related to any big shot there in Abuja? 
(Laughs... ) I don’t have to answer that question. We are in the market like everybody else and it is their choice to pick who to entertain them. They call us to perform for them because they like our kind of music and we respond. We are not in any way related to them, I work for my money. If you have money and call me to come and perform, I would gladly come.
Like how much do you charge for events?
I can’t disclose that.
If you can dramatically change anything about the music industry, what would it be?
I would love there to be an entry requirement. There is this mentality that anybody who goes to the studio and records a song is a Nigerian musician; it makes the whole thing very unserious looking. Anybody can wake up tomorrow and say he or she is an artiste. When we were coming up, one must be a member of a society or organisation. That time, you must be a registered member of PMAN before you can be regarded as a musician. Now, nobody takes such things serious anymore and everybody is a musician. In fact as you are a journalist, if you record a single, you are automatically a musician. I would also love people to incorporate a little bit more messages into their songs. They can sing whatever they like, but they should try and make sure there are at least one or two songs in your album that passes a message about what is going on in the society. Musicians shouldn’t turn their back on all that is going on in the country.
Tiwa Savage recently released a video where it was alleged that the video promotes nudity and stimulates sex. Do you think the Nigerian female artiste is ready to compete with the likes of Rihanna, Nicki Minaj and Lady gaga?
 Tunde: Well, we don’t like to comment on other people’s career and what they have chosen to do as a musician, because I think everybody has the right to decide how they want to project their brand. What I will only say is that we have different cultures in Africa. From where Rihanna and Beyonce come from, people are tend to accept a lot more over there than we do over here. But, if it is working for you, who am I to say don’t do it.
Wunmi cuts in...If people don’t approve of such, I shouldn’t see hundreds of thousands of views of that video online.  You can’t be watching and enjoying it and at the same time, say it’s bad, that’s hypocrisy. Nigerians should decide if they are ready for that kind of videos or not. They are ready for it in private of their homes and enjoying it and saying something else in public.
Some people have argued that the Nigerian music industry has grown in leaps but the growth has not been seen and some celebrities have also said the growth has not translate into money for them, what do you make of this?
It depends on the artiste. The way the industry is now, it’s only like ten percent that make good money from it and they rest is just there, still struggling to get there. There are some artistes in the industry that are earning millions every month and some who are not earning much. I think that cuts across every profession, it is not just the music industry. There are actors who are making money and some who are not.
As a group, what has been the greatest moment of your musical career?
We haven’t gotten to the greatest moment yet, it is still to come. (He turns to Wumi) have you had any greatest moment?

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Wunmi:  Right know, I cannot think of any because every time we release an album, it is always a good moment for us. The first time we heard our music on radio and television was a great moment. You know, there are different things that had happened to us that has given us so much joy. But, like he said, the greatest moment is yet to come.
Let’s talk about you as a couple, you guys have been together for 26 years now and still waxing stronger, how has the journey been so far?
Wunmi:  We thank God. Definitely there have been challenges and it all depends on how we handle them.  Many people come across challenges and were unable to forge ahead. Thank God we saw challenges and have been overcoming all obstacles that have been coming our way, so far so good.
It’s a known fact that celebs marriages don’t last, even overseas. Can you share with us how you both still manage to keep up the vibe despite also being business partners?
Tunde: There are quite a few principles that make  celebs marriage to work; principles of respect, communication, patience, giving each other the benefit of the doubt and humility. To us, we are Tunde and Wunmi, we are not TWO in the house, we relate with each other on that level. That was how we had always been while we were dating and not yet popular.  We still see ourselves as those young couples who met in 1988. The God factor is probably the most important and of course we are quite religious, which we have passed onto our children. Love is a very strong principle in our marriage.
As a group, when you guys go on tour, how do you manage with the children, do they feel your absence?
Tunde:  Well, all the touring days were during our younger days. The kids didn’t start coming till year 2000.  We kind of  focused on our career in our early relationship days and made sure we were on a very sound footing before the children started coming.
Now, we don’t really go off away too long when we have an event. It’s always just for a couple of days. The house is well-structured, we have staff, that have been with us for years, very reliable and trustworthy and the kids are not really kids anymore. Our last child is ten years old.
Wunmi, how did Tunde propose? 
He did not. We just started discussing about the future, that was it.  While dating, we already knew we were altar-bound.
How do you handle his female fans, no doubt, Tunde is a very attractive man?
I don’t. I trust him to deal with it. His fans are his fans and it comes with the business.
Tunde: (Cuts in) That is the principle I mentioned that time; trust.
And how do you feel when men harass your wife?
Wunmi is very principled. Lots of men even find it difficult to approach her, in regards to that, I trust my wife.
What is the habit that puts you off of another?
Tunde: I have answered that question before, but I have come to realise that changing something about another person that you don’t like, you might end up changing something that you do like.  I think if you are married, be ready to accept people for who they are, both good and bad.
Your late father, Emmanuel Obe was an Ambassador to Senegal, Gambia and Mauritania simultaneously, did he approve of you going into music, rather than other noble professions?
Tunde: I always tell people that I don’t know if I would have ended up being a musician if I had not known my father. He might have put pressure on me in one way or the other, I wouldn’t know. But I would say that he was a music lover and a singer as well, though he was a diplomat. He would always sing along with his song when he is playing them in the evening and having his brandy. We had several genres of music in the house and had a very good sound system wherever we were in the world. He had always loved music and that was what also made me fall in love with music because I always sing along with him. It started as a hobby for me and with time, it became a profession.
What fond memories do you have of him?
His laugh, always very ready to help people, very social, everything is solved, once he is home. Those are the fond memories I have of him. Unfortunately, we lost him at a young age, but, we give God the glory that we came to this world through him.
It was reported that you guys are the richest couple in the music industry, how rich is T.W.O?
We manage our resources well and had made good investments in the past. We thank God for what we have been able to achieve all through the years. It is how much effort you put in work that will determine what you will be in life.
You both dress like twins?
Wunmi: We only coordinate with colours, and it was just to incorporate with the T.W.O brand.
What is the most expensive item in your wardrobe?
Wunmi:  I don’t really place much emphasis on luxuries. I can shop in a one dollar shop and sometimes, in a high profile shop. It depends on what I like. Besides, I don’t spend much on material things.
Tunde:  I would rather not answer that question. Our society places too much emphasis on money, it shouldn’t be so. I am not a materialistic person and I think there are better messages for me to share with people about struggle, hard work and motivations. I don’t talk about material things.
How do you guys relax? When was the last time you both went for a vacation?
We relax at home. (Both laughs)...Wunmi and the kids go for vacations regularly, I don’t. The work never stops.
If your children decide to follow in your footsteps to do music, will you encourage them to?
Tunde: You can’t stop a child from doing what you do. But it is important to train them through a very sound and solid education before they delve into music because at the end of the day, they could also have the ability to do other things aside music. The average career line of an average artiste is ten years. So, you must be able to do other things aside music.
What is your relationship with Charley Boy now, are you both still friends?
Once in a while, when the need arises, we call each other. The relationship is respectful and cordial. I reached out to him when he lost his father and that was the last time we spoke with each other.
How do you manage your funds, has there ever been a time that you both disagreed how money was to be spent?
Wunmi and I always discuss everything including how money should be spent and we also end up agreeing with each other. Of course sometimes we argue about it once in a while, but at the end of the day, we always reach a compromise.
Are you still in good terms with Stella Damasus?
Yes, the relationship is cordial.
What do you miss most about your late brother, Jaiye?
I miss everything about him. His character, his outgoing nature and I miss the fact that I lost a brother that was very close to me.