ABIODUN KOYA
GOLDENVOICE! THE
Abiodun Koya is one of the very few professionally trained opera singers not just from Nigeria, but the African continent. So well has her career grown that she has sang to Presidents, world leaders and even at the White House during the Democratic National Convention. Her beloved father introduced classical music to her at the tender age of three. By age six, she began playing the violin and singing classical music at church. After studying Business Management at University of Columbia, Washington, D.C., Biodun went on to pursue her first love and studied Music for her Master’s Degree at Catholic University, Washington.
Today, Biodun has established herself as an all-round artiste with passion, purpose and an illustrious voice that is powerful and inspiring. But aside from singing to the high and mighty, Biodun also sings to those close to her heart. She loves caring for the less fortunate in society and never ceases to do philanthropic ventures to make their lives more bearable with her charity organization and mentorship activities. She spent a riveting afternoon with FUNKE BABS-KUFEJI talking about how impactful classical music has been
Photographer- @spotlightpi in the lives of many.
How did your parents initially feel when they realized you wanted to become an opera singer?
My parents were not particularly excited at the prospect of me becoming a singer, but for me it has always been a passion from childhood. They wanted me to become an accountant and steered me in that direction; Accounting was not my strength so I was seriously lagging behind. They got me private coaches to tutor me yet I had challenges. This resulted in always being sad whenever I had to go for Maths or Accounting lessons. Back then I always felt and came alive at the sight of or any involvement in anything to do with the arts.
How has your Business Management degree come in handy in your present career?
I have always liked the idea of managing and running a business efficiently. Creating something with a market value, things that people would always need and depend on, appealed to me. So also is the pooling together of resources, time and value, and merging them to form something for commercial purpose. I am able to efficiently manage the team under me because I have a clear understanding of human relations and time management. Manpower is one of the best, if not the best asset in business. Prior to working with my current personal team of managers and staff, I managed my career at the very early stage. I had to wear many hats at once because I basically did everything myself. This required a lot of discipline which has helped me run the businesses I have outside music. What was your first big break?
My first big break was when I sang to an audience of 15,000 at a stadium in Washington D.C. Ironically, this was my convocation ceremony where I had the privilege to be called upon to perform for the vast number of guests in attendance. My University President and his wife had discovered that I had a talent for singing. Word somehow got to them of this gift so they took me under their wings, loved me and were always eager to show me off to their guests at School seminars, banquets, galas. I was always included in the School’s social programs. So when it was time for me to graduate, they gave me my first big break to sing at my commencement ceremony before Mayors, Ambassadors, friends, family, former classmates and other special guests of honor. On that stage at the Stadium, I opened my mouth to sing, gave it my all and the rest is now history. This break presented me with several opportunities as I had people recommending me and inviting me to sing at events from there on. Before I knew it, people started calling me The Wonder Woman: the skinny girl with a big voice!
What are you doing to make opera more acceptable to the public?
I have a great burden and desire in my heart to make some languages from certain parts of Nigeria recognized globally, just like the world has come to accept and recognize French, Latin, Italian and Spanish. My new mission is to sing in these languages around the world to my international audiences. I intend to add existing folksongs from these regions to my repertoire of songs and sing them on global stages. This way, people will get introduced to the languages from my country.
Are you planning to make any collaboration in the near future?
Yes, oh yes! Absolutely! I love collaborations and the coming together of great artistic powerhouses. It is always eclectic, magical, and dynamic when this happens. It will definitely be no ordinary mix. I have my eye on certain musicians for possible collaborations. I particularly like to collaborate with certain type of rappers, the ones who have it together.
How does one learn to appreciate classical music?
You have to open your mind before you pass any judgment on this genre. No half or full judgment. Classical music is the only genre that has the most benefits to offer any living soul (animals inclusive) out of all the genres of Music. Many people already have a preconceived mindset that classical music is complex, it is for the elites and it is intense. With these thoughts, you have already blocked out all the benefits. With classical music, you have to allow yourself be immersed. Soak it in, listen intently and learn to savour the experience. It may require some patience but it is totally worth it. Listening to it is a spiritual and supernatural experience as a lot transpires within that time.
You have an upcoming concert. What is the theme?
It is a sci-fi themed musical concert event that I envisioned and created. It is called The Future Symphony: Days of the Avenger. It is taking place in Abuja on April 21st. For my scifi concert, I envisioned creating a stage that will be like a space ship and as soon as people walk into the hall, they will feel like they are in a science museum. I have commissioned artworks representing planets from outer space that would be hung from the ceiling around the hall to create an exciting science themed décor. I get bored easily which is why I like to think outside the box. This is very rare and has never been done in Nigeria or even in the entire African continent.
Tell us about your orchestra of drums as opposed to just strings and brass instruments.
It is a kind of a performance with the juxtaposition of the traditional drummers backing up my operatic singing as opposed to the regular orchestra of strings and brass instruments. It is a mix of various local drums and classical instruments brought together.
How do you maintain your voice? What kind of things do you avoid and why?
I do vocal warm-ups exercising at least 20-30 minutes everyday to keep the voice intact as failure to do this will affect the quality of my performance. I also do not scream or smoke. Whenever I am in a cold region, I like to cover up my neck area with a scarf. Once or twice a week, depending on our schedules, I meet with my Chinese voice teacher for voice lessons and training. If we cannot physically meet, we have the voice lessons virtually.
Is it true that when you have an upcoming show you don’t speak? How long for and what impact does it have on your performance?
Yes, it is true. Whenever I have a major performance, I go on a vocal rest for two or more weeks. It goes like this: no speaking, no form of verbal communication except for rehearsals and vocal warm ups. This period, I communicate via text messages and emails only. Furthermore, my team does most of the verbal communication to people on the outside and when I’m in the same room with someone and I have a message to pass across, I just scribble it on paper.
What is the common trait opera singers have? Does this help in their form of performance and expression on stage?
Opera singers have some common traits globally. They are usually very strict, larger than life, dedicated, funny, hardworking and highly disciplined. In addition, 99% of the time, they have zero tolerance for sloppiness, laziness and unprofessional people. These traits help us give our best, turning us into perfectionists yielding huge successes. Personally, these traits have spawned a high level of discipline in all aspects of my life. I discovered I am more disciplined than my counterparts that are not in my field. I am even sometimes referred to, jokingly as “Military Woman” but above all, having discipline and balance works. Opera singers give their all and expect perfection in return when they charge you with a task.
Did you study drama to enable you express yourself better while performing on stage?
I’ve studied drama since childhood as I have always had an interest in acting. The knowledge and the art of drama artistry in the conservatory helped a lot. Of course, I also think it is a natural instinct for opera singers to be dramatic but even if you don’t study drama, you can still be a fantastic actor on stage. While growing up, just before I turned 15, I had read most of the books in my mother’s library written by literary icons like Shakespeare, Wole Soyinka, China Achebe, George Orwell and others. While reading them, I would be transported to their world and play out the scenes in my head. That was my first drama study from home.
Can you mention a few of the high caliber people you have performed for so far?
Presidents Bush and Obama, the United States Congress men and women, Presidents and Ambassadors from all over the world, baseball legend Hank Aaron, the Mayors, CNN founder, Ted Turner, the Prime Minister and First Lady of Bahamas, United State senators, General Olusegun Obasanjo, BET President Debra Lee, Madam Ellen Sirleaf, Jerry Rawlings, Prince Michael of Kent, Ace comedian and actor, Chris Tucker, the Princess of Saudi Arabia, Princess Basmah Bint Saud to name a few. I actually almost sang at President Trump’s inauguration but the Inaugural committee wrote me saying they’d consider me for future White House events and that the artistes’ roster was full. Looking back now, am I glad that deal didn’t go through!
Many people already have a preconceived mindset that classical music is complex, it is for the elites and it is intense. With these thoughts, you have already blocked out all the benefits. With classical music, you have to allow yourself be immersed. Soak it in, listen intently and learn to savour the experience. It may require some patience but it is totally worth it.