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Women of African Origin in Music Ministry is a group that seeks to provide support and mentorship for female gospel artists of African descent. President of the group and gospel artiste, Isabella Ogo-Uzodike is a UK based minister of the gospel whom God gave the passion to start the organisation. In this interview, she told DAYO EMMANUEL the reason for the organisation, her personal ministry and how she gets her inspiration.
Excerpts:
How did you come about music ministry?
I had always loved music but I didn’t plan to go into it professionally. Music was something I loved, but not as something I wanted to go into as a career, so I didn’t plan it. It is a calling. The Lord spoke into my heart and He started giving me songs upon songs. I got born again in 1996, in 1997, He spoke into my heart about ministry, getting into ministry and I joined a Church when we moved into the UK. I joined a church and became part of the worship team and I later became the worship leader. I really began digging deeper into the word and the Lord trained me in that way, so it wasn’t what I planned. You know some people would tell you, how they planned it when they were children, for me, it wasn’t like that. God spoke to me.
Tell us about your albums?
My first album was released in 2009 titled Lost Without You, then following that was another one titled, My Tory Don Change, which was actually my first attempt in African gospel and it really was received very well. Another one was called Heaven’s Anthem, which was my third album; a collection of contemporary worship songs, then another one, called Hala, which is shout really. It has an afro beat kind of beat, praise song, worship songs, collection of different songs and after Hala, it was All That I Am, which is a contemporary worship, then after that, another one, which is my latest album; You Are My Passion, which has contemporary worship songs. They are all on itunes, anyone you are looking, for just type ‘Isabela’ and any of the titles, you would get them on Amazon, itunes and all other music stores. I also have a website Isabelamelody.com, I am on most of the social media channels. How is your marketing like?
My marketing have been online and physical marketing. I live in the UK, it has been itunes, amazon and all the music stores, and also physically. I go about with them. I minister in songs and in words, I have a team, we are in the middle of distributing in Nigeria. It is work in progress.
How is the Nigerian church warming up to your music?
The Church is the Church whether in Nigeria or elsewhere. I write songs and people identify with the songs in terms of how it received. I try to stay away from series of testimonies, if the songs are from the Lord there are bound to be so many testimonies. When a song is a song from the Lord, it will lift hearts and it will bring a lot of testimonies, that has been my experience.
How do you get inspiration?
I prefer to say I’m a song receiver from the throne room of heaven. That is the way it is. I write songs. That is one of the strong gifts that is most evident in my life. In whatever condition, there are always songs being downloaded into my spirit. It is not something I struggle with. I write the songs as inspired by the Holy Spirit. How do you compare gospel artistes here in Nigeria and those in Europe where you reside? It depends on what you mean when you ask how do I compare. The truth is, the Spirit of God is one, there are people that have written songs in the USA, in Malaysia or in the hinterland of Africa, there are so many anointed ministers, song writers, so we do have them America and everywhere. It is not so much in comparison, there are many in Nigeria, there are many in the UK, there are many in America. If the Spirit of God is in that song, it will resonate because deep calleth unto the deep. For me, it is not about the location, geographical location, it is not about comparison. It is whoever caries the Spirit of God; they write anointed songs and sing anointed songs.
You minister in songs and in words, how do you combine the two?
Yes I am a pastor. The word is the word, whether you write it, you say it, you speak it, or you sing it. It is the same. Some people are given different mode of expression, it is the same whether I’ m saying it or I‘m singing it. I am also an author. It is different forms of expression.
You do different things, how did you train to do all these?
Like I said, when I moved into the UK and I joined a Church, the Lord spoke into my heart in 1997 and I didn’t really get to release my first album until 2009, about 12 years after. There is a period of training and a period of grounding in the word. In that period, I had to serve in Church, in my own local community and for me I am a kind of person that like to develop myself. It is not all about Spirit Spirit thing, you have to develop yourself. Sharpen your skills and horn your skills. So I do go to a lot of workshops and I do submit myself to mentorship. There are lots of people I go to for mentoring, those I learn from.
Briefly tell us about WOAOMM
The spirit of WAOMM is the spirit of collaboration, the spirit of support. At WAOMM it is more than music, but being one in the spirit, encouraging each other, bringing the best from each other. It is a community of Christ lovers coming together to lift up the name of the Lord.
Who are your role models in the industry?
I am very careful with that word ‘role model.’ I learn from a lot of people. I don’t use the word ‘role model’ because it is dangerous to put people on a pedestal. We are human beings and when you put people on the pedestal you put an
unrealistic expectation on them and when they make mistake, it is something else. I try to move away from there, so I learn from a lot of people, be it a ten year old, a 15 year old, I learn from a lot of people, even an 80 year old. When I meet people, I tell myself, what can I learn from this person, there are people in the music ministry or the music industry for 60 years, there are those that have been there for just three months, I learn from both. People I really learn from are people I can talk to, people I can reach and ask questions from, people I can relate with. There is what to pick from everyone and that is the truth.
