Music diva, Caroline Alfred is sure relishing her popularity and the successes trailing her songs. Brimming with air of confidence and energy, the debonair artist who breezed into the newsroom of National Network on Friday accompanied by her hobby, Pastor Alfred Akuchukwu, announced the release of her new singles, ‘I Do’.
The brilliant pretty lawyer-turned musician, described the song as delightfully soulful, and that her work would serve as not just a tonic for marital crisis, but confidence booster for intending couples.
The singer, famed for switching genres in music, added that the song was inspired by the happenings in society.
“You know, every day we hear cases of divorce, domestic violence and all the things that make people scared of marriage.
“Marriage is beautiful because it is ordained by God. So, people should be deliberate about getting married. That’s why in the song, you’ll hear a phrase like ‘I’ve seen many people say I do but never did their best to stay through. Some just get married and not knowing what to do.
“Some actually know what to do but they are not doing it. So, it’s a song that addresses the ills in marriages”, explained the Relationship exponent who supports her hobby as co-pastor at Distinction Ministries, Port Harcourt.
Caroline, currently on tour of some big-leagued churches in Port Harcourt, said she is building her brand to stand out, and would leverage on the tours to minister to her targeted audiences.
“The central message is that it goes beyond the words ‘I do’ to see that you really do. In other words, it doesn’t matter what you say in the altar, oh I do, I do, you have to show that you can do those things you say you can do. It takes extra miles to do them. It takes tolerance, patience, forgiveness, forbearance and all the positive virtues to stay through in in marriage and to be an example.
Asked what’s her perception of the music industry in Port Harcourt, the singer said the city is blessed with array of stars who are in dare need of sponsorship.
“When I talk of sponsorship, I mean financial sponsorship. We need money and opportunities to showcase our own. We need finance and we also need platform to showcase what we have.
“You know, when big events happen in the state, the government and sponsors tend to go outside to bring artists. But it’s good to pick from within. They say charity begins at home. I’m not saying they shouldn’t invite artists from the outside, but they should use the home grown and augment with artists outside. They should not forget the ones here. What you are looking for outside is right here”, she said, adding that the future is very great for artists in the state.
Who is her role model in the industry?
“Basically, I do not have one person as someone I look up to in music. It is because I do every genre of music. I do reggae, R&B, hip pop, highlife and I also do traditional. I can’t point out one person.
“But for every song I do, there are people I look up to. Of course, I also celebrate singers in Rivers State, like my sister, Mercy Chinwo. I love what she is doing. There are lots of other people I look up to. For reggae music, I look at Shevel Franklyn. She is not a Nigerian but when it comes to reggae, she is my idol”, she says.
The songster also shared her views on the place of Ikwerre in traditional gospel songs.
“It’s a wake up call for Ikwerre to take the center stage in traditional gospel music. If we have a brand called ‘Ariaria songs’, I don’t see why we won’t have an Ikwerre version of that. It should be a global brand because our people are scattered all over the world”, she says.
What’s the future going to be?
“I look towards a great future. Even at this beginning, I can see the hand of God in my life and ministry. On the ground, I have been around for a while. But coming up for the world to see, I have not really been long, yet see how far I have gone. So, I believe that in two, three years’ time, my songs will be songs that people will see not just in Rivers State but in the whole of Nigeria and the world at large. So, that’s how bright I know my future is. Now I am coming up for the world to see”.
