Weird Look is the unique and different thing you find in me - Miz Gold

Temitope Greenaway Gold, popularly known as Miz Gold, is not only making waves in the Nigerian
entertainment industry, but is also widely accepted in Ghanaian music industry. Gold, a talented singer, songs writer, model and dancer, is the only female dancehall artiste in Nigeria. The Oyo State born singer, in this interview with SEYI SOKOYA, speaks on why she shuttles between Nigeria and Ghana, her music career and fashion preferences. Excerpts:

How I came about the name Miz Gold.
My name is actually Gold. The name Goldie was already there when I wanted to come out officially and I wanted to come out with a different concept. I don’t want people to feel I was trying to copy her or hide under her shadow.

That was how I arrived at Miz Gold. I can’t go with Miss because I can’t be addressed as Mrs Gold when I get married. Actually, the Miz is the funky part of my name. I am a Yoruba girl, some people laugh whenever I tell them my name is Gold. The Yoruba translation is Wura and I am cool with it.

Distinctive thing I have brought into the industry.
Professionally, I am a dancehall artiste and the only dancehall artiste in Nigeria. It is not everybody that does dancehall because it is not an easy genre of music to deal with. One has to be really dedicated and be determined to make headway in it and that is why I am different. I decided to stick with dancehall because I wanted to be different.

I am also into fashion. I always initiate unusual styles. I don’t always stick to a permanent style; when I discovered that people have started following it, I changed my direction to come out with something new and unique all the time. Despite the fact that some people might not like it, I believe some people might appreciate it and that is why I am different; no one can ever be like me and I am not trying to me like any other person.

The misconception that I am a Ghanaian.
Earlier in my career when I started, I went to Ghana for holidays, but later realised that due to my genre of music which is dancehall, it was trendier in Ghana and I was welcomed with an open hand. Ever since, I have been shuttling between Nigeria and Ghana and at a point the Ghanaian, especially my esteemed fans wanted me to stay in Ghana, but the truth is that I am a Nigerian.

I can’t run away from my home country, so I represent the two countries and do my things the way I can. For instance, my new Azonto track which is making waves in the industry now has a lot of Ghanaian language in it. I featured a Ghanaian artiste and I don’t have any problem with it. I am representing Nigerian and Ghanaian entertainment industry.

Why I wear a weird look.
I am totally a different person. If you look at the industry, hardly would you find anyone that looks like me. No one looks like me and that is a statement on its own. You may see me on Gold statement today and tomorrow I may decide to wear red or purple. I don’t have a permanent style.

No artiste will want to take that risk because they don’t want to offend anyone, but the truth of it is that we are into the industry to entertain our fans and that is what I am here to do. I want them to always experience new things about me. That is the unique and different thing you find in me and will not find in any other person. No other female artistes will want to risk that.

Songs I have to my credit.
I have several songs to my credit. At present, I have my album ready; it has 16 tracks on it and will be released on the 28th of this month, September, both in Nigeria and Ghana.

Why Ghanaians are so curious to have Miz Gold.
It is simply because they have not seen a Nigerian that has come to their own country to share so much love as well as embrace their culture. Even though I am not a Ghanaian, they really appreciate me may be because I pay more attention to them; most importantly, for me to have the boldness to have made an impact in their country.

You will agree with me that it is not easy to make it in another man’s country, especially in the West Africa. They really appreciate all my efforts in impacting in the country positively. Aside my music, the charity and a host of other developments have given me more acceptance.

Challenges of the industry.
Do I face any challenge? The fact remains that I like to melt with my environment. I don’t have a dull moment. I don’t find it difficult to adapt with the environment I found myself. I don’t form whenever I am on the street. I love to go with my low shoes and what have you. I go gangster on the street.

Why I changed my painted hair from gold to pink.
I am still Miz Gold. Changing my look has nothing to do with my stage name. That was why I said I am unpredictable. You cannot address me as Miz Pink because of my new painted hair. Initially, I was wearing a painted gold hair, but I have cut my hair and painted it pink because I want to have a style and set a trend.

I had to change my gold style when I discovered that a lot of people are familiar with it. I took red and it was also the same, now, I am on pink and after a while I will change it to another thing. It is not that I am a chameleon. My choices of colours will never change me from my real person. All you see are just costumes, but whom I am will never change. Mind you, I don’t do anything without consulting my fans.

I put whatever I am about doing on the social media and once I get feedbacks I go ahead with it. Same thing appeals to my nails. I have a signature nails; I am also going to change the style when I see people following the trend. But after a while, I will stick to my normal self. why I still do all these is because I am still pretty young; there would be a stage in my life that I won’t be able to do this anymore. So, I will do it now while it last and have fun with it.

How I have been able to combine all my talents.
It is all entertainment as a singer, song writer, model and a former dancer. It is not that hard when you have the passion for what you do, especially in entertainment to the extent that you really want to go to the extreme to please your fans; you won’t find any stress in whatever you are doing.

I am comfortable in everything. My sojourn into modelling some years back, obviously I am not tall (Laughs...) the modelling part was not like the branded one that I am like every other tall models on run way and especially in Nigeria the first they check when you present yourself as a model is your height. Sometimes, when I go for auditioning they won’t even see me among the crowd.

The modelling aspect was okay for me at that point, but this time I want to carry it along with singing talent, represent brands and more of photography modelling which now I believe I am going to be very much appreciated because I am an artiste. I am always conscious of my fashion statement. I carry them along with me to stages and red carpet.

Growing up.
I was born in military home. My dad was a military man and I am the last and the baby of my family. Everyone’s eyes were on me. My mum knew very early that I was going to be an entertainer due to my personality, she had the premonition that if am not an actress I would become a singer or a footballer.

It is not very easy for some of us in Africa to accept a young chap to go into the industry back then. Now, the parents are beginning to understand more, but then, especially a female, the worry was very more; they were scared that a girl, who is an artiste would become a prostitute. But when they eventually discovered that was what I really wanted to do, they had to give me the opportunity to explore my talents.

Definition of style.
Fashion is fun, crazy, happiness and confident. You cannot have a fashion trend without being confident in yourself and being able to stand any critic or subdue confrontation on your way. I also have lots of stubbornness in me to make my fashion statements stand, so that they begin to like those things they do not like about you. But you need to have that confidence and strength to carry it before people start admiring it.

Description of self.
I will describe myself as unique and weird. I also love being a humanitarian because I love kids and doing charity. I love humans. I love giving those that do not have. It has become part of me to always listen to those that have problems because life in general actually inspires my music.

My choice of accessories.
Every human being must keep his hair good. As for me, I love to keep my hair stylish, funky and fun.

Beauty regimen.
A good sleep will help, so you don’t have swollen eyes. Smile a lot too, even though you have so many problems. Smile all the time and try to be natural. Though I am carrying a pink hair, but try and be natural. (Laughs...)

Favourite designers.
I love Miu Miu, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and a host others, but I am trying to embrace Nigerian fashion at present. If you watch my new video, Diva, you will see more of African costumes. I am trying to bring in African fashion together to make it stylish for the young people to wear to clubs and any occasion. It is high time we started embracing the African outfits. That is the next thing I am working on, especially with my clothing line.

Favourite colour.
Gold isn’t my favourite colour. It is my name. My favourite colour is pink, like every other girl out there.

Fashion items I cannot do without.
It is clothes. I don’t wear make-up when I am at home, but I can’t do without clothes. No one can do without clothes and that remains the only fashion items no one can do without, not just Miz Gold, anyone, including you.

Fashion items I cannot be caught dead wearing.
Foods; when you are into fashion you would know a whole lot of things. People wear food you don’t know. Katy Perry wears those things, such as candies, bananas and others fruits you can think off. I am sorry Miz Gold cannot do that.

Most expensive item in my wardrobe.
I am a shoe freak because I have hundreds of them. The only single thing that is priceless is me. I am the most expensive item.

My take on provocative dressing.
I don’t really know what you mean by provocative dressing. To me, it depends on where you are wearing it to. That is my own opinion on that. It is not ideal to wear a provocative outfit to a wrong place like church or mosque I would say you should wear it at the right place and at the right time.

I am an entertainer and I don’t do it where I am not supposed to do it. The stage is my world. I go crazy to show my fans my real self. So, sometimes I wear those outfit because those are the ways to entertain them; the kind of audience determines the kind of outfit I go for. You should know when you should wear what.

My greatest physical asset.
My face, isn’t it beautiful? The special thing about it is because it is beautiful. I love the way I look. I also love every other part of my body, but without my face being the way it is, every other part of my body is not going to make sense.

How I handle my male admirers.
If you are a female and no man admires you, then you need to go back to your village to check what has gone wrong. I love the fact that male fans admire me as a female. It makes me appreciate myself even more and I thank God for creating me the way I am.