Sixty-nine year-old
Nigerian grandmother appeared in two music videos in Beyoncé's highly anticipated
"Black Is King" album, which premiered on Disney+ on Friday.
Mojisola
Odegbami did not anticipate that a trip to the United States would land her a
part in a visual album by one of the most popular music artists in the world –
Beyoncé.
The album is
based on the singer's soundtrack album, "The Lion King: The Gift,"
which was created for the 2019 remake of the original Disney film "The
Lion King."
In a video,
speaking about the release of the album, Beyoncé said the goal of the project
is to show that "black is regal and rich in history, in purpose and in
lineage."
Multiple
African artists including Nigeria's Yemi Alade, Ghana's Shatta Wale and
Cameroon's Salatiel also appeared in the almost 90-minute album.
Odegbami
appeared in "Bigger" taking on the role of an African queen, and in
"Mood 4 Eva" where she was dressed in African attire, including a
gele, a traditional head wrap commonly worn in West and Southern Africa.
She told CNN
that her journey to being cast began with a medical trip to California in July
2019, where she met Folajomi "FJ" Akinmurele, a young actor. "I
was staying with my daughter's friend, and this friend of hers has a 7-year-old
son. The son, FJ, is the main character in "Black Is King," Odegbami
explained.
"Each
time he needed to go for practice, I was the one who drove him there cause his
mum would have gone to work. At that point, Beyoncé's staff got to know me as
grandma Moji," she added.
Participating
in 'Black Is King'
Even though
Beyoncé's staff knew Odegbami, she did not get invited to cast in the album
until her daughter's friend took a leap and signed her up with the talent
agency responsible for choosing characters for the album.
"I was
out shopping one day and she called me, and asked that I come home immediately.
I was scared, you know. She said "Grandma, it's very important I need you
to please come back home," she said.
When Odegbami
got home that afternoon, she said her daughter's friend confessed to signing
her up for a part on the album.
"That
was how I found myself on the way to L.A .that same day for a part in the
album. I initially didn't want to go but she kept begging me, so I
agreed," she said.
After a
two-hour drive to the set of "Black Is King," in Los Angeles, she was
ushered in by Beyoncé's staff and given instructions on scenarios to act.
She was
tested with fun parts to play like receiving a baby, holding it, and putting a
mark on the baby's forehead. "I was just having fun, you know. Everything
was going on smoothly, playing those parts I was asked to," she said.
Right after
acting out the scenarios, Odegbami said everything happened fast. She was told
she would be featuring in the album and meeting Beyoncé.
Cameras and
phones were not allowed on set so she did not get photos of her with the
Grammy-winning singer, she said.
Odegbami also
was required to sign a nondisclosure agreement, preventing her from revealing
details of the video shoot to the public until after the album was released.
"They
dressed me up, did my makeup, and chose outfits for me. And then they showed me
where to stand on set waiting for Beyoncé," she explained.
The team was
able to guess her size correctly from photos and videos her daughter's friend
had sent to them, she said.
In a scene in
the "Mood 4 Eva" video featuring Jay Z, Childish Gambino, and Malian
singer Oumou Sangaré, Odegbami was seated directly at Beyoncé's back, dressed
in a colorful pink dress with a cape.
She also wore
dark shades, and purple gloves matching her extravagant gele.
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