of Authenticity, Versatility, Genuine Artistry
25-year-old Anu Agosa, better known as Purp, recently emerged winner of Nigerian Idol Season 10. The finale which aired live saw Purp engage in a keen contest with fellow finalist Raymu in a battle that tested vocal range, stage presence, and connection with fans. Basking in the euphoria of her emergence, Purp paid a courtesy visit to Rite Foods Limited, during which she was interviewed by some newshounds. She expressed appreciation to the company’s flagship brand, Bigi, for its continuous sponsorship of the hit reality music show. Poised to be one of Nigeria’s next big music exports, Purp shares a compelling story of her journey into music, reflects on her artistry, and recalled some of her moments on the show, and more. Ferdinand Ekechukwu brings the excerpts
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ust yesterday you were still hoping, today, 24 hours later, you are a winner, N30 million, a brand-new SUV, a music deal, and other prizes, how do you feel?
I will start with how I felt yesterday (laughing). I woke up hopeful because I didn’t know what it was going to turn out to be. I hoped for the best, but I was nervous, I was terrified. But above all I think I just wanted to enjoy the show and just trust on that… eventually and when it did, I couldn’t believe it. I wanted to cry, I just thank God. I was very emotional yesterday. So sleeping and waking up this morning it feels surreal I wouldn’t even lie. But above all I am grateful for this whole experience. It’s overwhelming, I feel like after the next few days the realisation would dawn on me over what just happened. That’s where I am now.
As the latest Nigerian Idol winner, more like the current face of the show, what’s your impression of the competition now that you are representing at least for the next one year, having brought you this far?
Well, Nigerian Idol is a huge platform. And I think… let me digress a little. One of the mistakes that some of us creatives make is to get familiar with the name and then we overlooked the fact that it’s a huge platform that puts you out in the world because you don’t know the people that are watching, you don’t know the people that are listening, you don’t know the people that are looking for a certain somebody and then they see you. So being the face of Nigeria Idol for the next one year is a big deal. I don’t have the words, I’m never going to lie, I don’t know what to expect. But I’m optimistic of the future, I’m optimistic of what this is going to bring for me, of what this is going to build for me as a person. And I’m also optimistic of the opportunities that it is going to give other young creatives over this next one year. Because it’s not just about me now it’s also about the people that put me here. It’s also about the younger generation that I would be inspiring or I have been inspiring or will be inspiring in the next one year. So, yeah I am grateful, I am honoured, and I am humbled to see myself as that person that people would say ‘oh that’s a good example and she’s a woman. She didn’t do this she didn’t do that. You know she started off like this and now look at her she could do it so’. It would be inspiring for me to hear or see a young lady tell me that. All my life I have only been told I can only be a nurse, I can only be this. Yes because growing up when I told my parents I wanted to be an actor right from primary school, a lot of people had contrary opinion. They were against it that you are a woman you cannot do it… A woman cannot make it in the industry unless she does some unethical things. But I thank God that my parents were able to motivate me and they supported me and they just nudged me towards that line and they instead instilled values in me. And said you want to do this you will do this but will be different. So, I hope to inspire any young lady, young boy, and the younger generation that you can actually achieve your dreams as a creative. As a creative you can do what you love, you can survive from it and you can also inspire other people.
Can you tell us how your journey into music started?
Music has always been part of my life right from childhood. I grew up in Lagos; I was born in Lagos, Ebute Meta to be precise. Foursquare Gospel Church…my mum was the head of the choir at the time… So every child would come and then would run songs. I didn’t know that I could sing at that point. I was just joining them flowing along until we moved to Abuja. And then when I was like 5-6 thereabout, and then I continued singing in the choir with children, teenagers, adults. When I knew I could sing was when they started telling me to hold the mic and sing. So it started out like that for me and then getting into the university, getting to work with people that knew more, I was more interested. I studied Theatre Arts in school – Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU). So, for me it was me finding the beautiful blend of music, and theatre. And it was a beautiful experience for me and I cannot change it… I love theatre die! I love it. OAU just opened my eyes to seeing a bigger picture of it. So, now I get to express myself through music and I get to express myself through the theatre, through the arts in general. And then leaving school, I moved from Abuja to Lagos in 2021 still pursuing acting but also doing music. Then I joined (a group) in 2022 and ever since then it’s just been that way; we sing together, we go for gigs, we create music together. And it has just been upwards. I’ve just had to learn, unlearn, and get better and get like more professional in my artistry in general and that has led me to here. Coming to the show and just driving in I was still shy because I didn’t know the world I was entering into but I knew that it was going to expose me to how it is, like how the music of the industry is outside. So, I came in, still shy and nervous because I had to be judged by three people in front of me. But having to meet people, watch other people, I was able to learn ‘oh I shouldn’t do this, I should do this better’.
You just made mention of the things you learnt on the show, can you tell us more about that, coming from a place of experience (background), what new things did you acquire?
Okay starting with the performance, I learnt about, I mean coming from theatre I understand how the stage works, how to use your stage, how to communicate with audience. But in this light, I had to think about film, not just stage. I had to think about cameras, I had to think about how to communicate with the people at home, not just live. I also had to learn to adjust to the mic, to the in-ears. I also had to learn on the spot how to speak. I’m pretty reserved. So I had to learn through the shows. That was why we had a lot of conversations to be honest. I had to have conversations, I had to learn how to speak, I had to learn how to listen, I had to learn how to brand myself; branding especially not just on social media but in personality, in style, I had to learn all that as the show evolved.
What legacies do you hope to set, especially with regards to the last few years a lot has been expected from Idol winners but nothing much has been seen or heard from them? In your case you are now like the first female in the last five years and there’s a lot of responsibility and expectation that you will be different hoping to not disappoint us?
So, I am a creative; I sing, I act, I dance. I’m a performer basically. I started out from theatre. So, and I’m still doing theatre. So, I think what’s going to make me different from the others is, I’m not just going to stop now and feel like ‘oh this is it for me, I have won it, it’s the end’ no. There’s so much more work to do. I’m going to fully go into my music artistry, music career, release songs, and I just don’t want to release songs that would be just dance. I love storytelling even as an actor. So, every time I’m given the opportunity to perform I want a story told. I want to be able to be relatable to the audience. I want them to be able to see themselves in me one way or the other. I want them to be able to listen to my songs and feel and think and also reflect you know. So, I’m going to go towards the line of storytelling, whatever it is I want to talk about, talking about love with storytelling, creative writing and relativity. And I’m a believer! It’s just that I didn’t get the chance to sing a gospel song through the show. So, even if I were to write a gospel song, it’s not going to be like the regular gospel songs, it’s going to be storytelling, like talking about God but in a creative style that it’s only those who can take some time to think that will see that ‘oh this is the story that we are talking about’. So I’m going to go within that line; storytelling for my theatre performances, storytelling for my shows, for my music. The legacy I want to leave behind basically would be authenticity, versatility, genuine artistry. Basically just telling my life story and reaching out to people that can relate with my story.
Who would you say is your greatest entertainment influence generally or has continued to influence you?
Oh I have a lot…I would say Anita Baker, Anita Wilson. But in Nigeria I would say Asa 100 percent. I grew up listening to Asa, she got me.
What should your fans expect from you moving forward?
Expect work, work and more work. I’m going to put out songs; I’m going to put out my single, my EP, all of that. Just expect an artistic explosion moving forward!
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