Behold, The Music Queen: 'I am the Only Artiste to Sing for Obama'

By Al-Amin Ciroma

Published in LEAERSHIP, August 08,09

Aishat has been in the music industry for decades. Recalling age-old memories of her school days, the Bauchi State-born artiste said, "Music is my life. I love to compose songs. I started by writting poems, because they portray ones’ innermost feelings. Poems or songs are means of communciation and information dissemination, as well as tools for entertainment and enlightenment."
The music queen is also a reality TV documentary producer. Shedding light on the subject, she said a documentary incorporates interviews with the people involved in a subject and an actual footage of what is relevant to the society. She said her vision is to realise her dreams and the best way to do that, the bold and courageous lyricist opened up, is via a broad category of visual expression that is based on the attempt of a ‘documentary’ reality. "Although, documentary film’, originally referred to movies shot on film stock, it has subsequently expanded to include video and digital productions that could be either direct-to-video or made for a television series."
Asked how she goes about the two aspects, Aishat said that one should define his goals and work hard to actualise his or her dreams. "Documentary production and music are two different things, but they also go hand-in-hand. Music is my hubby, I am a born artiste and I equally developed a flair for producing documentaries, which is more or less a cinematic tradition that showcases individual talents. Both have a clear boundary. If I am on location producing documentaries, even though there are different entities of documentaries, I will basically insist on personality profiles and societal re-orientation."
A lot of up-comming artistes are now on the floor, and asked what her plans are to survive in the world of competition, Queen stated that art is nature’s gift. According to her, there is no basis for competition. "I don’t compose songs to seek for roles in movies. My music is basically on political awareness and human interest angles. Even though I am not the only one doing that, but I can assure you, that, if you believe in yourself, the Almighty Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala will equally lift you up. I don’t look at other people’s work. I concentrate on mine. If by chance we meet, we shake hands, otherwise, everybody is on his own," she said.
Looking at role music plays in the political arena, the ever-courageous artiste opined that politics is all about advocacy. With music, she emphasised, a politician will be able to convey his plans to his teeming audience. "Music travels far and near, a true political train will not prosper without singing its gospel. So, music helps a great deal in political campaigns. It is also an avenue to remind leaders of their primary obligations and what they owe their subjects, she said."
Queen Aishat boasted that, so far, she is the only artiste in the North to sing for the first black president of the United States of America, Barack Obama. "Following the trends of US democracy, I found out that Obama is a great man, so I joined millions of people around the world in expressing delight and happiness. I composed a song in Hausa for Obama, and I can assure my audience that my music is currently being played at the White House, where I recieved a lot of commendation."
How did she do it? "It’s simple! I have told you earlier that one needs to identify his or her goals and map out strategies for achieving his dreams. My brother works with the Voice Of America (VOA), Hausa service; he is Ibrahim Alfa Ahmed. He is the pillar of my success. He first aired the music on the first 100 days of Obama in office, and thereafter submitted it through the appropriate channels."
The award- winning singer feels proud to have her works scale through the office of the world’s most powerful leader. "When I heard my songs aired on the Voice of America, I felt great. I look forward to meeting Obama one on one."
While wishing Aishat the best in her career, we wait to see pictures of her with Barack Obama at White House!