Pulse interview with Adesua Susu Etomi-Wellington

In this Pulse Interview, I spoke with the captivating Susu who told me about her journey into music and her debut project 'Sue Me' with which she offers another creative piece of herself to the world.

Susu is a star by every stretch of the imagination. When she sat opposite me spotting a vibrant smile while her skin competed with the studio lightening, I have to admit that I was a little star-struck. I mentally recall her image in Banky W's 'Made For You' music video and in the Blockbuster 'The Wedding Party', and she embodied the grace and class that makes one of Nigeria's screen goddesses.

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I made a conscious effort to call her Susu as I wished to present her to the audience as an artist separate from the dashing actress they know. Susu is a lot of things. She's an award-winning actress, an entrepreneur, a wife, a mother, and now an artist and it's this aspect that fascinated me.

I sort to know Susu's journey into music and she tells me that she started singing before acting. Like many artists, her earliest interaction with music was through the church where she discover and developed her skills.

"Most people don't know this but I started singing before I started acting. I started singing in the UK from the church."

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Not many know this but Susu briefly worked as an OAP with Hip TV which is a major music and entertainment platform in Nigeria. However, not even while she was working in Hip TV did she think she was going to make music professionally.

"Back in 2012, I came to Nigeria and I met Mr. Ayo Animashahun and that's how I got to work at Hip TV. Actually not in a million years while working at Hip TV did I think I was going to be an artist."

Susu tells me that while she always loved music and nursed a desire to someday do it, she has never been taken by the stardom. She was more captivated by the creative process. While Susu never contemplated exploring the other aspect of her artistic gift, motherhood was the turning point. After the bath of her son, she realized that she would one day tell her son to go for his dreams and it would be hypocritical of her to offer such advice without exploring a wider spectrum of her gifts.

Her decision to give music a shot also came after some encouragement from her award-winning husband Banky W

"At some point in my life, I knew I was going to tell my son to go for it and how much of a hypocrite will I be if I don't go for it."

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After becoming a successful actress, entrepreneur, wife, and mother, Susu eventually choose to explore the other aspect of her talent. She released an EP 'Sue Me' in which she impressively delivered 5 tracks that offer early signs of her ability and influence. I ask her what inspired the choice of the title and Susu tells me there's a duality to the meaning.

"I choose to call the EP 'Sue Me' because I was tired of not doing anything with my gift so in a way, "O ti sun mi" she says pointing out the word-play. "I also knew I was already known as an actress and my decision to finally put out music will generate a lot of different opinions so I was like "Hey sue me" ".

The content of the EP is easily digestible as Susu delivered impressive and comprehensible penmanship conveyed through easy and enjoyable singing that leans heavily towards R&B. I asked her if the content were personal and she tells me they were mostly motivated by personal experiences while also retaining a level of relatability.

"The music is my personal experiences but at the same time, I know they are relatable to others. A song like 'Dodge a Bullet' is personal but I know many people including my friends have moments when they feel like they dodged a bullet."

Susu also tells me that she enjoys singing about her love for her husband and her family. I asked Susu to what extent she was influenced by her husband's music and she tells me it's inevitable not to be influenced by such a heavily talented artist.

"Banky is such a talented artist from his writing to his vocals and I really admire his talent. He co-wrote 'Too Much' and 'Champ's Song"

Whenever she called Banky W's name she paused briefly, looked at the camera, and said "Hey Baby". Susu laughed when I rolled my eyes in reaction.

Banky W and Adesua Banky W and Adesua Mayonikks

Susu is a Christian and I made a joke about how she famously made Banky W fast and pray before their union and this drew a peal of laughter out of her as we briefly chatted about how much she impacted his music. I asked her how much influence her faith has on her music and she tells me she makes a conscious effort to ensure her music remains clean while reflecting her reality.

"I write songs that reflect my reality and that means singing about my love for God, my love for my family, and my husband. I also ensure that my music is clean such that my son can listen to it."

I ask Susu to describe her EP 'Sue Me' in 3 words and she says "True, Happy, and Soothing."

Before we wrap up the interview I asked Susu if she will keep making music should Banky W win the election to represent his constituency in the National Assembly. Her reply was firmly in the affirmative.

"Absolutely! This is one of the things my family talks about. Banky always tells me I have my calling and I have to fulfill it so I'm forever rooting for him and he's forever rooting for me."

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Susu embodies an artistic mindset and a daring spirit. When I ask her if she will describe herself as an R&B artist given that she's heavily influenced by the genre. She tells me she doesn't like being placed in boxes.

Susu has taken the bold step of offering the world another piece of her talent and it's a journey she describes as exciting and one in which she's eager to learn as she goes. With such an infectious personality, courage, desire to learn, and positive mindset, I believe she's in for an exciting journey.