Gospel singer, Gloria Doyle, back in the
days, made more name because of her
outrageous dress style than her music.
She explains to ‘Nonye Ben-Nwankwo
why she chose that style.
You are now marketing a hotel; have you
left your music career?
No. I have not left it. A friend of mine
runs the hotel and I only help out to
market it. We are trying to create
awareness.
Now that you are into hospitality
business, is it not taking your time?
If I tell you that it is not taking my time, I
would be lying. It is taking my time but I
am enjoying it. I will still go back to the
studios. My fans are saying that they need
something from me.
But you released an album last year?
Oh yes I did. I launched the album last
year but a lot of people didn’t buy the
idea of me doing tungba. It is a kind of
juju music. They couldn’t reconcile my hip
hop gospel with tungba.
So the tungba didn’t do well in the
market?
We didn’t even put it in the market at all.
It was just for my fans and family.
So are you forgetting it entirely?
Not really. In the next two or three years,
if I am still in this country, I will put all
the stuff I have done together and maybe
make a compilation of them all.
What do you mean by if you are still in
the country; do you have plans of leaving?
My kids are not here. They are in the US.
My son is graduating soon as a medical
doctor. They are doing very well. I will
soon go over there, especially during his
graduation.
You talk as if you are going to settle in
the US eventually…
I would love to settle down there with my
kids eventually. I want to be with them. I
have not seen them for up to 10 years.
Are you saying you have been away from
your kids for 10 years?
I have just seen them once.
If you eventually leave Nigeria for the US,
some might think you left this country
because your career wasn’t successful…
I wouldn’t think so. It is just that I want
to give my time to my kids. I could always
go to the studio in the US and record. It
wouldn’t really affect the reunion.
How come you weren’t there for your
kids when they might have needed you
the most?
I was there for them. I call them everyday
on the phone. I was guiding them and
telling them the directions to follow. They
would always call me any time they
needed advice and we were always on
Skype. I just wanted the best for my kids
where they would utilise the talents they
have.
Are they with their father?
They are partially with their father. My
first son is on his own.
With this planned reunion, probably, you
would go back to your ex…
No way. I don’t think it is possible. He is
already married over there and he has his
family.
There was a time your outrageous
dressing stood you out. Is that chapter
closed?
I am almost a grandmother. I am now a
minister who ministers in churches. I now
tell people that I have been there before.
I am more mature now. Then, I think of
my kids too. I need to put them into
consideration as well.
Back then, you didn’t care at all, you
didn’t consider these stuffs you are
mentioning now.
I no even ‘send anybody’ even at the
moment. It is just that I am more mature
now.
How come you never acted?
Actually, I was auditioned last month. I
was in the movie industry a long time
ago. I did quite a number of movies
before I left the industry because of
sexual harassment. It was terrible. Some
people felt I left because I couldn’t act.
But that was a lie. I did some very good
movies. Producers would tell me they
would want to star me in a particular
movie but I should come to a hotel first. I
felt these were people I ordinarily
wouldn’t have anything to do with them if
not because of entertainment. They were
now calling the shots and because you
were desperate to become a star, you
would give in. But I couldn’t do that. If
you know your worth, you would
definitely scale through. However, I
invested my time writing movies. I am not
a desperate person. I have the face. I was
able to make my name. But I didn’t get to
this level out of desperation. My greatest
concern now and which has made me
proud are my kids.
Do we see you getting married again,
ever?
I am going to be a grandmother soon.
Honestly, I was discussing this with
somebody the other day. The person was
telling me that I need to get married. My
family tells me that I need to get married.
Everybody is telling me that I need to get
married. If you get me a husband, I will
get married. I am not going husband-
hunting. Some people carry it like a
placard ‘I am looking for husband’ written
on it. But that is not me. I am not
desperate. I don’t want to do things out
of desperation. If husband will come, he
will come. For now, it is not my priority.
But we learnt you were getting married to
a younger lover last year, didn’t it work
out?
It was a lie. It was a joke that spread like
a wild fire. I don’t know where they saw
the picture of me and the young man.
Are you saying you have not had any offer
of marriage since?
If I say that, I would be lying. I always
consider my kids. They are Igbo, since
their father is an Igbo man. I remember
there was a picture I posted on Facebook
some time ago; I was with a friend of
mine in that picture. My daughter read
the story about me getting married to a
younger lover. She sent me a mail asking
me if I was really getting married. With
the way she asked it, she obviously meant
it could never be true that I was getting
married.
But would it have been a bad idea?
I want my children to come of age. I want
them to be on their own and to be able to
take care of themselves. People get
married and you find out that the
children they had in their previous
marriage would be a problem in the
current marriage. It might even get to a
stage the woman would be asked to
choose between her children and
husband. I can’t subject my children to
that. My being single is still for a
purpose. It is a sacrifice I took because of
my children. It is not easy to be a single
mother. When you have been married
before and you find yourself taking sole
responsibility of your kids’ welfare, it is
not an easy thing.
What really happened to your marriage?
I got married at the age of 19. I was very
young. I faced tribal problems. Then
again, my husband was really older than
me. I needed a friend. It is usually a
problem when you don’t get married to
your friend. If you just marry a husband,
you will not enjoy the marriage. You play,
quarrel, make-up, gist and have fun with
your friend. But with a husband, it is
usually not so. You would be meant to kill
a goat or fowl to appease him when he
feels you insulted him. He will call a
family meeting for you. In all, when I look
at my kids, I don’t regret my marriage.
Some might say you were wild and that
was what made your marriage not to
work…
I am not wild. I have never been wild. It
was just that my dressing was wild. Oh
yes, I agree, I could wear anything. I
looked up to Toni Braxton. Anything she
wore, no matter how outrageous, I
wanted to wear it.
Looking back now, do you regret dressing
those ways?
No. I don’t regret it. But I bring my
pictures and I show the young girls of
these days and I tell them I have been
through this stuff they are doing now. I
tell them that I did it then because of
showbiz and not as they are doing it now
to attract men and sell their bodies.
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