Harvey lit up the room anywhere she appeared. Growing up in
a family where music was virtually the only bright spot in a
tripartite existence that revolved round home, school and
church, it did not come as much surprise that she chose to be
a singer, songwriter and performer.
According to a source, if it was to give vent to a childhood
social denial, available indices indicated that Goldie was
making a resounding success of her career choice. If it was to
prove to her hitherto unbending dad that her sometimes-
rebellious streak as a teen was just a quest for her true
essence, she has equally succeeded.
And everybody must
indeed be very proud of this young lady because less than five
years into her musical odyssey, the crown of Nigeria’s pop
diva now nestle snugly on her golden name.
Indeed, in the case of talent and passion, the apple does not
fall too far away from the tree. Goldie was born in 1983 to
very educated and successful parents – her mum, late Mrs.
Olabisi Betty from the illustrious Olaiya family in Ijebu, Ogun
State was a former managing director in a bank, while her
dad, a native of Ikole-Ekiti, Ekiti State, also retired as a
director in a new generation bank. He is now into full time
clerical works in Lagos. The first of four kids, Goldie’s
education began at the Green Springs Montessori Primary
School and then St. John’s College, Palm Grove, Lagos where
Christian Religious Knowledge, she said, was her favourite
subject because she didn’t have to study too hard to pass it.
In fact, by the age of 10, she already knew so many bible
verses that belied her age.
According to the late singer, “My childhood was very
interesting, but regimented. My dad was a leader in church
and very active too while my mum used to lead the choir. So,
as their first child, I took very active roles in all church
activities – drama, choir, bible classes and so on. Church was
the only social life we had. On Mondays, we went for bible
classes; Wednesdays were for prayer meetings and then one
Friday in a month, we went for vigil. I never had toys or
friends because my father thought they would lead me
astray.” Thus, her mum was her closest friend. However, the
bond that held mother and daughter together snapped
irretrievably in 1994.
Losing her mum was devastating for the 31-year old. Goldie
described her mum as a woman of high intellectual and moral
values. “She was the first to have a scholarship in her family.
She was an avid reader and had a lot of certificates and
degrees.” Every night, when every other person had gone to
bed, Goldie and her mum would stay up chitchatting and
watching television. She was the only friend Goldie had. But
she died too soon after a long-drawn battle with cancer,
leaving behind four kids. “It was a traumatic experience for me
especially, because it was like losing my only friend and
confidant. I cried bitterly and even up till now, over a decade
later, the pain of her demise has not left me.” Goldie was
however consoled by the equivalent replacement that she had
described as God-sent. A movie buff and avid reader, when
Goldie was not in the comfort of her home, she was making
good music at the Kennis Music Studio. Though a nocturnal
person, you can hardly find Goldie at Nightclubs because she
believes in channelling such hours into creative engagements.
Her Music…
Since her emergence onto the pop culture radar few years ago,
Goldie cut large swaths through the fields of musical
accomplishments; exemplifying a special conception of
musical heroine who can say or show anything while
providing a view of the bold, confrontational and liberated
woman. Colourful and cerebral, Goldie’s musical strength and
depth, sensuality and serenity have appropriated her as the
high water mark that other female singers have to live up to.
Adding to the fact that the multiple awards-winning singer
had created a smouldering, public persona that borders on the
eccentric and eclectic, otherwise creative and precise, but
engaging enough to keep you talking about her. Despite the
mixed reactions to her musical style and outré outlook, Goldie
fitted perfectly into the role of Nigeria’s most consistent
female performer of the moment.
A prodigious kid with a strong flair for the arts and everything
creative, Goldie drew sketches of anything that caught her
fancy, while growing up but whenever her dad saw her
drawing, he would tear it, asking rather erroneously how
many people have achieved outstanding success in arts. This
however did not deter the blithely ambitious young lady from
wanting to give vent to her dreams because like the cliché
goes, music expresses that, which cannot be put into words
and cannot remain silent. Goldie had found music through the
prism of divas like Celine Dion, Mariah Carey and Toni
Braxton. And even at that age, she was already learning the
style and nuances of pop; even emulating Braxton’s style of
keeping her side burns oiled.
At that time too, it had become pretty obvious that Goldie
was an embryonic diva. According to her, “I’d been flirting
with music all my life. I don’t remember exactly how old but I
was incredibly young when I knew that I’d go into some form
of entertainment. Everybody who knew me back then knew
that I could sing because I was always singing in school or
church; I’ve always had that artistic flair.” So, when she got
to the UK where she had been admitted to study Business
Management at the University of Sunderland, she and a
couple of friends formed an informal group which performed
for friends and family. The group even did a couple of demos,
which never really made it out.
Interestingly, Goldie’s return to Nigeria in the mid-2000s did
not quite signal an immediate take-off for her career. Rather,
she concentrated on building her date-reminder services
business. In the course of this, she needed to do a jingle and
was introduced to Mani of Cool FM who bowled her over with
his production aplomb. They talked about music and what
they’d like to achieve. The young lady evinced unadulterated
passion and determination, which prompted Mani to introduce
her to industry players. Then, she met renowned producer,
OJB Jezreel who would produce her first single, Komole. This
was followed by three other singles Spin Me, Nothing has
Changed, and Shift, which all formed part of her compilation
CD.
Since then, there has been no stopping her. Through the
turbulence, drudgery and seeming imperviousness of the
music industry, Goldie held her own, talent for talent, and
creativity for creativity. After a tentative management deal in
2009, Goldie was signed on to Nigeria’s foremost music label,
Kennis Music in 2010.
A few months later, she released her debut album, Gold, which
given Nigerians’ apathy towards pop music, had and is still
being a critical success. The album exudes the audacity and
flamboyance of Goldie, and had spewed a couple of
provocative, smart, and infectious videos. ‘You Know It’,
‘JawoJawo’ and ‘DTMB (Don’t Touch My Body).’ The three
songs are now certified street anthems with increasing
followership. “For me, the clothing, the props, and the creative
direction must be properly coordinated because I want my
fans to have very specific imagery in their head when they’re
listening to the music and watching the accompanying video.”
The late diva had said at the time.
Continuing, she said, “Entertainment as a whole has gone
visual. The best way to sell yourself and your music is to
make a video… I will say for the record though, that I love
shooting music videos, that’s one of the highlights of being in
my profession; I like bringing my fantasies to life. A good
music video is just one of the many ways to do this.” Little
wonder, the video for ‘You Know it’ won the best female video
at the 2010 Sound City Music Video Awards and also picked
the award for best use of costume at the Nigerian Music
Video Awards; while DTMB picked up best Afro Pop video at
the 2011 Nmva’s.
Big Brother…
Taking a break from her musical career, Goldie took a bold
step to venture into the last season of the biggest TV show in
Africa, Big Brother Africa. She arrived looking her usual
signature defined self which led her to be nicknamed the ‘Lady
Gaga’ of Nigeria’. Her first week in the house found her on the
rather unusually quiet side for her kind of character. She later
regained composure and found bearing. But then that led to
the revelation of her soft spot much to the amazement of her
hometown base, Nigerians. She cried a lot for anything and
everything. Some viewers found it adorable and sweet, other
annoying.
Her housemates however found it dramatic and a tactic and
her conspiracy scheme to gain pity from her viewers to vote
her to stay in. Fights, yelling and malice weren’t far from
what she exhibited. Indeed her real self. Amidst the drama she
had to keep and put up with, Goldie however found love in
such as hopeless a place as the BBA house. Jackson “Prezzo”
Makini of Kenya became her one true love and they both
formed a bond, despite snide behaviour and remarks that
would eventually continue outside the BBA house. She was
her happiest at that moment of her life and proudly portrayed
him wherever she went following the aftermath of the show in
which she became the final celebrity to exit the BBA7 star
game house in 2012 as the 3rd runner up.
…And the Sad News
At 11pm Thursday 14, 2013, tweets had started to circulate
about Goldie’s death. Following the source,
Lindaikeji.blogspot.com who had the exclusive news, claimed
she was called by Derenle Edun who happens to be Goldie’s
best and closest friend, revealing that Goldie had died in his
arms at the hospital. By the following morning a press
statement by her Management and Record Label, Kennis
Music, was issued confirming what we feared and hoped was
but a rumour- her death which apparently happened shortly
after her arrival from the US.
“On behalf of Kennis Music, I’m sad to officially confirm the
shocking and untimely passage of Nigeria’s pop star, Goldie
Harvey. With a deep sense of loss, we announce the shocking
death of our darling music star, Goldie Harvey.
Goldie died on Thursday after she complained of a severe
headache at her Park View residence shortly after her arrival
from the United States where she went to witness the
Grammy Award. She was rushed to her official hospital,
Reddington, Victoria Island, Lagos, where doctors pronounced
her dead on arrival.
We consider this period a gloomy moment for us and the
entire Nigerian music industry in view of the circumstance
Goldie passed away, the abundance of talent she has
exhibited in her but eventful music career and the various
opportunities her trip to the United States of America would
have availed her. Her father, step-mother, brothers and sisters
survive her. We deeply sympathise with her family and fans
all over the world and very grateful to all and sundry,
especially, the vibrant Nigerian media for their concern and
prompt reportage. We shall keep everybody informed as
events unfold as we are still devastated by the sudden loss.”
Accolades/Praises for Goldie
Goldie was not just a name but a brand that had since carved
a niche for herself as a leading African Female pop Diva.
Goldie had in the past year grabbed a total of ten (10
awards) including Exquisite Lady of the year (ELOY) Best
Female Artiste award and City People Best Female Artiste of
the year. She was also inducted as a Federal Celebrity Special
Marshal alongside other notable Nigerian Celebrities. The Law
Students Society of the Obafemi Awolowo University (O.A.U)
recently issued her an Award for Musical Excellence under the
category of Best Female Artiste of the Year. She had also
been conferred a United Nations Youth Ambassador for Peace
by the Federal Government.
