Sexy singer and actress, Ashionye is back and guess what she told Samod Biobaku?



I’m not exposing my baby to the media yetSinger/actress Ashionye

By Samod Biobaku

Sixthsense34@yahoo.com

In 2010, Mitchel Ugboh Raccah popularly known as Ashionye had a baby and since then, the gorgeous and incredibly congenial actress cum singer had been off the radar for a while.

Interestingly, May 2011 will mark her son’s first birthday and it might come a surprise to Ashionye’s fans to know that the actress cum singer isn’t in a hurry to expose her baby to the media.

In this interview, Ashionye revealed how she’s been coping with being a good wife, a better mother as well as sustaining her passion for the arts.

The singer also shed light on some controversies that have surrounded her son’s pictures, the facts about what transpired and how the episode got blown out of proportion.

Like an exotic four-wheel drive with countless striking parts, Ashionye clearly possesses glaring endowments that have continued to keep her relevant in Nigeria’s ever-evolving entertainment and showbiz industry.

Her warm smile, bubbly countenance, undying passion for music and her unassuming nature have earned her a permanent place in the heart of thousands of fans within and outside the country.

So much has been said and written about various spheres of her life but like a relentless tornado, Ashionye has continued to keep her head up and grow from strength to strength despite the odds.

The fact that she is married to Raccah is perhaps, no longer news but we all recall that prior to her marriage to Raccah, Ashionye always expressed her preference for having her intimate life under wraps. In fact, sometimes, when the pressure from the media appeared to gathering the temperature of a furnace, she would bare her mind on how she perceived the media’s interest into her intimate life as she once said when asked about her man, “Hmmm, I’m not going to go there. I’m sick and tired of the press talking about my relationship and my man in the papers. 2008 was my year courtesy the press. I’m not doing that anymore. All you should know is that I have a man. I’m not single and I’m not searching.”

Today, all that has changed as Ashionye does not only flaunt a wedding ring but was recently (precisely June 9, 2010) delivered of a baby boy at a Lagos hospital, thus, silencing her critics and those who have always kept a close tab on the intimate part of her career for so long. Their marriage on August 29, 2009 was a low key wedding that involved only family members and very close friends of the couple. All that is history today as Ashionye has continued to sail deep into the sea of possibilities that her immense talents and appetite for musical greatness have opened up for her.

Ashionye might be enjoying her fair share of being a celebrity but this was not the case when her career kicked off, especially while trying to make her father understand that her passion for music was a genuine calling. “Initially, my dad had a problem with it because I was in school when I started singing. I studied Mass Communication and I majored in Broadcasting. I was at Cool FM at a time. When I started, my dad didn’t buy the idea. He was against it. Everyone else was in support; even my step-mum and my siblings were in support but after I invited my dad to a concert; because at that time, I was in girl group and it was really worth it because after the show, my dad called me and said: ‘I give you my blessing…’ Now he understands what I do and is in total support. He even does free PR for me. He has my pictures in his office and has become very fond of me and what I do. Without being asked, he is always eager to say so much about me and that really makes me proud of him.”

In case you’re one of those pondering over how Ashionye handles her male fans, she easily lets the cat out of the bag when she says, “I just smile and say ‘thank you’ and it’s always enough because I know when to draw the line.”

Ashionye’s son

He’s our son and he looks like his father and me as well. His name is Ashioma Anthony Raccah. His father actually chose the name, Ashioma.

There was a story in the media that you deliberately kept your baby away from the media and even refused to have pictures of him taken. Was this true? We even heard you asked people should pay before taking his pictures…

Yes it was but I never asked people to pay. That was a press mistake or the mistake of whoever circulated that. All I said was that I was not exposing my son to the media just yet. I made it very clear at the time that he was too young and the truth of the matter is that he is still too young. He’ll be one years old in two months from now and ‘maybe;’ just ‘maybe,’ I might just invite the press.

You’ve apparently added weight and looking beautiful…

That’s what having a baby does to your baby. Towards the end of my pregnancy, I became a size 12 and now I’m a size 10. I think I’m progressing. I was a regular size 10 before I got pregnant so it wasn’t so bad.

Are you enjoying your present physique?

I wouldn’t say enjoying. I would like to be in a better tone. I would like to be better toned than this. It’s a gradually process. It took almost a year to get here and I believe it would take time to get back to my previous form.

You’re almost through with the critical stages of nursing; what’s new in terms of your career?

I’m almost done with my album. I’ve been working on songs on the album and also working with new producers like TY Mix. A new single is coming out. It was produced by TY Mix. As for the acting career, I have a break at the moment and I’m really taking my time with it.

It would surprise you to know that you’re one of those who groomed Mo’cheddah to become who she is today. How does this make you feel?

Mo’Cheddah is like a younger sister to me. She is my younger sister and I know she looks up to me a whole lot and she still does. I would say I’m honoured that I was a part of her success at the early stage by brining her on board ‘Girl Power.’ She still calls me till date and I’m happy that she has made it big at such a young age.

What’s happening to ‘Girl Power?’ Has it been rested?

It’s not rested We’re working towards brining another ‘Girl Power’ tour so you just have to be on a look out for that.

Ashionye’s TV programme

I haven’t shot any movie. I’m working on a TV programme and it’s still very much in the works right now. You’ll have to look out for that as well. I’m working on it with my husband.

How has life been generally?

Life has been amazing; being a mother and being a wife is different from being single and I’m loving every moment of it.

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