I flew Dana Air Plane a Few Days Before it Crashed – Misiano, Singer/Air Hostess

Singer Misiano tells ’NONYE BEN-NWANKWO how she combines music, fashion designing and a full-time job as an air hostess. She also opens up on her close shave with death earlier this year.

Mixing fashion with music
I am an artiste and a fashion designer. I run my outfit from my home. That way, it is easier for me to monitor my tailors. Music has been my passion right from childhood. A few structures here and there make it easy for me. And then there is also purpose. Basically, I am interested in impacting on other people’s lives. That is the vision God gave me. That is what is pushing me into gospel music. The same goal drives me when it comes to fashion. I want to see people look good.

How I became an air hostess
I used to sing for a music band at the Sheraton Hotel (Lagos). We used to play highlife, jazz and blues and sing different songs. The directors of the airline I work for now often lodged in the hotel at that time. They used to sit at the lobby beside where my band performed and they used to take our pictures. One day, they just called me during break time. They said I should come and see my picture on their laptop. They introduced themselves to me and said they came to Nigeria to start an airline. I told them I was searching for a job and that was it. Funny enough, I never saw them again. One of them gave me his card. I tried his phone numbers many times but none of them connected. But three months later, somebody from the airline invited me for an interview. That was how I got the job. I wasn’t earning much money from singing, but I enjoyed what I was doing. I had so much passion for music.

Hazards of the job
God has a way of doing things. I understand that God brought me into this industry and He will take care of me. I travelled to Akwa Ibom some time ago in a plane belonging to Dana Air because the airline I work for does not fly to Uyo. Later,  I learnt that the aircraft that brought us back to Lagos was the same one that crashed a few days later. But I have never been afraid since I started flying. We are used to turbulent flights and we understand that these are not the things that necessarily bring a plane down. As an air hostess, I don’t have to be afraid. Accidents do occur everywhere. They are not restricted to the air alone. For me, when there is turbulence, we try to be calm as much as possible. It is how we are that the passengers will be. I have had close shaves with death, too; but God has proved Himself. I fear no evil and He hasn’t given me the spirit of fear.

My music career
I have recorded a few songs, but I have not collected them in an album yet. I have enough to make an album, but I think the wise thing to do is to shoot a video first. I have finished shooting the video of one of my songs, Jehova na Baba. The song is a message to the people that there is time for everybody to shine. No matter what challenge you are facing, it will always pass. I want people to be aware of my music. I don’t think I should bring out an album when nobody has really heard about me. It will not go far. I have studied the industry and I have realised  that it is wiser to do a video and release it.

Why I focus on Christian gospel music
Gospel music is a calling. God called me out of the world. When I was in the world, I was a total wreck. My life was upside down. I am singing gospel music to project what God has done for me. I dropped out of school and my life was bad. But just as soon as I gave myself to Christ, He turned my life around. Since then, I have never looked back. I fell into the wrong relationships and I got dealt with. I will keep preaching this gospel no matter what happens. I have experienced life as an unbeliever and I have come to know that it will lead anybody nowhere. Anything that you do and you don’t have security in Christ, that thing will fail you in a matter of time. There is nothing about secular music that I don’t know. I was once a dancer. I used to win a lot of competitions. When it comes to swag and things like that, I have done all those things and I got tired of them. Now, we are doing things to glorify God. I still dance but my dance is David’s dance. I have my boundaries any way. There are so many ills going on in the society. People need role models to look up to. The young ones are getting influenced by all manner of people.

My kind of songs
Everybody has their abilities. I have fresh songs and I have all manner of songs. I grew up listening to secular songs. I still listen to some R and B songs. I am soaked in such songs. My music is a combination of many genres. Music is exploding. People are no longer limited to one style. We have to reach out to everybody.

Marriage
I am married with children. I married my producer and we work closely. He is my music instructor, my coach and my friend.

Growing up
My parents lived well. I went to good schools. I thank God for my parents, they gave me a good education. I attended the Enugu State University of Science and Technology and studied political science.  But life was rough when I was growing up as a teenager. My parents didn’t take it easy with me. My father never found it funny. I thank God for their strictness. Today, it has paid off. I had some crazy friends who could have led me astray. I have a message for young people. They should not follow the crowd hook, line and sinker. There will be a time that your friends will not be around, but what they influenced you to become will live with you forever. I used to go to nightclubs at a very young age. Can you imagine me at 18, at a night party? I will break down if I find that my child is doing that kind of thing. I used to attend parties a lot without the knowledge of my parents. I wouldn’t have dared in their presence. I had all manner of friends who were pushing me to doing such kinds of things. I loved dancing and I danced very well. We used to travel from our school in Enugu to Abia State University and other schools. Can you imagine? My classmate died doing that kind of thing. My life was just crazy. I didn’t like church before; there was nothing to pull me there. Today, I am running the race. A lot of girls have lost focus because of the kind of life they lived when they were growing up. Today, I can look back and thank God that I didn’t go down the drain and get flushed. I was able to come back to Him.

Future ambition
I want to touch so many lives. I want to make somebody becomes what he or she wants to be. I don’t want to see talents waste. I don’t want to see people idle. It pains me. If I can affect one person’s life and that person is able to reach the peak of his life, I will go to my grave happy. I want to be an instrument of change.

Culled from PUNCH