Praise Olorunseyi: On education, talent shows

GCGT talent show opened my eyes to many things I didn’t even know -Praise Olorunseyi

Praise Olorunseyi is an 18-year-old talented singer who discovered she could sing when she was barely eight years old. She planned to inspire people after she is done with her education but a chance occurrence saw her achieving some of her set goals after she won the Gods’ Children Great Talent competition organised by the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, Apapa Family, in the fifth season. An undergraduate of the University of Lagos, Praise is currently working with music maestro, Cobhams Asuquo, to promote her newly released single, One Thing, a song she composed after her performance at the Season Five of the talent show.  In this chat with MUTIAT ALLI, Praise takes us through her journey into music, her goals and what inspires her.

Enjoy…

Kindly introduce yourself.

My name is Praise Olorunseyi. I am 18 years old and the winner of Gods’ Children Great Talent, Season 5. I am from Ondo State, from a family of four children of which I am the last. I currently school in the University of Lagos and I am studying Industrial Relations and Personnel Management.

Before you took part in the GCGT competition, what has always been your aspirations in life?

I have always wanted to be a very influential person and impact people positively through music. It was a design by God for me to participate in the talent show because it helped me to achieve some of my set goals.

At what age did you discover your love for music?

When I was about eight years old I was singing in the junior church choir. Before then, I was always rehearsing with my brothers and sisters. They were my music directors. From there, I continued with my love for singing.

In the course of the competition, what was your experience and what will you say made the most impression on you?

I learnt that God gave us the talents and we should always use it to His glory. We should not allow pride to have dominion over our lives because if we allow pride to control us, we will fall by the way side and may never achieve our goals. Pride goes before a fall. We should take heed lest we fall.

After winning Season five of the competition, what has been your experience?

It has been a wonderful experience and I have met so many people that have impacted my life positively. GCGT also gave me a scholarship to SPAN, an academic establishment for talent development. With their support, I have been well groomed and have gone for ministrations in churches. I have performed at Excel, City of David, among others. I have also met and worked with Cobhams and TY Bello who did my photo shoot. It has been a wonderful experience because Cobhams helped me to work on my single, which was launched at the grand finale of Season 6 this year. It has been a wonderful experience.

Tell us about your new single. What has been the reception so far?

It has been good so far but we are still working towards its promotion.

What has been your experience working with Cobhams?

It has been a very wonderful experience. He is such an inspiration and he is like a father with the way he corrects you and brings out the best in you. He is such a wonderful person, someone everyone would like to meet and work with because you will learn a lot. He is very inspiring.

Are your parents and siblings comfortable with you pursuing this career?

At first, I was not supposed to come for the competition because I had to face my studies and I had examinations. But as fate will have it, I escorted a friend who wanted to participate in the competition. I auditioned and got short-listed and eventually won. They have been able to come around because, one, they are happy I am not singing secular music and I intend to remain in the gospel genre of music and minister to people with my music.

For other young people like you with such talents, what is your advice on grooming their talent?

Just continue to pursue your dreams, believe in yourself and in whatever you do, always put God first. Always remember, don’t forget the child of who you are. Some people go into the music industry and forget where they are coming from. So, I say, always put God first and be decent in everything you are doing.

Now that your status has changed to that of celebrity, have your friends been treating you differently or have you been treating them differently?

It has been the same. I am still who I am and even better because now I try as much as possible to be conscious of my behaviour and to ensure I am not proud in any way. People who I greet normally without bending my knees, I make sure I bend my knees now when greeting them so they don’t have any cause to say something negative about me. I am very conscious of my relationship with people and I am still my humble self.

Where do you see yourself in another 10 years?

I see myself being a motivation to people and a big star in the kingdom of God, impacting people and touching lives through music.

How important is education to you? Do you think one must get an education before pursuing a career in music?

To me, my education is paramount because education will help the talent grow even more. Remember, you will have to interact with people as you go along and people will address you and want to relate with you based on the level of education you have acquired and I feel you may not go as far as you want to if you are not educated. For me, education is key. When my exams clash with my performances, I always study and go for my exams because school is very important to me. Even when I have very important lectures to attend and I am called for a ministration, most times, I do not go because I need that education to be able to move far in life. My academics come first.

Why do you think a church should be involved in a talent show?

The church should be involved because first and foremost, God is the giver of talents so we should always use our talents to glorify Him.

What can you say about the GCGT talent show?

The organisation of the show is very good. It is a great platform for upcoming talents and it opened my eyes to so many things I didn’t even know. It also opens doors of opportunity for the young talents. I do not think there is anything to be changed as they continue to improve every year. Season 6 is even better than Season 5 and I believe Season 7 will be better than Season 6.

How do you spend your leisure periods?

I am not really a social person. But in my free time, I watch movies, I read and sleep.

What kind of books do you read?

I read inspirational and motivational books.