I Want To Be Ghana�s Version of Angelique Kidjo� - Noella Wiyaala

As a little girl growing up in the small village of Funsi in the Upper West Region, Noella�s only dream was that luck will smile on her so that she could get assistance to pursue her music dream. Much as she prayed that her dream would become a reality, Noella did not anticipate that luck would shine on her so soon. Since last year, she has been performing on big stages including the recent Vodafone Ghana Music Awards Nominations launch in Accra. For now, the Make Me Dance singer says there is no turning back in her quest to reach for the highest in her music career. �I am more than convinced that I am the next big thing to happen in the history of Ghanaian music. This may sound like blowing my horn, but I feel it. I know where I started from and where I have reached now and where I want to be in my music career. �It is no child�s play for me at all. I want to be Ghana�s version of Angelique Kidjo� she told Showbiz on the phone last Tuesday from her base in South Africa. But her worry, she noted, is that most people don�t give a chance to young ones in the industry, and there is no inspiration to urge you on unless you are strong headed and know what you want to achieve. �Can you imagine that I didn�t get any nominations at the VGMA last two weeks? I don�t know what those on the board were looking for, but I was more than convinced that I should have been in the Best Collaboration and Best Female Vocalist categories, but I wasn�t listed. �Sometimes, you wonder what these people are looking for in their definition of what Ghanaian music should be, but I have vowed to work harder because it is only through hard work that one can gain recognition,� she said. From a humble beginning in the Upper West Region, Noella said she was turned down at many auditions, and she almost gave up. But her climb to fame started in 2010 when she emerged the second runner up at the Stars of the Future music talent show and subsequent winner of the second edition of Vodafone Icons as a member of Black and Peach group. �After Vodafone Icons when I decided that I wanted to do music on a full time basis, I acknowledged the stiff competition in the industry, but I told myself, � I am not here to add up to the numbers�. I didn�t want people to name me as one of the new artistes on the scene but one who makes a difference with her brand� Apart from her hairstyle which she described as her �magic wand�, Noella who has her way of wowing an audience with her eclectic stage performances told Showbiz that the sight of an audience always gingers her up. �The mere sight of the crowd moves me because at that moment, it is all about me. I free my spirit and give them my all because you know, that may be the first time the person is seeing you perform, so you have to give a good account of yourself. I want you to recognise me not just as a singer, but a performer and an entertainer as well� she stated. Noella sings in Waali, Sisaali, Dagaari and English and is currently working in South Africa for the release of her second album after her debut Tuma in 2010 when she was a student at Takoradi Polytechnic. �There are many great talents in the North, but we receive little attention there. All the goodies are in Accra but sometimes, it is important that we look at the other regions as well, she said.