How Hard
Working Was SUSAN HARVEY a.k.a Goldie?
a personal Testimony from Mr Samuel Olatunji C.E.O
BIGSAM MEDIA
COURTESY OF NAIJA PALS |
It was a hot,
Sunday afternoon when the BBM request beeped on my phone. I was totally engaged
with the English Premiership football match showing on my TV.
Not in the mood for any chit-chat. Checking out the identity of the sender
showed me a ‘Goldie Harvey’ and my
first impulse was I was face-to-face with another impersonator trying to take
the place of one of Nigeria’s many hardworking
entertainment celebrities. My curiosity got the better of me and I confirmed
the request consciously granting the ‘impostor’ some measure of access into my
life.I figured he\she will delete the connection in due course like others
usually do. As at then, Goldie and I had never actually met in the true sense
of the word. We weren’t friends. Neither were we enemies. We had bumped into
one another a couple of times at events and that was it. Nevertheless, I was
still surprised as to how the ‘impostor’ got my PIN.
Still caught in
the reverie of the football match, my phone buzzed few minutes later and it
was celebrated comedian, Gbenga Adeyinka. He wanted to introduce Goldie to me
(like I didn’t know her) and informed me of her desire to work with my PR firm,
Bigsam Media. He it was who had passed my PIN to her. Goldie herself requested
my number and later called.
God, that voice on
the phone! It wasn’t sweet or golden but plain…. and heavy laden with sadness.
‘I’m tired,’ she said to me like we had known for years. ‘I’ve worked with many
people, spent a lot of money but not gotten much in return’.
She wanted to work
with us as she had heard so much about us and was hoping we would stand out
from the myriad of half-baked, briefcase PR firms(experts) running rings around
entertainers and promising celebrities a dinner date in the White House ‘if
only you can spend good money.’
I listened calmly
and gave her an appointment at Sheraton Hotels, Ikeja but for some reasons I
showed up three hours late. She was understandably angry and was on the verge
on leaving when I breezed in and apologized. We fixed another date to meet and finalize
details on how we could work together regarding her blossoming brand. Sadly, I
never made the appointment. Way before our meeting, Bobby Taylor and Gbenga
Bada, fellow journalist friends had tried all they could to get me to interview
and feature Goldie on my page
while I was still in the employment of The Sun Newspapers. I just played an
unwilling horse all through.
Looking back now,
I realized that like many others, I didn’t take her serious at all. Many people
had dismissed Goldie from the very beginning of her career, contending she was
all beauty and no talent. Peeps were quick to condemn her art or lack of it.
Check the popular blogs and see the deluge of negative comments that follow any
post on Goldie and you’ll get a feel of what I mean.
Despite the
‘pull-her-down’ at all costs syndrome, Goldie kept pushing the envelope,
working and living her life. If she cared about what people said about her, she
didn’t show it. They would lambast her for wearing a particular dress and
Goldie would defiantly wear something similar next time. They said she was
everywhere, strutting the red carpets like a pepper seller but she was
undeterred. Goldie was living her life by her rules and not by what ‘almighty’
commentators said. As if she knew she won’t be here for a long time.
I was told a popular producer had told her to go sell her Benz ML before he would sign her on and produce her song. *smh* And that was after months of keeping her waiting. She didn’t relent but decided to take her destiny in her own hands and thus embarked on a journey from one radio station to another, buying stuffs for the OAPs for her songs to get airplay.
I was told a popular producer had told her to go sell her Benz ML before he would sign her on and produce her song. *smh* And that was after months of keeping her waiting. She didn’t relent but decided to take her destiny in her own hands and thus embarked on a journey from one radio station to another, buying stuffs for the OAPs for her songs to get airplay.
Goldie eventually
teamed up with Kennis Music, thankfully, Keke Ogungbe signed her on.
Upon hearing news
of her death, I called Denrele, Baba Keke, KSB but their numbers were switched
off. I called Funke Akindele to get across to Denrele’s friend hoping to hear
that the rumour wasn’t true. She already
did, and was close to tears on phone. A newspaper editor told me Goldie’s
step-mum already confirmed it. After speaking with Linda Ikeji who broke the
news, I still chose to doubt it.
I saw a tweet that
Goldie was scheduled to perform at a certain Princeton Hotel in Ikeja and I
dashed out to search for the location in spite of loud protestations from my
wife that it was past 1am. She must definitely be at Princeton performing and
would be willing to dispel the wicked ‘rumor’ doing the rounds about her
passing.
Sadly, all my
efforts proved abortive. Goldie wasn’t there. She was gone. Gone to be with the
saints.
What was I looking
for in the dead of night? What,what,what? All I wanted was just one more chance
to make up for my folly of dismissing her and not taking her seriously.
Suddenly, wonderful and innovative ideas on how to enhance ‘Brand Goldie’ are
popping up in my brain. I want to work with her
We won’t always
have people around. Why can’t we celebrate men and women while we have them? Bickering, pull-him-down, dismissal and
nonchalant attitudes because we hold the ace should stop. We won’t always
have all the time we want with people we love and life is too short to harbor
hate. My heart went out to people whose bluff I have called and those I’m not
treating right at present. What if I don’t see them again? Dear Lord, I need to
make up for past follies. I’m sorry I didn’t take some people seriously. I need
to make some calls and mend fences right away.
Another lesson
from Goldie’s demise: live your life. Goldie didn’t allow others write her
script for her. She gave life her best. One single after the other, (and talking about singles this particular one will forever be a classic) appearances
at several red carpet events, Big Brother Africa, upcoming reality show
etc Goldie didn’t slow down. She gave life her all like she knew she won’t live
up to thirty. We all don’t have the promise to live till 80, if you drop dead
today, can you confidently say you gave life your best?
Like the rest of
us Goldie wasn’t perfect but didn’t deserve the way some people tried to pull
her down. She was hustling on the grind of life, trying to make a name for
herself like the rest of us. She wasn’t perfect just like the rest of us with
many skeletons in our cupboards. Yet, some people were busy moving from one
blog to another knocking her hustle. Now, that she’s gone are you happy?
Goldie, continue
to rest in peace. We all owe death but so
sad that he showed up too early at your doorstep.
May God comfort
your parents, siblings, hubby and loved ones
————————-
Samuel
Olatunji is a foremost
entertainment journalist; now CEO of Bigsam Media and Editor-in-Chief of
Icampus Newspaper and the website: www.ientertainmentng.com.
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