Ebangha Njang
Ebangha Njang, is a Cameroonian lady living in MD USA and who has fortified the brilliance of a number of prospective elements from her gifted nation of uniquely talented artistes.
She is a woman who is always happy, peaceful and free spirited. Ebangha is in total control and she knows how to reach any passionate goal. Read her interview with kinnaka.blogspot.com below.
KB - Tell us about Ebangha!
Ummm, lemme see. What's interesting about "Ebangha" sef? Well, most people know me as "Ebangha" the person who doesn't give a "F" about anything and is very arrogant and conceited. Instead, I'm actually "Yvonne", very down to earth and considerate I think lol.
KB - Do you think Cameroonian artists lack an international focus as in do they have a myopic view of their consumers?
I think their main focus is more international than local. They wanna gain international recognition more than to recognised locally first, that's how I see it instead.
KB - As a promoter of unity and good music within the Cameroonians music industry, what are your thoughts about the fight between Jovi and Magasco?
Was it even a fight? It was more of a struggle lol because it was one-sided nah. One person was doing all the stunts and the other was silent & mature about it. But in all honesty, I think Jovi had the right to be pissed.
Honestly! He was mad about something Pit Baccardi "said" (which was misconstrued) and he tweeted his thoughts as usual. Then Magasco got into it by supporting his boss (which is normal), but Jovi took offense. I understand Jovi's rage because he believes it was from boss to boss.
And I understand Magasco at the same time. Where Jovi lost my respect was when he went crazy with rants. Very childish, derogatory and condescending lol. It wasn't called for. Not at all!!! But -oh well - place don cold nah... all we need now is more good music from them because those two are talented as hell!!!
KB - Tell us about what you hope to achieve with Kreef in the next 5 years.
Five years is too much. You should've asked in 2 years maybe. We wanna help introduce as many Cameroonian artists to the international scene as possible. Open up studios and discotheques in Douala, Yaounde and Buea, etc. There's a lot Kreef wanna and will achieve and everything is getting in place now. God is Good!
KB - What challenges do you face as a woman in the industry?
Not many, really. Except for the annoying fact that most people in the industry don't want to take you seriously because you're a female. Like you do what the male promoters do and better but there's still some scepticism about your capabilities. It's just the double standards. With time they'll get the gist, I guess.
KB - The young generation of Cameroonian artists does not understand or apply the phrase "Standing on the shoulders of giants", something which Nigerian artistes have realised in such fine details that we now place them on the same level with their mentors. In your opinion, is this part of the contributing factors to the failure of the industry?
First, the industry is not a failure. It's growing! Second, the old school artistes from Cameroon don't even want to be bothered, that's how I see it. Nigerians think very differently from us you know.
A young artist might even wanna contact an older artist/entrepreneur for mentorship or sponsorship but will be shut down, thus making the young artiste just move on and hustle in his own way. All that can slow down an artiste and make him give up on his dreams you know. Somehow it's contributing to the slow progress, not failure.
KB - Who is your mentor
My Dad. That man is everything any child or woman would want as a father or husband respectively. That's my hero.
KB - What common mistakes are made by Cameroonian artistes?
They get too comfortable. Especially when they release a song, their pals share it on social media and Boom TV - or Trace Africa airs it once or twice, then they think they made it. No! There's more to it than that. What next? How do you follow suit? How do you reap profits from your song?
They just stop promoting their songs a week after the release and then let it be. Even Beyoncé or Diddy promote the hell outta their products. Most Cameroonian artists don't know what branding is. Just few of them know what's up, Stanley Enow for example.
KB - As one of Stanley Enow's biggest supporters, do you see a possible collabo between himself and Jovi?
Never.
KB - What is Ebangha's biggest fear in life?
Not making my Dad proud.
KB - When should we expect wedding bells from Ebangha?
You'll be surprised how close it is lol
KB - Tell us a juicy secret.
I'm a low-key rapper lol don't laugh. I'm serious.
KB - What made you update your earlier post today about "bushfallers" not supporting Cameroonian artistes enough and what are your thoughts about the controversy in the comments?
It's been on my mind for a while now but I never thought deeply about it. Last night Gasha released her new hit #Champion which is a big song for African women and women of color worldwide. Then some "promoters" who used to bash her wanna send me e-mails about wanting to meet her and all.
Then as they were ignored, they took to Facebook and Twitter, talking about some Cameroonian artists calling themselves "Kings" & "Queens" and all that. I just went off. As for the comments and all the controversy, it's entertaining. I've actually read worse things about myself on social media so it's ok lol.
KB - A KB reader said I quote "5 million Cameroonians are 'bushfallers'...the artistes need the diaspora to promote their work". In your opinion, can Cameroon artistes make it big without support from the diaspora?
No. I don't think so. An artiste can't make it big with local support only nah. They need people in the diaspora to help with the online promotion, club gigs and giving them more exposure to other people. That's where Kreef comes into the picture lol
KB - Stanley Enow, Magasco or Jovi. Who would you rather ignore, date or marry?
Is that a question? I'll OBVIOUSLY date Stanley, marry Magasco and ignore the rest.
