I left my songs to help Soul E — Queen Ure

 

Queen Ure

Her name is Ure Okezie but she is popularly referred to as Queen Ure. A former banker, she talks about her career and her dissolved marriage to hip hop artiste, Soul E

You have been involved in many vocations including banking, preaching, music and coaching. Where exactly is your focus?

I am a natural scientist. A scientist is basically inquisitive. I always want to find out things, experiment, theorise and come out with some thesis.  My best subject as a student in primary and secondary school was mathematics.  I have never done anything that I don’t enjoy and I believe that life is in stages. Banking is fantastic and the corporate world has taught me to be very goal oriented.

Can you be described as a jack of all trades and master of none?

God has endowed me with a lot of talents. I train and build minds with my coaching skill. The pastoral ministry is all about reaching out and impacting lives and there are various means through which we reach out.  It could be through the pulpit, music or books. It only becomes a religious thing when you talk about ministry in terms of pulpit.  I may be a jack of all trades as you say but I am equally a master of all.

At what point in your life did you realise that you were gifted?

I discovered my talents from childhood, but of all the different talents, music is one thing that has always been with me.  Even as a banker, I always sang during our end-of-year parties.  I have been writing songs from childhood but nothing came out of them because I never recorded them.  I have always known I would do music in a huge capacity but I just did not know when. When the time came, I made up my mind not to let the talent waste.   I just dived headlong into music because anything worth doing is worth doing well. It is not too good for one to have lovely songs that would make an impact in the industry, and then just let the talent to lie fallow.  Music comes to me naturally; I don’t have to think before writing a song because as things happen, songs come. I am still writing songs even as we speak.

How would you describe your kind of music?

I am a great and good singer; I don’t limit myself to a particular style and name of music.  When I am happy, I sing a happy song, when I am sad, I sing a sad song.    Whichever way the inspiration comes, I just flow with it.

Where do you really belong, gospel or secular music genre?

I am a secular artiste. I don’t want to tag myself a gospel artiste because that is not what I am. I can sing anything.

What is your porpori music all about?

Porpori is just an expression of thrill. When you are excited at the thought of something or somebody, you can say, ‘my body dey do me porpori.’  It means when I see you, I am excited.

Why didn’t you feature any major artiste but chose to work with only up and coming artistes?

 It is intentional. I want people to feel me first.

What is your typical reaction when people criticise you?

The truth is that those people who say negative things don’t know who I am.   I can’t blame them because they are probably repeating stories fabricated by other people.  I cannot be hostile to someone who is talking out of ignorance. I love to be happy and in order to achieve that, I have to detach myself from the opinion of people.  I know how to identify what I want to do, focus on it and do it well. People will come around eventually.

You established a church, Love Villa, which you later closed down. What happened to the members?

 They went to other churches, which is fine by me.  Church is about people, it is not a building.  I am not a religious person; I am quite spiritual.  I have impacted lives during the period God gave me and what I put in them will stay forever.  I ministered in the church for about three and a half years and I believe that was the way God wanted it. God can use one to do a particular thing at a particular time. One doesn’t necessarily have to do that for the rest of one’s life.

Was that why you went back to the Household of God church?

I went back to Pastor Chris Okotie-led church because that was my church before I started my ministry.   I mean, I wouldn’t go to another church after my pastoral work.  Why would I do that? The church is like a home to me, most of the people are my friends, my sisters and brothers, so it is only natural that I should return there.

Your ex, Soul E, is a musician, how much impact did he have on your music?

 I left my songs to help Soul E with his music when we met. That period of working with him gave me the opportunity to understand the industry and the market.  It gave me the opportunity to be prepared.

Do you want to remarry?

There is no woman who does not want to marry.  If a woman says she doesn’t want to marry, it is because she does not believe that she can find a good man. We all want to marry. I do want to remarry, why not?

Is there a man at the moment?

There is none.

Is it that you don’t fare well in relationships, or the fault is from the men involved?

I am sure even married people have problems sometimes.  There is nothing unique about me having relationships that did not work.  I don’t break my head over them.  It does not make me sit down and start wondering what I did wrong. I believe that God is the giver of all things and in His time, He will make all things perfect.

Don’t you feel sad that you are yet to marry at this age?

I have not said I would not want to be married but, truth is, happiness is a feeling of the mind.   I’m happy as I am now; I’m having the best life ever and if I ever get married, I would still have the best life. My happiness is not dependent on anybody.

After the experience with Soul E, will you still date a man that is much younger than you?

My relationship with Soul E ended like any other relationship. Relationships end and people move on. That was what happened to us and it is not the end of my life. I am not one who closes up herself to life. Whether the person is older or younger, if he is mature and I feel comfortable, I would go ahead and date him.

What is the secret of your good looks?

 I eat well. I also exercise and generally take care of my body.

What does style mean to you?

Style is what makes me feel comfortable. It is also what mirrors my state of mind. I dress the way I feel. Also, because I am in the corporate world, my style has been greatly influenced by my profession.