Tara Fela-Durotoye
Tara Fela-Durotoye (born March 6, 1977) is a Nigerian makeup artist and lawyer. A pioneer in the bridal makeup profession in Nigeria, She launched the first bridal directory in 1999, set up international standard makeup studio, and established the first makeup school in Nigeria.
She is the founder and current CEO of House of Tara Internationthe creator of the Tara Orekelewa Beauty range, Inspired Perfume and the H.I.P Beauty range.
Early life
Tara Fela-Durotoye was born at St. Nicholas Hospital, Lagos, the daughter of Mr John Ejegi Sagay, a commissioner at the Federal Civil Service, Nigeria and Mrs Felicia Omaghomi. The Couple separated when She was eight months old; born into a polygamous home, she was brought up by her father's wife Mrs Modupe Agnes Sagay. She started her education at Command Children School, Victoria Island and proceeded to Nigeria Navy Secondary School, Ojo, where she was a boarder. In form 5, she was made the Sanitary and Welfare Prefect. She graduated from the Lagos State University, with a degree in Law and proceeded to fully establish the beauty Company, House of Tara International.
She is married to Fela Durotoye, a Prolific Business Strategist and Corporate Activator; Chief Executive Officer of Visible Impact and blessed with three sons, Mobolurin, Demilade & Morolaoluwa.
Contributions & Achievements
Over the past 12 years, Mrs Tara Fela-Durotoye has been dedicated to realising her vision of building a globally respected beauty company of African origin.
Tara is the Managing Director and Creative Director of HOUSE OF TARA INTERNATIONAL, a leading player in the make-up sector of Nigeria's beauty industry. The organisation has grown into a franchise enterprise with three main lines of business namely The Make-up Studio, The Makeup School and the TARA product line comprising beauty products and professional make-up kits.
Tara is widely considered as a veteran in the beauty industry, who has pioneered the bridal make up profession in Nigeria, starting her make-up business whilst an undergraduate in theFaculty of Law, Lagos State University.
Tara is a trained and certified make-up artist of Charles Fox, Convent Garden, London. In a series of first, she launched her bridal make-up business in 1998. Thereafter, she launched the first Bridal directory in Nigeria in 1999. In 2000, Tara facilitated the first-ever series of Bridal seminars, drawing for the first time-ever in Nigeria celebrated professionals in the bridal industry to speak to brides.
She has franchise spread across Nigeria (branches in Lagos, Ibadan, Port-Harcourt and Abuja) and with emerging footprint on the West African coastal countries of Cotonou, Ghana andSenegal.
She established the country's first make up school in 2004, and also launched the TARA product line comprising a range of professional tool kits (such as make-up boxes, brushes and purses) for make-up artists and a wide range of make-up products including eye shadows, eye liner, lip gloss, foundation and powders on a brand platform promoting ethics and ethnicity, by empowering young women for economic independence without moral compromise, just as it flies the proudly Nigerian flag.
In 2008, at a record-setting celebration of her tenth anniversary in Lagos, she surprised the nation with the launch of her first perfume fragrance aptly called "Be Inspired".
She is a highly sought after speaker at entrepreneurial platforms including conferences, TV programmes, newspaper and magazine publications and electronic media platforms. She is a favourite speaker at women business conferences, youth empowerment seminars and faith-based gatherings where she speaks on topics ranging from finding your purpose, identifying your talent, building and managing businesses, maintaining a successful career and marriage.
She is also a mentor for make-up artists and small business owners. Through her make-up school, Tara has developed and trained about 300 make-up artists who are now active players in Nigerian beauty industry. She has also succeeded in empowering over 600young ladies (most of who are in the tertiary institutions) with the Tara Orekelewa beauty representatives' initiative that makes them financially independent, improving their self esteem while building their marketing and entrepreneurial skills.
Awards
- Entrepreneur of the Year (The Future Awards)
- Young Person of the Year 2006 (The Future Awards)
- Best Makeup Artist (Fashion and Style magazine)
- Award for Excellence in the Beauty Sector 2006(City People magazine)
- Pioneer Award for Beauty 2006. (Fashion and Style Award)
- Young Entrepreneur of the Year (Lagos Enterprise Award)
- Wedding Planner Honorary award for mentoring other make artists, January 2008
- Award for excellence (beauty), city people
- 1st lady award for Women empowerment
- Right Vision Movement Award Creativity & Productivity Make over Outlet of the year 2006.
- The Africa SMME Award presented in South Africa and the Entrepreneur of the award.2007
- Creative business award of the year, success digest 2008
She is presently working on her book How to Turn Your Hobby into a Thriving Business.
Olufunmilola Aduke Iyanda (born July 27 1971), better known as Funmi Iyanda
is a multi award winning broadcaster, journalist, columnist and
blogger. She produced and hosted Nigeria’s most popular and
authoritative talk show New Dawn with Funmi, which aired on the national
network for over eight years. Funmi is the CEO of Ignite Media, a
content driven media organization operating out of Lagos
Banky W.
Olubankole Wellington(bo rn March 27, 1981), known under the stage name Banky W, is an American Nigerian R&B artist.
Early life and career beginnings
Wellington was born in the United States to Nigerian parents, but the family moved back to Lagos Nigeria when he was five years old where he began singing in his church choir at the age of 8. After completing his secondary school Education at Home Science Association Secondary School, he moved to New York to attend college on a scholarship; earning a degree in Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.While still in college, he won the 'Albany Idol' competition, which catapulted him into the spotlight. He overcame many personal trials and obstacles to quickly became an in-demand artist on the local music scene; performing alongside major acts on tour. He wowed audiences with his silky smooth voice while building a loyal following; he established the Empire Mates Entertainment (E.M.E.) record label as a platform to get his music to his fans and began work on an EP.
[edit]2003–2004: Undeniable
Under the name Banky W, he released the EP Undeniable in 2003, as the first release on his jointly owned E.M.E Records. The EP was released on his own label, and was sold on the internet and out of the trunks of cars.[4] The buzz around the album caught the ears of the executives at Fox 23 News New York who promptly dispatched a reporter with a camera crew to investigate the phenomenon sweeping the area. They were surprised it was a three person company executing a highly successful grassroots marketing campaign. The report became a two part special they aired leading to a distribution deal with TransWorld (Coconut's, Warehouse Music, Spec's Music); one of North America's largest music distributors. It became one of the top selling independent records, won him the 2003 R&B/Soul Artist of the Year at the Urban Independent Music Awards.His career was for a while threatened by cancer in the shoulder, but he managed to make a recovery from the illness.[3]
[edit]2005–2006: Back in the Building
In 2005 he released his first album, titled Back in the Building, containing the award-winning song "My Regret". The R&B/Soul album was released to critical acclaim; he had crafted a classic record and solidified his status as ground breaking artist. The album spawned the award winning song 'My Regret' and on the strength of this enduring single he became an urban-underground-yet-international icon. The awards and accolades followed with a US Songwriting Award, 2006 Nigerian Entertainment Award – R&B/Soul Artist of the Year and 2007 International Single of the Year to name a few. Banky followed this up by winning the prestigious worldwide John Lennon Songwriting Award in the R&B Category and signing a lucrative US Publishing deal. He was also a featured artist on AOL and Cingular Wireless Hip Hop Superstar with MTV's Xzibit, numerous magazines covers, as well as touring North America Africa & Europe.
[edit]2008–2009: Mr Capable
In 2008 he moved to Nigeria after the completion of his latest highly anticipated album Mr Capable under the name Banky W. With the sole mission of exposing African music to the world and bringing a high profile presence to the industry. On MySpace he garnered over 1 million song plays; on YouTube, hundreds of thousands of views for his videos; and on Facebook, his recently created fan page has over 26,000 registered fans, growing at a rate of over 500 new fans per week.
[edit]2009–2010: The W Experience
In December 2009, Banky W dropped his much anticipated second album in Nigeria, titled The W Experience . A strong contender for the best album of 2009/2010 in Africa, it features production from Nigeria’s most sought-after talents, and showcases Banky W. as he combines global R&B/Pop with African rhythms and influences to create an entirely unique and impressive sound. The 15-track album features collaborations from the internationally acclaimed and Interscope-signed artiste, Verse Simmonds; it also introduces his newly signed E.M.E acts, WIZKID and SKALES; and solidifies Banky W as the crown Prince of African Soul/R&B.
[edit]Philanthropy
Not to be outdone by his exploits in the music world, he is also accomplished in several other fields. He’s a published writer, as articles from his blog (http://bankyw.blogspot.com) have been featured in numerous Nigerian Newspapers, magazines and websites. As a philanthropist, he launched the “I AM CAPABLE” scholarship fund, which provides tuition, room & board at private universities for youth who are in need and meet the grade requirements. He’s also on the board of trustees of the “LightupNigeria” Project, which is focused on achieving constant electrical power supply in Nigeria, as well as various other charitable society building and empowering projects. He has also been extremely successful in many Corporate Marketing Campaigns, having been featured prominently in projects like Etisalat’s 0809ja Launch, Cocacola-Nigeria’s World Cup Theme Song, and Microsoft’s Anti-Cyber Crime Initiative. Last but not least, he is an accomplished Master of Ceremonies/Host, as he has successfully anchored numerous high profile events such as The HipHop World Awards (2009), Nigerian Breweries Legend Extra Stout Product Launch, and The Gulder Ultimate Search Celebrity TV Show Launch.
[edit]Discography
- Undeniable (EP, 2003)
- Back in the Building (2005)
- Mr. Capable (2008)
- The W Experience (2009)
[edit]Nominations
- Recording of the Year, Best Vocal Performance (Male) - Hip Hop World Awards 2010
- Musician of the Year, Future Awards 2010
- Artiste of the Year, Dynamix Awards 2010
- Semi-finalist, African Artiste of the Year, KORA Awards 2010
- Best R&B/Pop Album (Mr. Capable), Hiphop World Awards 2009
- Hiphop World Revelation 2009
- Best Pop/R&B (Don’t Break My Heart), Soundcity Music Video Awards 2009
- Best Male Video (Don’t Break My Heart), Soundcity Music Video Awards 2009
- Best R&B Singer, City People Entertainment Awards 2009
- Musician of the Year, Future Awards 2009
- Best International Artiste, Nigerian Entertainment Awards 2009
- Best Music Video and Best R&B Act, 2010 Nigerian Entertainment Awards
[edit]Awards
- John Lennon Song Writing Award 2006, R&B Category, for ‘My Regret’
- Best R&B Artiste, Nigerian Entertainment Awards 2006
- Best Male R&B Artiste, Urban Independent Music Awards, USA, 2006
- Best International Album, Nigerian Entertainment Awards 2007 for ‘Mr Capable’
- Best R&B Video, Nigerian Music Video Awards 2008 for ‘Don’t Break My Heart’
- Best Male Vocal Performance, Hip hop World Awards 2009 for ‘Don’t Break My Heart’
- R&B Single of the year, 2010 Hip Hop World Awards for ‘Strong Ting’
- Best R&B Singer (Male) and Best Music Video 2010 City People Entertainment Awards
Funmi Iyanda
Early life
She attended Herbert Macaulay School in Lagos, Nigeria, and then went to the University of Ibadan where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Geography.Fresh out of university Funmi explored her deep passion for sports, entering the world of sports journalism. One of the few Nigerian female sports journalists, she covered the 1999 female Football World Cup, the All Africa Games in Zimbabwe, as well as the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games in Sydney and Athens.
She was an active member of the Nigerian Football Association between 1995 and 2003.
Good Morning Nigeria
Funmi's foray into television began when she started producing and presenting "Good Morning Nigeria" a breakfast magazine television show. The show became a hit, with its "Heroes" segment which exalted the achievement of deserving members of the society and "Street Life", which unlike many shows at the time went out on the streets in search of compelling Nigerian human interest stories.The show focused on the injustices suffered by Nigerians, particularly the vulnerable members such as women and children. The show was syndicated on national television.
New Dawn with Funmi
Armed with the experience gained during the era of "Good Morning Nigeria" Funmi sought a bigger platform to reach people and in 2000 she began producing and hosting the programme "New Dawn"."New Dawn with Funmi" started in 2000 and ran daily on NTA 10 Lagos. The success of the show made it the longest running independently produced show on NTA. The show used its influence as a vehicle for social change and transformation by advocating the cause of the vulnerable members of the society, particularly women, youth and children. New Dawn gave birth to the "Change-A-Life" social intervention project. Over the years, Change-A-Life has affected the lives of many children and people through its scholarship, healthcare, counseling and micro-finance intervention scheme. The scholarship scheme supports 98 children.
Funmi has also written regular columns in Tempo Magazine. On occasion she still serves as guest columnist for Farafina Magazine. She has also written for PM NEWS, Punch, Daily Trust & Vanguard Newspapers
Talk With Funmi
In 2010, Funmi Iyanda completed production on "Talk with Funmi" a groundbreaking television show, directed by Chris Dada. Talk With Funmi journeys Nigeria, from state to state, capturing people and conversations around the country. It is a thought provoking, illuminating and entertaining journey into the life of Nigerians from all over the country. The show talks to people everywhere – from ordinary citizens going about their business to celebrities in unusual but natural settings. TWF is syndicated on channels across Nigeria.Personal life
An innovator in her sphere Funmi has won tremendous recognition for her work in the media and for her humanitarian and philanthropic interventions. She is an African Leadership Institute Tutu Fellow and a participant of the ASPEN Institute’s Forum for Communications and SocietyFunmi serves on the Board of Farafina Trust and Positive Impact Youth Network.
ELDee
Lanre Dabiri, (born May 23, 1977) better known by his stage name Eldee, stylized as eLDee, is a Nigerian American rapper, record producer and architect. "Lanre" is a diminutive for the Yoruba name "Olanrewaju" (meaning "My wealth is the future").[1] eLDee studied Architecture at the University of Lagos, Nigeria. He is an original member of the band Trybesmen, which was started in 1998 with rappers KB and Freestyle. He has been based in Atlanta, USA since 2002.
He hails from Lagos Island in Lagos State of Nigeria
Music career
Solo recordings
After moving to the United States in 2002, eLDee recorded a solo album titled Long Time Coming and followed up with Return of the King in 2006. The latter album earned various nominations and awards for both videos and songs, including the Nigerian Entertainment Award for “Best International Album”.[citation needed]His songs include “I go yarn”, “Champion”, “African Chiquito” and “Bosi Gbangba”. eLDee has produced and directed numerous videos both for Nigerian and international artists.
Trybe Records
Trybe Records developed artists such as Sasha, who won the Kora’s Most Promising Artist Award in 2004, 2Shots, Trybesmen, eLDee, Lequse, olaDele, Timi, Proto and Sid, who is now a member of the Mo-hits Records label.eLDee came up with a collaboration of all the artists on the record label and named them Da Trybe. They produced singles "Work it out" and "Oya" in 2002, and the album BIG Picture in 2005.
Long Time Coming
Long Time Coming is the debut album by Eldee, it was released in 2004.Return Of The King
Return Of The King is the second album by Eldee. It was released in 2006, and contains the single ‘I Go Yarn.’Big Boy
Big Boy is the third album by Eldee, released in 2008 and was originally titled "Evolution".Is It Your Money
eLDee's fourth album is titled "Is it your money Vol.1" and was released in 2010.Personal life
eLDee (Lanre Dabiri) and his long-term partner, Dolapo Latinwo-Belo married in November 2008 and together they have a daughter.Discography
Main article: Eldee discography
Albums
- 2004: Long Time Coming
- 2006: Return Of The King
- 2008: Big Boy
- 2010: Is It Your Money?
Compilations
- 2000: L.A.G Style
- 2004: The Big Picture (Trybe Records Album)
- 2009: The Champion: The Hits
