Making music and schooling are two demanding activities. In the effort to uncover the pros and cons of students who are engulfed in this lifestyle, Gundem newspaper spoke with two female singers at Eastern Mediterranean University about their music career as a student. Miss Shahnoza Kurbonshoeva is from Tajikistan, she’s a student of Business Marketing and Miss Joy Lekowt AKA Jayblinkz is a Nigerian student of Management Information System. They both recounted life as a songstress at Eastern Mediterranean University in this exclusive.
Shahnoza who have just a record done with a professional Iranian musician here in Cyprus, made it clear that, although she sings so uniquely and everybody has come to know her because of her talent, she sincerely sings for fun. In her words; “singing to me has always been for fun and i have never taken it like a career”. She claims that “music has been fun for me because the university calls me to sing anytime they have some event and for me it has been a privilege”. She admits that she faces some challenges and one of the main impediments have been time management.
Also in the course of the interview, she was asked if she has had any memorable day since she started singing. She said “anytime I climb the stage to sing, it is always worth remembering for me afterwards like i said earlier, singing is my hobby and no matter where and when i sing, its fun for me” she said. She also remarked that she does pop music but she does not put herself in a box. She is all about good music whatever the genre. When asked about her role models in the music industry, she answered by saying she makes rendition of Adele and Rihanna’s songs most times on stage so technically they are her role models. She also stressed that she admires Beyonce and basically all singers with great vocals.
We asked her where she hopes to find herself in the next five years and she accedes that, she would be a successful business person and a marketer on top of her game. She also said that no matter what, she will never give up on music but not necessarily a music career. She advices female students of EMU who might be considering taking music as a career to keep their head up. She said “keep doing what you do, follow your dream to the extreme and the sky would be your limit”.
As aforementioned, we also spoke with Joy Lekowt also known as Jayblinkz. To her, she sees music more than something one should have as a hobby. She is working towards being a professional singer. Her genres of preference are Afro hip hop and R & B. She accedes that “making music has been my dream, it is my hobby and also as a profession”. She posits that no person sings professionally in her family and that she took music as an hobby until the love and passion she had for music changed it to a career for her. Jayblinks started music very early. She noticed she could rap in her junior secondary school days and she made her debut single titled “ make it” and after that she joined a crew in school.
Also, when asked about the challenges she faces as an international student making music in North Cyprus. She made a claim that; combining music with her education has been a major issue. Another challenge for her is that; when performing, there are times when she does not get motivated. She further said that criticism is a major problem too she is facing at EMU. “Trying to be perfect in what I do is a very big challenge for me personally” she exclaims. She also mentioned that, as a singer she has not achieved what she aims to achieve at EMU and that she hopes with time, things will work out as planned.
We asked about her most memorable day as a female singer in North Cyprus and she made it clear that her performance at club cappuccino a while ago was one she will never forget because it was a great performance. Her worse performance so far was at the Cameroon night last semester. She said “my performance that night wasn’t good basically because i didn’t prepare as i should”.
So far, Jayblinkz has released some singles. One of the most popular one is “million dollar movement” featuring Kevin Tita and El-bee. She also has one titled “komaro” ft yungtizzer. She said “these are the hit songs I have right now and I want to use this opprotuinity to give a shout out to the guys on the records; Tizzer, Kevintita and El- bee. These guys are stars of the world” she posits. Jayblinkz also revealed that “German juice” crooner Cythia Morgan is her role model. She said “I like her because of her vibe. I also love EVA because of the way she does rap and her comportment. I also love Nicky Minaj”.
Where do you see yourself in the next 5years was our last question for her and she posits that; “for me, I am going deep into the industry. In 5 years from now, i am a big star” she boldly said.
By Hope Ohomeron
