I Left the industry because of sexual harassment

 Gospel singer, Gloria Doyle, back in the
days, made more name because of her
outrageous dress style than her music.
She explains to ‘Nonye Ben-Nwankwo
why she chose that style.
 You are now marketing a hotel; have
you left your music career?
No. I have not left it. A friend of mine
runs the hotel and I only help out to
market it. We are trying to create
awareness.
Now that you are into hospitality
business, is it not taking your time?
If I tell you that it is not taking my time,
I would be lying. It is taking my time
but I am enjoying it. I will still go back
to the studios. My fans are saying that
they need something from me.
But you released an album last year?
Oh yes I did. I launched the album last
year but a lot of people didn’t buy the
idea of me doing tungba. It is a kind of
juju music. They couldn’t reconcile my
hip hop gospel with tungba.
So the tungba didn’t do well in the
market?
We didn’t even put it in the market at
all. It was just for my fans and family.
So are you forgetting it entirely?
Not really. In the next two or three
years, if I am still in this country, I will
put all the stuff I have done together
and maybe make a compilation of them
all.
What do you mean by if you are still in
the country; do you have plans of
leaving?
My kids are not here. They are in the
US. My son is graduating soon as a
medical doctor. They are doing very
well. I will soon go over there,
especially during his graduation.
You talk as if you are going to settle in
the US eventually…
I would love to settle down there with
my kids eventually. I want to be with
them. I have not seen them for up to
10 years.
Are you saying you have been away
from your kids for 10 years?
I have just seen them once.
If you eventually leave Nigeria for the
US, some might think you left this
country because your career wasn’t
successful…
I wouldn’t think so. It is just that I want
to give my time to my kids. I could
always go to the studio in the US and
record. It wouldn’t really affect the
reunion.
How come you weren’t there for your
kids when they might have needed you
the most?
I was there for them. I call them
everyday on the phone. I was guiding
them and telling them the directions to
follow. They would always call me any
time they needed advice and we were
always on Skype. I just wanted the best
for my kids where they would utilise the
talents they have.
Are they with their father?
They are partially with their father. My
first son is on his own.
With this planned reunion, probably, you
would go back to your ex…
No way. I don’t think it is possible. He
is already married over there and he has
his family.
There was a time your outrageous
dressing stood you out. Is that chapter
closed?
I am almost a grandmother. I am now a
minister who ministers in churches. I
now tell people that I have been there
before. I am more mature now. Then, I
think of my kids too. I need to put them
into consideration as well.
Back then, you didn’t care at all, you
didn’t consider these stuffs you are
mentioning now.
I no even ‘send anybody’ even at the
moment. It is just that I am more
mature now.
How come you never acted?
Actually, I was auditioned last month. I
was in the movie industry a long time
ago. I did quite a number of movies
before I left the industry because of
sexual harassment. It was terrible.
Some people felt I left because I
couldn’t act. But that was a lie. I did
some very good movies. Producers
would tell me they would want to star
me in a particular movie but I should
come to a hotel first. I felt these were
people I ordinarily wouldn’t have
anything to do with them if not because
of entertainment. They were now calling
the shots and because you were
desperate to become a star, you would
give in. But I couldn’t do that. If you
know your worth, you would definitely
scale through. However, I invested my
time writing movies. I am not a
desperate person. I have the face. I
was able to make my name. But I didn’t
get to this level out of desperation. My
greatest concern now and which has
made me proud are my kids.
Do we see you getting married again,
ever?
I am going to be a grandmother soon.
Honestly, I was discussing this with
somebody the other day. The person
was telling me that I need to get
married. My family tells me that I need
to get married. Everybody is telling me
that I need to get married. If you get
me a husband, I will get married. I am
not going husband-hunting. Some
people carry it like a placard ‘I am
looking for husband’ written on it. But
that is not me. I am not desperate. I
don’t want to do things out of
desperation. If husband will come, he
will come. For now, it is not my priority.
But we learnt you were getting married
to a younger lover last year, didn’t it
work out?
It was a lie. It was a joke that spread
like a wild fire. I don’t know where they
saw the picture of me and the young
man.
Are you saying you have not had any
offer of marriage since?
If I say that, I would be lying. I always
consider my kids. They are Igbo, since
their father is an Igbo man. I remember
there was a picture I posted on
Facebook some time ago; I was with a
friend of mine in that picture. My
daughter read the story about me
getting married to a younger lover. She
sent me a mail asking me if I was really
getting married. With the way she asked
it, she obviously meant it could never
be true that I was getting married.
But would it have been a bad idea?
I want my children to come of age. I
want them to be on their own and to be
able to take care of themselves. People
get married and you find out that the
children they had in their previous
marriage would be a problem in the
current marriage. It might even get to a
stage the woman would be asked to
choose between her children and
husband. I can’t subject my children to
that. My being single is still for a
purpose. It is a sacrifice I took because
of my children. It is not easy to be a
single mother. When you have been
married before and you find yourself
taking sole responsibility of your kids’
welfare, it is not an easy thing.
What really happened to your marriage?
I got married at the age of 19. I was
very young. I faced tribal problems.
Then again, my husband was really older
than me. I needed a friend. It is usually
a problem when you don’t get married
to your friend. If you just marry a
husband, you will not enjoy the
marriage. You play, quarrel, make-up,
gist and have fun with your friend. But
with a husband, it is usually not so. You
would be meant to kill a goat or fowl to
appease him when he feels you insulted
him. He will call a family meeting for
you. In all, when I look at my kids, I
don’t regret my marriage.
Some might say you were wild and that
was what made your marriage not to
work…
I am not wild. I have never been wild.
It was just that my dressing was wild.
Oh yes, I agree, I could wear anything. I
looked up to Toni Braxton. Anything she
wore, no matter how outrageous, I
wanted to wear it.
Looking back now, do you regret
dressing those ways?
No. I don’t regret it. But I bring my
pictures and I show the young girls of
these days and I tell them I have been
through this stuff they are doing now. I
tell them that I did it then because of
showbiz and not as they are doing it
now to attract men and sell their
bodies.

The punch