by Tola Adenle

[To ensure that a story I posted about an hour before I learnt of the death of "Our Lady of Songs" does not get shunted, I have just removed it and will re-post it Saturday morning.]

This is really a very sad announcement in more ways than one for me.

Next Wednesday, this blog will mark a hundred days of existence and towards that, I’ve been planning for the blog to move forward. Part of that plan is to carry our Vol. 3 No 9, September 1979 interview: “Our Kind of People: The Sensational new heartthrob, Xtie Essien, speaks to Emotan”. I had the three pages scanned so that the blog will show the write-up exactly as it appeared 32 years ago. In actual fact, while editing it, I mistakenly posted it and it took about 10 minutes before it was published. It is therefore possible that some readers might have seen it – although it was not that readable as it was – before I removed it.

As a tribute to Nigeria’s fallen star who was much beloved by young and old, the material, including Xtie in a snazzy outfit for the 100-day will still be used as I had planned it to be the first EMOTAN story that will appear on my blog because I wanted to put somebody who represented those heady days of new-found oil wealth in a country where little pleasures still counted for a lot.

Here is the Postscript to the interview. Unfortunately, I was not the interviewer; so, we never met but ALL of us knew that voice, and that rich alto voice will always remain with us, especially “Omo mi, seun rere, iwa dara o …”

“At the time of the interview, Christie was about to launch her last album which I was lucky enough to listen to because I was at Decca Studio during the production. It’s beautiful music; she is being backed by BLO which means the best.
I know you’ll love it.”

You’ll find out her interviewer next Wednesday.

I am sure everybody who ever listened to Xtie’s songs – old and later ones – are in mourning for the loss of one just hitting middle age. May God grant her soul repose and may He comfort Mr. Igbokwe and the children and be with them during these dark days.