“Dad’s Song is a Song For Everyone Who Has Lost Someone”, Says Teni

In an interview with Chude Jideonwo,the founder of Joy Inc and anchor of #WithChude, Nigerian singer an award winning artiste, Teniola Apata popularly known as Teni has revealed that the loss of her father as well as his funeral, was the inspiration behind “Dad’s Song” on her recently released debut album, ‘Wondaland’

She said she lost her dad at a very young age and dealing with loss of a loved one is not always easy even though people assure you that you will get over it.

“Dad’s song is a song for everyone that has lost someone. Dealing with loss is crazy because people tell you that you’ll get over it, but you never get over it. You just don’t get over the loss”, she said.

“When I was recording this song I was sitting in my living room and watching my father’s funeral, his body in the casket, my mother crying. I needed those emotions to be able to record that song in its true form. Everything I sang had to be from a place of truth,” she continued.

Reminiscing about her father, she described him as “a genius” and “a man deserving of idolisation”. She also revealed that her father planned ahead for the family, such that even after his death, she was still able to go to school in the United States, and her family could live a decent life.

The singer further disclosed her greatest life lesson, “Life has taught me to be patient, life has taught me to believe, and life has taught me to never give up on myself,” she said.

Teni’s father was a retired Nigerian Army Brigadier-General S. O. Apata who was assassinated in front of his family on January 8, 1995. One of his legacies is Apata Memorial High School, a military-style private boarding school in Lagos, Nigeria. It was founded in 1980.

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