She was funny. Up, close and personal, she was fairly taller too . She’s laidback and a natural conversationalist.
“Hi everybody, my name is GoodGirl LA, and I’m a Nigerian superstar (laughs). I’m a singer, songwriter and all of that,” she introduced herself.
She was also visibly happy - who wouldn’t? A listening party for her EP held just two days prior. Here, it's like a weight just fell off her back.
She is GoodGirl LA, the afro-fusion princess. According to her, she has been singing since she could talk. She then developed her vocals by mimicking Whitney Houston to improve her notes.
Born Euphemia Ekwuma, while she studied for UTME and WASSCE, she’d do one for the books and then write music. To perfect her skills, she performed at valedictory services.
However, she wasn’t always GoodGirl LA. Before that name, she was ‘Laden.’ But because her friends wanted to stylize ‘Laden,’ they shortened it to ‘L.A' which was too vague. Realizing she has a good heart and that she is a good person, she took the good part of herself, merged it with ‘LA’ and became GoodGirl LA.
According to her, “(Being a GoodGirl) Is never really what it looks like. I don’t really believe in the good and the bad thing. I feel like, just do your thing, man, as long as it makes you happy and it doesn’t hurt someone else.”
LA, the grateful
You might find her on your screen singing her heart out on ‘Faraway,’ ‘Bless Me’ or the new one, ‘Pina.’ Asides her obvious good looks, her voice will probably knock you out. She is one of those acts who sound even better live than they sound in the studio.
When asked how she felt, LA says, “Grateful. I think grateful is the right word. I remember wanting to record an EP. But then, I had to save up money to record one song; pay, mix and master everything.
"So, how do I then get to be found? I feel the time is perfect for what is happening and I’m also very excited about the new things I’m doing to be doing and working on. I’m also ready for what’s next.”
LA, the rebel
Born in Ajegunle, she left the University of Calabar and left home at 19 to pursue a career in music. But then, she was broke. At a point, GoodGirl LA ran a courier-esque service in Lagos to raise money. Other times, she would rally around friends. A few times, her parents chipped in.
She jokes that, “I had to pay for ‘Faraway’ (her 2018 single) four times. Shout-out to SynX… When I didn’t have money, I’d buy food.” At this time, she had a dream and she was willing to do everything reasonably possible to get her sound out - she did.
As of today, ‘Faraway’ and ‘Bless Me’ have a combined 445,000 views on YouTube. Looking back, the Cross River State native tells Pulse that she’s surprised at some of the decisions she made just to make the dream work. “I didn’t want to wait till I was 28 or 30 when people will be telling me I’m too old to wear bum shot (laughs),” she says.
When she left the University of Calabar, she left her property in school and had to waybill them to Lagos. On getting home, her Dad was adamant that she had to go back to school but her mom, a natural alto was supportive. She says, “African Parents can be funny. They thought I needed them till I started sending money home (Laughs).”
LA Confidential EP
“LA Confidential EP was me just wanting to bare out myself and talk about different things that have happened to me. You know, you can’t really tell what someone is thinking (unless they tell you)… So, I wanted to just give people a feel of what’s inside my head… when it comes to love, hustle and a lot of things. And literally, that’s like every girl’s story.
“’LA Confidential’ is like me just giving out confidential information about stuff that has happened to me… And then the EP is eight different songs on like eight different sounds - nothing sounds like the other. I feel like I wanted to show - and portray - myself in different lights.
“It’s like (I’m telling people that) I’ve shown what I can do. So, from here on, the sound will change and grow bigger, stronger and unpredictable… However, I still feel like I’ve not dropped it yet. I’m still waiting for September 6 (when ‘LA Confidential EP’ hits all platforms) to know that it’s time to actually bring the real heat,” the singer says.
After she got signed to The Zone Agency, the Osagie Osarenz-run management agency in the final quarter of 2018, talk commenced about an album. To LA, this represented synergy because she had been trying to get music out for years and even had - LA Confidential - a tentative title for it.
Of the songs that were recorded, 15 were chosen and those were chopped down to eight for the EP. Recording commenced in December, 2018 and ended in April, 2018. According to her, the creative process was organic.
Some songs were recorded in her living room and others in a hotel room. The inspiration for ‘Bless Me’ came on a toilet seat. And finally, she got to work with Leriq.
However, the EP is only a precursor to an album that is already in the works could drop later this year or early next year - depending on fan response to LA Confidential.
LA and the emotions
On LA Confidential EP, emotions and the authentic nature of those emotions took centre stage. Each song told a relatable story.
While discussing that, LA says, “To have a story is one thing. To incorporate them into the right melody is another thing. That ability has always been a part of me and my mom noticed it first when I was watching ‘The Lion King’ and I ended up doing it inadvertently. I guess that’s what you call the gift of music.”
She proceeded further to say that sometimes, the sound brings the story out of you. However, some of the emotional scenarios she sings about are not her personal experiences. Some are hypothetical and some are other peoples’ experiences.
On which is harder, she says, “It depends. You will be surprised that even your own story can be hard to tell.”
LA on Nigerian music
“The funny thing is I never see it as lamba. I don’t see it as making lamba or this. I just see it as music. I listen to everything and I enjoy everything. I already have lamba music made y’all, so what are we going to do? That style of music came out of the street and the struggle and came out of love… That music came from how our country is.
“I grew up in Nigeria - I’m a Lagos girl. I was born in Ajegunle… It’s Nigerian music to me. The music I made on ‘LA Confidential EP’ is Nigerian music. The music in my hard drive is Nigerian music. The music everyone else makes is Nigerian music. The zanku is obviously Nigerian music,” she says.
In a country with a perpetual need for vision, LA is a breath of fresh air.
LA on pretty privilege and the downsides of being pretty
Pretty privilege is simply the tendency of beautiful people to get easier treatment than others. The idea of pretty privilege is either downplayed or denied. Instead, LA attacks talks about the downsides of being pretty.
She says, “Sometimes being pretty and looking bougie in the Nigerian industry could be a minus. You come through and they feel like you’re not up and going as the guy. Sometimes, I work in the studio till 6 or 7 pm and people are surprised because it’s not what they expect of girls… But I feel that stereotype is gone. It’s 2019, guys. Even in the womb, they say I kicked like a boy… (Laughs).
“Sometimes you go to a show on the mainland and they’re like ‘Hey, fine girl!’ Do you know how it’s like to live with that? Sometimes, It feels already like a minus… But sometimes, I really like the shock and the surprise of when I get into the studio looking like this and then I open my mouth and sound another way… I think pretty privilege is not a thing.
"You always still have to earn it and work. It has to be good and as a matter of fact, you have to be twice better than the boy…”
LA also disagrees that there’s male domination. She feels that while men need to inspire and include more women, sometimes, women have to be there to be included. On a final note, the 22-year-old says that we should support more women.
When asked whether she feels she’s on course in her career, she says, “God doesn’t make mistakes.”
This means she feels she is right on time. Two days after this chat, she released 'Pina.' For now, LA Confidential EP is out on Boomplay. You can get it HERE.
You can watch the interview below;