Toni Payne Akande shares her life as 9ice's wife, a businesswoman and a mother

Olamild: Allow me to show how excited I am to be featuring Toni Payne on Olamild Entertainment. I introduce you all to Mrs. Toni Payne Akande, the CEO of TP Cosmetics & apparel. yAYYYYYYYYYY!

TP: Hey Hey Hey.. Well what can I say, thanks for having me on your space

Olamild: I'll have you know I called up people to send in their questions for you and the list was never ending. Anyway, the word on the street is TONI PAYNE’s product is certified to make you HOT or should I say HAUTE. What do you have to say to that?

TP: I have no choice but to concur. I swear by my products and for me that alone makes it easy to sell. They say my products sell themselves, one use and you are hooked. I agree. (laughs)

Olamild: How long have you been in this biz and what inspired you to get it all started?

TP: This biz and all sorts of biz. Well what inspired the makeup was more of a natural thing to do. I worked in a cosmetic lab doing PR for 6 years so I spent a lot of time with the “know how”folks and learned along the way. A friend was like Toni, you are business minded why not your own brand and lets say the rest is what you see today.

Olamild: You opened a retail store in Hollywood 2 years ago. How challenging was that and how were you able to overcome the challenges?

TP: That was challenging o, because the store came with its share of drama, fun, craziness but most importantly I learned a lot from that aspect of business. That period was a period of personal growth for me.

Olamild: Tell us about the clothing line.

TP: My T shirt line which is extending to a Suit and Dress line real soon was motivated by my love for the arts. Music my first love, Creativity the chick I’m cheating on music with and of course the need for something casual, meaningful, artistic. My shirts I see as a form of artistic expression, no matter how complex or simple, they all have a story behind them, and just like an artist, I don’t just make anything, it has to come from within.

Olamild: Do tell us about the cosmetics line.

TP: My cosmetic line consists of traditional and mineral makeup. I pretty much have a full line of makeup. I am a huge fan of my mineral line because it’s a healthy alternative to what’s out there and I believe I was one of the first few to come out with a full line for women of color. The quality of my products speak for themselves.

Olamild: You are obviously not new in this industry. People love your works. I personally love the Akanke Design. Mind telling us the inspiration behind that?

TP: Akanke was actually an image of mine done up by a very creative lady named 1`Anneli. I loved it so much I decided to use the same concept and redo it to translate into something complex. The full name is Akanke Faceless Beauty. I just wanted it to be something one can interpret into their idea of beauty so she has no facial features. Akanke is the Oriki my husband gave me a few yrs back. I am his beautiful one so it made sense to call that design Akanke. One of my fav shirts till date.

Olamild: Ahwww, that is so sweet! Anyway, you recall me saying I called up people and the questions were unlimited. It’s almost impossible to feature you and ignore the fact that you are 9ice’s wife. “Behind a great man is a great woman,” that’s what they say. I personally say “Besides a great man is a greater woman.” We recognize and appreciate 9ice’s music, we also commend your efforts in supporting him.

TP: hahaha! Ok o… See setup. Who can we thank for that but God? It’s his will and it’s being done. Any blessings my family has received thus far is by his grace. People cross each others paths everyday, even years and don’t make an impact in each other’s lives. I thank god that we are able to support, respect and appreciate each other on and off the field and when I say off the field, I mean when we wrap up our day being 9ice and Toni Payne and go back to being Mr & Mrs Abolore Akande.

Olamild: We thank God o.. Besides fashion, what is your passion? What do you enjoy doing?

TP: My passion is and has always been music. There is this saying that Toni can smell a hit song or an artist that’s gonna blow miles away. I pride myself in having a good ear and some vision when it comes to the art of music. What a lot of people don’t know about me is I studied video digital art with the intentions of directing music videos. Somehow I ended up on the business side of things and I love it. I love the adrenaline rush it brings to the table. I can’t sing o but creativity can come in different forms. Fortunately I married someone who gives me the room to explore my passion. Currently I am managing the newest artist on our label Alapomeji, her name is ZARA and she’s hot. I also consult for 9ice who we all know is one of the hottest musicians out of Nigeria.

Olamild: He certainly is! (sings) gongo aso… I saw the Gongo Aso line of clothing and thought it was quite creative. I cannot help but commend your hard work. You are a lot of things and it’s impressive. How do you juggle being a mother with all this work? I mean now that you are a mom, how do you manage to take care of business?

TP: Ehen, I ask myself that new question everyday. See what I have discovered is you can have 50 businesses and it still would not compare to the work associated with being a parent, it’s like you have this life that looks up to you for guidiance and protection and everyday you know you cant let them down. It’s challenging, interesting and loads of fun. It changes you a great deal but in a good way.

Olamild: What’s the most challenging thing about your work now?

TP: Balancing work with being a wife and mother while still maintaining my sexy.

Olamild: [laugh] oh yeah; that's important!...Back to business! [straight face]. Of all the questions sent to me, the one that struck me the most was from fellow blogger solomonsydelle and I quote her by saying : "I have to say I respect toni payne's drive as a business woman. As a mother and wife who has stepped out of the box to tackle political issues, I have met a fierce resistance from certain men who sometimes send the rudest messages to me. I can only imagine what it was like for her as a woman trying to start her own empire. Yet, she is well on her way. I would be interested to know what advice she has for other women trying to excel in male dominated fields. "

TP: I know that feeling, I remember once I went to an office for a meeting with someone regarding running adverts on a popular radio station in Nigeria for our Lagos Boutique. For whatever reason the security assumed I was one of his girlfriends. Mind you I was wearing proper attire for my meeting, I almost took my business elsewhere but at the last second decided to see the humor in it. So in short, do not let being a woman get in the way of what you want to do, do your job to the best of your ability and ignore any form of negativity around you, see your gender as a reason to strive harder and prove the neysayers wrong. I have heard so many snide comments regarding working in the male dominated Nigerian music industry and I see those who have something negative to say as educated illiterates so why let them bother me. Think of it this way, if a man does it, its cool, but if a woman does it, it's extra special. I personally dont see gender as a barrier but I also cant deny that gender discrimination still exist especially in a society like ours.

Olamild: It sickens me when some people think women are incapable of handling certain positions. I'm not even gonna go into details of how I have had to convince some people that this website is managed by females.anyway, that's a topic for another day... Mrs. Toni Payne Akande, any advice for young and upcoming fashion designers?

TP: I get a lot of young ladies who email me and their questions are usually similar so I’ll say whatever you want to do, love it, study it, ask yourself if you were not making money would you still love to do this and if the answer is yes, go for it.

Olamild: Well said! Thank you soooooo much for your time. Thank you readers for your time as well. For more information on Toni Payne Cosmetics & Apparel, visit www.tonipayneonline.com ciao!

Posted in: 9ice, beauty, clothing, exclusiveinterviews, fashion, tonipayne