Former West African Idol contestant, Jerrilyn Mulbah is set to release her debut singles this weekend after her first public appearance in 2007.
Idols came to Nigeria in 2007 for the first time and Mulbah, a
Liberian, was part of the talents that participated in the popular
competition. Beating the odds and scaling through each stage of the televised competition, she successfully made it to the top five phase of the show. Her choice of song for her final performance was Christina Aguilera’s “The Voice Within,” an appropriate song title, a true metaphor describing the angel that was speaking inside of Jerrilyn.
The competition produced some of Nigeria’s renowned artistes, likeTimi Dakolo who emerged winner at the
competition and Omawumi who has become a successful bestselling artiste and multi- award winner. Despite not actually winning the competition, Jerrilyn was extremely overjoyed by the experience. She found a new light that could not be
extinguished and her career has remained vigorous ever since.
Jerrilyn Mulbah’s history as a child depicts the saying “from grass to grace”. She was sold as a child in return for “fish” by her mother’s friend to a rebel general. She was reunited with her devastated family two years later. After discovering that her step-father sexually abused h
er, her mother moved with an early pregnant Jerrilyn to Nigeria.
The year 2003 was a very trying period for Jerrilyn as she was finding it difficult to adapt to her new environment. She also
experienced a hard time; battling with acceptance, and plotting her desired future, after she got pregnant in a relationship that soon collapsed. It took her mother, and the love of music, for her to cope with the tragedy of her separation from the father of her unborn child and there were more tragedies on the way: She would later lose her mother due to an overdose of drugs administered by the hospital she was admitted in.
Jerrilyn gave birth to her daughter, Kadisa four days after her mother’s death and moved to Calabar, Cross River state to live withfamily friends. Early this week, the former Liberian refugee and mother of one spoke out for the first time in years.
“I have been through a lot of trials
in my life. During West African Idols, people tried to bring me down. I’ve seen disappointment from friends, family and partners. But God has seen me through all. I am moving on and up and now ready to release my debut singles titled “Molejo” and “Mr DJ”. Jerrilyn's road to fame began with her singing an Ode to her late mother and her greatest wish is to empower the African woman through her music and honor the memory of her late mum by helping others.
“I have worked very hard towards the success of these songs and I am very excited that they are going to be release
d after a long time since West African Idols and with these songs making waves in the industry; I want to let my fans know that Jerrilyn is here to stay!” an excited Jerrilyn says.
As a tool for change, Jerrilyn’s music is enabling her to inspire and empower young women like herself, who have been through
similar circumstances to stand for something so that they don’t fall for just anything. Her amazing life story has allowed numerous women, especially those indigenous to Africa, to value their own lives in every way possible Making the best out of the platform that “Idols” has offered, Jerrilyn was one of the four co-hosts on a 15 channel syndicated radio program called Zain Hit Zone.
Jerrilyn’s new singles include “Molejo” and “Mr DJ” and they were produced by Kiss Music Studios by Meka E. The songs were written by Jerrilyn and Dipo Abdul for Miss Dynamite Entertainment. Jerrilyn says, “I'm working on my debut album which should be released later in the year and I hope to make an impact in the lives of young women who are going through difficult situations and give them hope for the future”.
Sunday June 17, 2012.
Sunday June 17, 2012.
