I see male comedians as my boyfriends - Helen Paul

 Helen Paul is a comedienne, singer, MC/events hostess, radio/TV presenter, dancer, and many more. Popularly known as Tatafo, the actress, in this interview with DOYIN ADEOYE, spoke about her career, style and passion, among other things. Excerpts:


What influenced the child-like style of comedy you use?
It’s due largely to my interaction with babies, and I discovered that long ago, even before my teenage years. I would mimic everything babies did, including the way they talked and cried. As I grew older, I discovered that age did not affect this ability of mine. I could pitch my voice to depict any age range that I liked. As such, the voice had always been there inherently, but I discovered it when I started becoming aware of myself as a young adult.

Babies are quite funny; the way they talk, laugh, cry and so on, and watching a baby dramatise is pure fun. So, when I started out mimicking them, it was just fun for me. I never knew I would take it to a professional level.

How was the initial responce from the audience?
It was encouraging. Relatively, people were not used to that style of comedy, but my first performance elicited some laughter here and there. There was palpable tension at first; people were just curious and wanted to know what this petite lady with a babyish voice had to say to make them laugh. It was a memorable experience. I was anxious and didn’t really have any pre-determined jokes to share. I just got on stage and made jokes out of the people and the environment before me. Judging from the thunderous applause that followed, I deduced it was a successful performance.

In general, the reception was nice, although some people used to wonder if talking like a baby in a country like Nigeria would really pay off eventually. Some even advised me to find something else to do, but now, the reception is great.

What is the difference between the personalities of Helen Paul and Tatafo?
Tatafo is an extrovert, sanguine, very outgoing, while Helen Paul is more of a choleric; a dreamer, a goal-getter, and an achiever. Tatafo is the mischievous child that likes to criticise adults in a funny way.

A lot of people see me as being unserious, but the real Helen Paul that my close friends and family know is a disciplinarian and a no-nonsense kind of person. You can pull Tatafo’s hair, kid her and all, but when Helen Paul gets into character, she just wants to get her job done and can be very tough and abrasive about it.

A lot of my staff, friends and even family members think I can be very harsh as Helen Paul, because I scold them real hard when they either don’t get things done or don’t get things done right. So, it is the combination of both Helen Paul the choleric and Tatafo the sanguine that make me who I am.

You are also pushing a career in music. What prompted that?
Singing, for me, dates back many years ago. I started singing at an early stage of my life, but I would say recognition for me in that area first came in 1999 when I received an award for a track that I recorded that year. It was a gospel track and it got me NISOFES (Nigerian International Songs Festival) Award.

Also in 2012, I recorded an album containing 13 music and comedy tracks, though the album is yet to be released. I, however, distributed some copies free of charge at two of my shows in 2012. Also, about four of the songs – God Forbid, Vernacular, Gbedu and Boju Boju, have been enjoying continuous rotation on air, as well as the videos for Vernacular and Gbedu, which are also on some internet sites such as Youtube and some blogs. It’s been a good venture, though promoting songs can be quite challenging. Also, I’m currently promoting a single entitled Take it Back.

So, what style of music exactly do you do?
It would be difficult for me to tag it. On that album, I have an RnB song entitled Children of the World, produced by Mr Daz, while Gbedu is a dance track, produced by Sammy Young. Also, God Forbid (with K-Solo) is perhaps more dance-oriented than any other track on the album, as it is a prospective club banger. Boju Boju is a fusion of Afrobeat and Techno, while Take it Back has some elements of House Music. So, it’s a potpourri of all sorts. I just craft the style of a song, depending on my message. But all in all, it’s fun music.

You also featured in the ‘Return of Jenifa’ and being a major hit, how was the experience?
I had fun. Shooting at the locations we used was both interesting and challenging at the same time, but in the end, I had fun starring alongside notable stars in the industry.

You delve virtually into all aspects of entertainment: you are a comedienne, actress, presenter, playwright and even a musician. How did you come about these talents and how do you combine all of them into one personality?
It’s just a multi-faceted me. In the corporate world, it’s called multi-tasking. I have read that the average human has a minimum of eight talents. People like Albert Einstein managed to use one or two and the whole world is celebrating him, even in death. I’m still evolving because I have more talents to bless the world with. I’m not even sure I’m using five yet.

When and how did you develop the talent for comedy?
I never even planned to become a comedian. I could say it was a marriage between sheer pastime and opportunity. I grew up performing before small groups of peers in my neighbourhood. If there’s no one to entertain, I’d stand in front of a mirror and perform my antics, criticising and re-enacting my style in the process. As I grew up, I also noticed that I could mimic almost any voice range of any age or class of people. I could talk like a baby, tot, teenager, even a man, lawyer, conductor, name it. It even developed more when I began to discover the actress in me. So, I kept on doing things my little way until one day when I was asked to perform impromptu at an event. That was when I can say I was officially introduced to the world of comedy.

What inspires your jokes?
God, babies and situations around me inspire me. A lot of people don’t think that God has a sense of humour, but the Bible says He laughs at our follies. At other times, He laughs at our enemies. I mean, He actually looks at us humans and just goes into bouts of laughter, probably wondering ‘these humans that I created are so funny or gullible’ as the case may be.” If an Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent God can laugh, why not me? With time, I have learnt to take life easy and just go with the flow as it comes. A lot of things that we take serious are not serious and almost every situation has a light side to it. At times, I see people in traffic and I’m inspired to tell a joke. Also, babies are about the funniest set of humans on earth – from their silliness to their blissful ignorance. As such, my style is inspired by almost anything I come across but mostly by these three factors.

How has it been working with Uti Nwachukwu on the Jara Show?
Uti is a wonderful co-host. I couldn’t have had a better co-host. He is always open to suggestions about how best to work in delivering our scripts and even helps in interpreting them sometimes. He is generally a helpful person. He is more into dishing out the fluent English, while I am the one with the grassroots attitude and Pidgin English. It’s just a way of striking a balance on the programme. We both rely on each other to deliver the scripts effectively.

How has your experience on the show been?
I have always had a passion for presentation and I had been doing it on radio regularly while TV presentation was more of an off-and-on thing. As such, I saw the opportunity to present on the show as a fulfilling one and I have never regretted it since then. The show takes us into the lives and minds of the great people behind the great movies that we love to see. It’s been an interesting journey. Thankfully, the show has also been well-received by many people and we are even working harder at improving on its success.

As a married woman and mother, how do you manage your career and the family?
God is the only one that can help in that regard. I would never claim to know it all or have a magic wand or handbook that I use. I simply rely on God, plus I have a husband that understands. Also, wisdom is profitable to direct in all things. I apply wisdom to anything I do. Marriage is not a child’s play, but with God, all things are not only possible, but easy. Like someone said, “Marriage is the only institution where you’re issued a certificate even before you start the course.” This sounds like a funny quote, but it is true.

The comedy industry is apparently male-dominated. How have you managed to survive this far?
I see male comedians as my boyfriends. They are my brothers and I just have this way of asserting to them that they need to watch my back always. I have a lot of uncles and brothers in the industry and they’ve been living up to that calling. Also, some people have jokingly told me that I’m not a woman in that strict sense of the word, because I behave like the guys when it comes to setting goals and achieving them. I’m not the easily daunted or intimidated type; so I always believe that I can hold my own anywhere. If a man can do it, why not a woman?

What challenges did Tatafo face before becoming who she is today?
As an entertainer, the major challenge back then was recognition. I was trying to build a base and in a populous country like Nigeria where many talents also abound, it was not an easy task.

In general, it was challenging growing up, being raised by disciplinarians. I learnt a lot of things very quickly. My mother and grandmother never really believed in pampering anyone, so they instilled discipline in me at an early stage. I remember some particular instances when my mother would ask me to understudy the way a particular newscaster, actor/actress, etc. was pronouncing words on TV or radio and replicate same. I think she discovered the entertainer in me at an early stage and decided to drill me in preparation for the task ahead.
Also, juggling many jobs at the same time was also another challenge. After my secondary school education, I decided to take up some office work. I started working as a receptionist at Eko Reelmix and juggled this with being an assistant producer at Yotomi Television. At the same time, I began recording jingles for individuals, companies and organisations.

How educated are you?
I am currently undertaking a PhD in Theater Arts. I obtained my graduate and Masters degrees in the same field in 2010 and 2012 respectively. Also, I have undertaken several certification programmes in different disciplines, notable among which are a Certificate in Media Enterprise from the School of Media and Communication of the Pan-African University, as well as a Certificate in Basic Presentation from the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN). I have some others in the offing.

What are the projects you have in sight?
I have a lot of projects in the pipeline. My show ‘Helen Paul and Tatafo Show’ debuted at the MUSON Centre last year, with a follow-up edition at the University of Lagos (UNILAG). The show will soon continue in a bigger and better way by God’s grace, and I also have several movie projects in the making but that would be ace up my sleeves for now and would be revealed in due course.

My music project is also another area I’m working on. I hope to do a lot of collaborations with some artistes that I admire pretty soon. And I’m also working on a talk show that promises to be very interesting. This is also still under wraps for now but will be set in motion pretty soon.

What is style to you?
Style for me is freedom; freedom to express myself and to be myself. It is something defined by me, designed for me and with my signature appended to it. Although, I keep a keen eye on trends and fads, I tend to wear whatever suits me and makes me comfortable.

source: tribune.com.ng