Titi Babalola (aka Tee-Eye) is a trained HR administrator with over 25 years working experience spanning various industry ranging from Oil & Gas, Banking & Finance, Publishing, a Non-Profit/Charity organisation, just to mention a few. As a young child, she enjoyed singing and writing which made her join the choir in her local church as well as the debating society in school. Titi later developed her writing skill by taking a course in Speech Writing which boost her skill that came in handy when she started writing songs. In her repertoire is almost a hundred songs ready for recording and much more in development.
Your blog site, ‘Tee-Eye’, ascribes: “a singer, songwriter, worshipper and minister with a great passion for God’s Kingdom and to see Him glorified here on earth.” Tell us what else there is about Titi Babalola (aka Tee-Eye)
Every perfect gift comes from God and He just doesn’t give us gifts just for the fun of it or for us to just be blessed by these gifts for ourselves. God’s gifts are for the purpose of ministering to Him first and to minister to others. In the process of doing this, the bearer of the gift gets blessed as well for scripture tells us that it is in blessing that we are also blessed.
How did your interest in music start?
It’s always been innate and as you grow older, you find means to explore the interest. It’s no good when you have something within you and you keep it to yourself, not allowing anyone else to experience it. That would be selfish! So, the desire to want others to be blessed by the gift that is within me triggered the interest and I began to associate myself with anything that had to do with music.
How would you describe your music?
Hmnnnn…My music is a message! It brings upliftment, inspiration and motivation to the hearer. That is why I would not just call myself a singer, but also a minister. I set out to minister life and comfort in every song I sing so that the hearer would not just enjoy the beats but have a message to hold on to at the end of the day.
Your single, “Your Pleasure, My Desire” seems to be everywhere on the social media sphere. Talk us through the feedback from listeners
Wow! That song blesses me every time I listen to it. And to be honest, I didn’t plan to record it when I did, but I believe the Holy Spirit nudged me to record it at the time I did. The feedback has been awesome! People have received it well and I have got messages from people I do not know how the Lord has touched their lives using the song. A few people commented that they picked up the song as if it was something they knew before and have not been able to stop singing it. I give God all the glory for all the wonderful feedback from both believers and unbelievers.
You obviously do a lot of writing. How well has your background in the communication arts served you in your current ministry?
Seriously, you can’t be an HR administrator and not do a lot of writing! It comes with the job. But sincerely, I love writing and when I was in the Publishing industry as a member of the editorial team, I used to churn out stories after stories. It was great! However, there was not much financial reward in that industry at the time, I don’t know about now (LOL) and that was why I left it for the Banking & Finance industry. Nonetheless, that foundation helped me a lot as I am quite grounded and my imagination as well as creativity very much alive. Thank God for that!
Let’s be honest, why Gospel and not R’N’B or soul music?
Like I said earlier, my music is a message. Most secular music I hear these have no depth in terms of lyrics…it’s all about the beats! That’s not what I am about. I am about uplifting, inspiring and motivating. That’s is the crux of Gospel!
As a motivational speaker and coach, what motivates you in wanting to motivate others?
Well, I believe that no man is an island. When you motivate others, someone would motivate you! No one can claim to know it all. At the end of the day, if you coach or mentor someone, there’s someone coaching or mentoring you. Jesus Christ told His disciples that He will not leave them alone, but He will come to them. He was referring to the Holy Spirit that He would release to us to help us…uplift, inspire and motivate us. So as a carrier of the Holy Spirit, I cannot but seek to motivate others because there’s so much within to give! I cannot be silent!
What’s the biggest crowd you have performed in front of, and where?
It was at the Summer Festival of Praise 2018 tagged SFoP 2018 organised by CCLC, House of Mercy in the UK.
Should you have to write a book now, what would be your focal point?
It would be a book talking about the challenges of being a matured Single Christian lady. Single people seem to be the outcast & forgotten a lot in the Church and it is even worse if you’re a single parent. There’s so much a single person can give, but it is usually overlooked. So, I would love to write a book enumerating the challenges and encouraging single people out there that they are not alone, and that God has not forgotten them.
Should fans expect a book alongside an album release than in the near future?
Well…possibly. Never say never! Nothing is impossible with God.
The trend in Gospel music is to fuse it into other genres (or vice versa) so much that the message is often caught (or at the extreme end, lost) in the rhythm. How do you intend to set yourself apart?
The thing in music is that you need to captivate the audience with what they love but being mindful that you do not lose the message. For example, with my debut single ALO (Story), I was able to deliver my message using a fusion of Afro Beat. I have performed the track at various events and the message which is that of deliverance has been quite prominent.
SNOOPS
- First recorded song – ALO (Story)
- Your wildest dream – To win a Grammy
- Most ever extravagant purchase – I’m quite prudent so not made one yet (LOL)
- Total number of songs recorded so far – 11 (2 released, others to be released shortly)
- 3 words to describe Christendom – Love, Patience, Sacrifice
- Favourite Gospel artiste of all time – Sinach
Artiste’s Dialogue arranged by Franklyn Frantos
(franklyn.frantos@feferity.com)
for: Feferity Media