Popular gospel singer, Dr. Uduak Daniel, who is also an Assistant Director at the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), is reputed for her work in prevention programming, gender and organisational development and research.
But her popularity stems more from her exploits as a gospel artiste who speaks Ibibio, English, French and Chinese.
Daniel, whose past concerts in Abuja and outside the shores of Nigeria remain etched in the memories of her fans, speaks with about her Pan-African look, her scientific works and music.
Excerpts:
How would you say your early life has influenced the person that you are today?
I grew up in a home where love was easily expressed and the girl-child was esteemed. Even though my parents were disciplinarians, they taught us to be ourselves. We are five children—four ladies and a man—but each of us has our peculiarities. My parents understood and appreciated that. I have adopted that in raising my children. No two people are the same.
We were pretty comfortable and well taken care of. So, when it comes to being principled, I was not only taught but exemplified. There was time for everything. My parents had no favourites; at least not to our knowledge. My dad treated us like royalty and that boosted my self-esteem. I had a few fears, but I also knew I was safe.
How that has helped me today?
I am simply happy with who I am. It has informed my philosophy, which is to live fulfilled and die emptied. I do not have to be another person to make an impact. My parents are late, but the ideals and values that they instilled in us live on. This is real impact.
What is your educational background?
I lived in Cambridge, England from October 1988 to January 1997. Soon after I graduated in 1991, I worked till August 93 as a system development engineer at a Cambridge-based company called CEDAR Audio Ltd. It specialises in restoring degraded audio signal. CEDAR stands for Computer Enhanced Digital Audio Restoration. I started my Ph. D studies in October 1993 with the Signal Processing and Communications Lab, Department of Engineering, Cambridge University, under the supervision of Prof. Peter Rayer. The funding was kindly provided by the Croucher Foundation. My main research interest was Blind Signal Separation, which involves separating signals from mixed observed data. For example, separating the voices of speakers who are speaking simultaneously.
I had been an active member of the Cambridge University Chinese Society (CUCS). I was elected as the president of CUCS for 1990-1991. I used to teach at the Cambridge Chinese Community School every Sunday. I have always wanted to learn to speak more languages. Between January and April 2006, Irene and I decided to do a three-month full time French language course in France, spending six weeks in Antibes, South of France, and six weeks in Paris. Between April and May 2007, we spent two weeks in Lyon too. We studied for a total of six weeks between September and November 2009 at a Japanese language school called Yamasa Institute in Okazaki, Japan.
Tell us about your journey to being a Ph.D holder.
Like every journey in life, I aspired for it and worked towards it. I had always wanted to do genetics. From the time I first saw Dolly the cloned sheep on TV while I was in secondary school, I knew this would be the future path for medicine. It wasn’t easy because it was expensive. But I’m glad I made it through. It’s just life.
I attended St. Catherine’s model school for my primary education. Next was Our Lady of Apostles Secondary School, Yaba, where I obtained my West African School Certificate (WASC). I was at Trinity College, Cambridge University to read Electrical and Information Science at the Department of Engineering. I obtained a BA (Hon.) degree in 1991 and MA in 1994.
I studied Biology at University of Calabar’s Department of Biological Sciences. I obtained a BSc (Hon.) degree in 1992, PGDM in 1997 and MPh 2006. In 2011, I enrolled in the Division of Genetics of the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, South Africa. I obtained PhD in Human Genetics and Genomics in 2015.
We understand that you are in the public service. Where do you work?
I work at the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), where I am an Assistant Director.
Can you explain more what human genetics and genomics is about?
Ah! I am going to talk now with the simplicity of a development practitioner. Let me try and explain by painting a picture: a human being is an organism, and an organism is made up of trillions of cells. Liken a cell to an avocado pear; in its center is the seed, right? That is how the cell is. It has a core called the nucleus. Inside the nucleus, there are double-stranded structures called the DNA. So back to our avocado pear, what you see inside the seed are X-like DNA, but each stroke of the X is double, so there are actually four strands. Okay?
These DNAs are composed of genes. See where the term genetics come from? These contain specific set of instructions and information in a coded form. These are called genetic codes and they determine traits – health, development, growth etc. It is the distinctions in these genetic codes and subsequently traits that make every human being unique.
The DNAs don’t stay straight in the nucleus; they coil up to form chromosomes. Every human cell inherits two sets of chromosomes from each parent. So I am a woman and I have two X chromosomes from my mum and two X chromosomes from my dad. You have two X chromosomes from your mum and two Y chromosomes from your dad. The Y chromosome is what makes you a man.
So human genetics is the study of how inheritance occurs in the human being. Is that okay?
Now to human genomics. The word “genome” is a compound word; it comes from gene and chromosome. Simply put, genome is the entire DNA in the human being or cell. Remember the chromosome is coiled up DNA that is composed of genes. Human genomics is the study of how the genome (all the DNAs) is structured and how they function. I hope you weren’t confused? This is where the future of medicine is heading. It is no more generalised medicine but personalised medicine. It’s an interesting field.
As a scientist and gospel artist, how were you able to combine the love of the sciences with the love of the arts?
Each has its place and so it’s easy to love both distinctly. I was brought up, like I said earlier, to objectively assess what I do or where I am at any point in time. So, combining arts and science has not been difficult at all. I am a scientist and an artiste, period!
What informed your decision to go into music?
(Laughs) I loved music while growing up. I mimicked every musician I fancied. And then I realized I could compose. I’d express my emotions with lyrics composed using my English composition skills which I learnt in secondary school. By the time I was in the university, I had kind of mastered the art of composition and performance. And then God started drawing my attention to certain things which I could express through songs. God influenced my choice of going into music. It was another way of saying what I wanted to say.
At what point did you go into music?
When I felt it was time to do so professionally. And that was in 2001.
How did your parents react to it?
Ah! They were my number one fans! My parents attended all my concerts, ministrations in churches or events. They believed in me and encouraged me when I was weak. They were part of my audience. They loved to be in all my performances.
Was it all about talent or you also got some training in music?
Talent definitely has to be polished for the skill to come forth, so I am constantly training. I have done some voice training and jazz singing training. I still get trained in lyric composition. Training is continuous.
Tell us about some of your songs and the motivations for them.
Oh, that is some task. I will summarise like this: the motivation for my first album, Hold On, was the confidence that I had something unique and timeless to offer to the world. My second work, The Father’s Heart, was the first ever live recording in Calabar. I was motivated by Integrity Music’s live recordings. It was a show of professionalism which I felt could be replicated. I needed people to relive the prophetic moments we had during that concert. The third work, Uduak Daniel, was motivated by the need to keep in touch with my fans. I knew I would be on a long hiatus and had to tell them out of sight wasn’t out of mind. It was motivated by the transformation I had had off the scenes: the transformation of coming to terms with the fact that I was wired for the marketplace ministry in all ramifications.
What else would I be using the degrees and experiences in the development world for if it wasn’t to understand my audience? Like Apostle Paul said, I am all things to all men. What it means is that I understand where those I am called to are. I understand the settings, the mindset, the language and perspectives. I can present a song in a way that will appeal to the intellectual. I do the genre that appeals to them; that is Jazz. I understand how the noble mind thinks. And I understand that even though they are scarce, God knows and loves them too. So here I am today. All these years, my prayers have always been for me to be where God wants me to be. I don’t think this prayer will change.
Gospel music is a terrain where only a few artistes last. What is your staying power?
Constant and consistent confirmations that I am doing what I ought to be doing; that I am reaching an audience many Gospel artists don’t reach; that I am an oracle of God, called to be a light. There is no higher calling.
You are also a song writer. How do you combine that with singing?
Again, it’s easy. I write when I need to write and sing when it’s time to sing. And when I find myself in a situation where I have to compose and at the same time sing on stage, because this is how prophetic songs come, I know as a prophet that it is the right message for the time. I’m used to that. It is called Tehillah. The taste of the pudding is in the eating.
Which has been your best concert?
Hmm, I think my best concert so far has been the Colours Concert. That was in December 2016. It was my first after a six-year hiatus. It was in an exotic restaurant in Abuja, gated, well attended and very professional. I have had seven concerts between 2002 and 2017. At places like the poolside, showrooms, at the beach and in church. The last was the Kase Concert at the Marina Resort, Calabar.
What other hobbies do you have apart from singing?
Oh, I love to travel!
If you have to choose between singing and your civil service career, which will you choose?
That will be singing. All that I am right now is to equip me to deliver appropriately. This is the skill we are talking about. I know how to stand before the intellectual high and low because I am an intellectual by God’s grace. I am just wired to sing. But I have been blessed to use both secular work and talent to contribute to the development of mankind.
How about marriage?
I’m happily married with two children.
Music must have taken you to places. Tell us about some of your travels and what projects you are working on.
Where do I start from? First, I have travelled to all the continents; at least one country in all the continents because I do a lot of work in the marketplace. I naturally perform at corporate events – AGMs, retreats, brand awareness and sensitizations. Amazing how corporate entities just want to know what the mind of God is for their businesses. One needs to be ‘silked’ to come before kings.
What are you working on now?
Right now, I am working on the post-production of the last two concerts; a collabo with some African artistes and concerts for the marketplace in Uyo, Lagos and, if possible, Port Harcourt. I look forward to ministering on churches’ platforms too. We have a lot of people in the marketplace who just want to enjoy mature and anointed gospel music in the church. I’m looking forward to teaching our churches how to do music that will get them in and not out of church. Christians deserve to be happy. No reason why someone will leave the world and come into church to cope with standards far below what they were used to!
How would you describe yourself?
I am very prayerful, understanding, loving, beautiful, hardworking, focused, fun-loving and passionate.
What kind of clothes and accessories do you like wearing?
I like the Pan African look, so I dress African most of the time. I like to be identified as a Nigerian so I wear Nigerian a lot. I design and I love to wear my designs. My style can be described as simple and sophisticated. I wear fitting accessories, but I really love wristwatches, rings and shoes. I can’t do without rings and watches. Sometimes belts too.
Do you see more females coming into the music scene here in Nigeria now and in future?
Sure. The field is ripe.
Do you still find time to go into the kitchen to cook?
Yes I do. I love decorating too.
Can you also dance?
Oh, I can dance very well.
What do you value the most?
Relationships.
If you were not what you are now, what else would you have loved to be?
I’m all I dreamt I would be; that is, a wife, mother, minister, musician, author, public speaker and researcher. I already have so much on my hands.
What is your beauty secret?
I eat healthy foods, exercise, pray and stay away from stress. – Culled from The Nation.
