Entertainment of Saturday, 1 March 2014

Source: samuel a. baah

I suffered depression - Mimi admits

One time Big Brother Africa (BBA) Ghanaian representative and singer Mimi Andani who now prefers to be called Habiba has finally confessed to her fans that her reaction towards Okay fm’s Abeiku Santana was as a result of depression.

He told Dr Poundz in an interview on Hip Hop Gh, a music show on Pluzz 89.9 fm which features musicians from all walks of life for promotional purposes. Mimi talked about her latest album which is yet to be released including recounting some of the happenings in her life after BBA Season 3 in 2008.

She says she decided to change her name to Habiba because of the original identity she wanted her fans to know her as a lady who comes from the North: Dagomba to be specific. “I want people to call me Habiba but I can’t force it in their throat. So when people call me Mimi, I still respond”. Mimi`s fans should be ready to receive her second album soon which will feature many artistes including Flavour Nabania, E.L, Apatse whilst she is looking forward to working with some of the nation’s finest female musicians like Efya, Sherifa Gunu, Kaaki, Eazzy, Becca and Tiffany.

“The industry does not have more women collaborating with themselves because you know women have their own issues, but I will try to work with one or two and the person should be somebody I can really gel with musically”.

After two years of missing in action in the music arena, Mimi is now back and she is saying that, without Big Brother Africa, she would not have done anything music. “When I came back from Big Brother, some industry people like Abeiku Santana advised that after the fame gotten from the reality show, I could do music and it will be easy to market it. I took the advice and this is where I am today so I can say without Big Brother, I am not Mimi” She revealed.

Habiba was of the view that Big Brother comes with some carefulness when you are fresh in the house with the knowledge of cameras all over you but one becomes normal after some few weeks of staying in the house. “Yes, it was true some people used to bath naked in the house but I always did that in bikini. Even with the bikini, I cleaned the place well. I think for the last Big Brother, Selly and Elikem had buzz which was good but it was not like our time where only the rich had access to DSTV so a few watched the show” she added.

Then came the moment of truth when Dr Poundz asked her what happened before she flashed her yellow panty at Okay fm when Abeiku Santana alleged that she has been wearing Chinese panties. “Like you said it was exaggerated. I went to Okay fm but I did not flash my pants. It was the media people who exaggerated the story. Who does that? You should know I am a Dagomba woman, we don't do that.

When I heard Abeiku was “fooling” in the studio with me, I decided to go there and warn him because Abeiku is my friend and he should not do that to me. I got there and I started insulting him that he should come out to face me if he was a woman like me. I never flashed my panty. But now we are very close and I am sane too. I am very close to everybody including my fans, especially those on social media because I am very friendly on social media” she added.

Mimi is currently promoting her latest single “I like am”, a danceable track featuring Nigeria`s Selebobo. The song has started receiving rotation on radio and on some social media platforms.