By Cynthia Johnson
In a recent episode of the “Tea With Tay” podcast, singer Teniola Apata, also known as Teni, revealed that she used to think her older sister, Niniola, was jealous of her singing talent.
Teni explaining why she was of such opinion, reminisced on practice sessions with her sisters as a child, stating that while their eldest sister, Doyin, always praised her voice, Niniola was more critical.
“My elder sister, the one that’s older than Nini (Niniola), Doyin, maybe she was deceiving because she didn’t want to hurt me; she used to tell me I have a melodic voice whenever I sang during my childhood”
Quest Times learned that Niniola on the flip side, would tell her that her voice was not “sweet” hence, she should not be deceived by Doyin’s compliments.
Hurt by Niniola’s criticism, Teni initially felt insecure about her singing. However, she eventually realized that Niniola was only trying to help her.
Teni said that Niniola one day called her aside and told her that she needed to start singing from her stomach. Niniola explained that this would help Teni to develop a stronger and more powerful voice.
“She (Niniola) called me aside and told me not to let Doyin deceive me. She now said, ‘You sing from your stomach.’ So, every time Nini sings, I would watch her sing. So, I also started singing from my stomach.
Teni having taken Niniola’s advice to heart, said she noticed a big difference in her voice immediately thus, she eventually got the chance to prove herself to Niniola when her school organized an event.
“There was a time my school organised an event, I sang and the whole school stood up and clapped for me. I said, ‘I’ve arrived.’
“I went back home to tell Nini that I sang in school and everybody was clapping and she said I should sing what I sang. I sang it and Nini too clapped for me. I said, ‘Okay, we are up to something.’”
The “Gele” crooner who concluded she is now grateful for Niniola’s guidance, crediting her sister with helping her develop her singing talent, said she is lucky to have such a supportive sister.
Watch the video for more details:
View this post on Instagram