Interview: Beri Beri Singer, Dencia Talks Breast Enhancement, Collaboration with Sarkodie and More

The female singer had an exclusive interview with Bella Naija, read excerpt of interview below...

So Dencia, even though you’ve had just a few singles released and are still fresh in the industry, you’ve had a fair share of media attention. For instance, I read in the news that you had a physical fight with your friend, Liz Garvy at an event in Lagos sometime last year? Is this true and what led to it?
The whole media wahala came from a bitter ex friend who went around trying to lie and defame my character after everything I did for her. God will pay her 7D. Then came other little things here and there that I didn’t address or talk about because I am the type of person who stays focused, I don’t let cheap talks distract me, my eyes are on the price. Also I was the new kid on the block, the media was doing what they do best so I really wasn’t worried as I knew that came with what I signed up for.

Also, there have been speculations that you have undergone a breast enhancement surgery. Is this true?
I don’t want to talk about it.

I understand your inhibitions but your silence would only trigger more speculations and comments.
I don’t need people to concentrate on those things that aren’t important. Whatever they wanna say is OK. They can comment but I have decided that I’m not talking about irrelevant things. Whether I address it or not, people will talk so I’d rather not.

You are one of the few African artistes who had their Twitter accounts verified recently. What do you think made you earn this?
Twitter verifies people they think deserve verification and have worked hard somehow to earn the recognition. I was amazed at people’s reactions. 90% of them didn’t know me and still don’t know. They don’t know what I’ve done in the industry back in America that gave me the pass but honestly it wasn’t a big deal. I knew some how I’ll get verified from the first day I joined Twitter. I actually hoped it was sooner.

Also, I read somewhere that you created a Twitter account for your pet dog, Diva. 

Diva has been on Twitter since 2010. It happened when she got missing and my celebrity friends were tweeting about finding her so I thought let me create a Twitter page for her and it’s been there since then. The African media just noticed it but Twitter has dates, you know.

What does your dog, or should I say, you, tweet about?

There’s a thing called Puppy Tweets. You attach to the Dogs collar and when she barks, it tweets her thoughts so Diva tweets cool stuff. Follow her @divathepinkdog.

I’ve seen some pictures of Diva and she looks very pampered. How much do you spend on her averagely in a month?

Diva is very loved and pampered by my family and friends not just me. I don’t keep tab on what I spend on her. She’s priceless although she had a price tag. I just make sure she’s happy, healthy, loved and comfortable.

Take me back to your days as a video vixen. What attracted you to feature in music videos and which videos did you feature in?

Doing music videos came really easy for me. It all started in 2008 in Miami during Spring Bling when Soulja boy took me on stage and I was on there all through for three days. I got to meet a lot of rappers and singers and that Ray J picture that was on Linda Ikeji’s blog claiming was taken last year was in 2008. I moved to LA in Fall 2008 and by that Summer I knew everyone and their mama in the industry. I actually did a few videos only. That wasn’t what I wanted but the pay was good and the opportunity was cool too. I did 50 cents and Jeremih Down On Me, Chris Brown Yeah 3x, Quincy Jones’ Soul Bossa Nostrafeaturing Ludacris among others, Baby Bash’s Fantasy Girl, Hollywood Undead, Pharrell Williams and more. It was fun while it lasted.

When did you start to nurse the idea of singing your own songs and shooting your own videos?

In December 2010 I had the need to turn to my passion. I went into the studio and recorded a track titled Rodeo Drive. I wanted to start in Africa but they said it wouldn’t work, that it’s too Americanized. So I started looking for producers in Africa with blood in my eyes after hearing another song I performed in LA during BET Awards weekend 2011 still was too Yankee. So I finally landed on Tee Y mix. He produced Beri Beri. I liked the beats. Before the song was recorded, I had already written the video treatment and bought fabrics for the videos outfits. I am just crazy like that. Then came Super Girl.

So you’re quite involved in the planning and production of your music videos?

I actually do everything; co-direct, write treatment, get outfits made with Shawnte, like I literally put everything together. I have people who can do it but I think I can do it best. I’ve been around a lot of industry folks who let people handle stuff and they end up not liking the final product. I leave no stone unturned that’s why I barely dance in my videos. The director always says I will crash if I do a lot of dancing but that will change for my new stuff. I will try to let people handle a lot more stuff and put in my all as I rehearse the dance steps.

There is news that you’d be releasing your first music collaboration with Sarkodie soon. Why did you decide to have your first collaboration with Sarkodie and what should we be expecting from that song?

I love Sarkodie and I am humbled he jumped on this. When I hit him up and he heard it, he didn’t even know me and he was like I like, let’s do this. The process getting through to him was a hustle I’d given up on until Yvonne Nelson made it happen. She’s the best. Sarkodie has been very cool. I’ve never met him though, we’ll meet on the video set. I have an amazing video planned.

Let’s talk romantic now. Who is the leading man in Dencia’s life at the moment?

She wishes she had a leading man. Forget the cliché thing all females always say they’re single. I am super single and I have been for so long I don’t even know what romance is anymore. I hope I can still kiss. But trust me, you’ll know when she finds love. I’m a sucker for love and I flaunt it.

Just before you leave Dencia, tell me a secret. Tell me something that a lot of people don’t know about you?

Dencia is cool, down to earth and super funny. I am a talkative too. I sit and crack jokes all day with anyone. The Dencia you see on Twitter taking insults isn’t as quiet as you think. I’m really the opposite of what most people think.

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