Popular Nigerian singer Teniola Apata, known as Teni, recently shared a moment from her past when she believed her elder sister Niniola was jealous of her singing talent.
During an episode of the ‘Tea With Tay’ podcast, Teni took a trip down memory lane and recalled her childhood rehearsals with her sisters.
News About Nigeria reports that she mentioned that her eldest sister, Doyin, used to praise her for having a melodic voice.
However, Niniola, also a singer, had a different perspective and would often provide harsh criticism about her voice.
Teni admitted that she once thought Niniola’s criticisms stemmed from jealousy.
“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 sing during my childhood. Nini, on the other hand, would tell me my voice isn’t sweet. So, I thought she was jealous of me.”
Niniola advised her to not be deceived by their elder sister’s praise and pointed out that Teni sang from her stomach.
Taking Niniola’s feedback to heart, Teni began to sing from her stomach as well.
A pivotal moment in their relationship occurred when Teni performed at her school event, and the entire school applauded her performance.
She excitedly shared the news with Niniola, who then asked her to sing the same song for her.
To Teni’s surprise, Niniola clapped for her, leading her to realize that they were both on a path to greatness.
“There was a time my school organised an event, I sang and the whole school stood up and was clapping 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’.”
