‘My Daughter Is A Blessing To Me’ – Jerrilyn

Jerrilyn Mulbah, the young Liberian girl who hit National TV on the platform of the West African Idol reality show back in 2007 has resurfaced. The 27 year old mother of one is back to take on the Nigerian Music scene with her delectable voice and friendly character. Nigerian Entertainment Today got talking with the young singer as she shared her experience at The West African Idols, her growing up years in Liberia and her daughter..

How has life been for you after Idols?

It has been interesting so far. After idols, I have worked for the United Nations on their Anti-rape campaign in Liberia. I worked along with Stephanie Okereke the Nigerian actress where we talked about rape in Liberia. We discovered that, after the war, a lot of that has been happening so, we try to intervene through the campaign the best way possible and it was a good opportunity for me since am from Liberia.

What was your experience at West African Idol?

It was interesting. Some people said, ‘this girl who sings so well you should go for the competition’, and then you get there and people tell you ‘oh your voice is like this, your voice is like that’ there were people who sent me messages saying I did well, I can do better which was really encouraging. You know I remember somebody said ‘dingdong the bitch is dead’ and it was challenging inside of me, but I still got over it. I really learned a lot. It also helped me because, with all my experiences, I don’t know where I would be now if not for the competition that brought me out.

How would you say you have grown so far based on experiences life has shown you?

One good thing is I have learned to easily walk away somehow and not hold on to so much of the past anymore. I believe, if you don’t bury the pain of the past, you cannot embrace the joy of the future. I have faced a lot of challenges as a whole in Nigeria just being here by myself because, I don’t know anybody. It is just I and my daughter. Sometimes you seat and you just want to have your family around to talk to. But when you try to make friends and the first thing they say is ‘oh she has a child and all that’. Well, am getting use to it and I keep telling myself this is life and I have to face it. Whenever am face with challenges, I just pray to God to help me sleep that day, when I sleep and wake up the next day I tell myself, this is another day so move on.

What was life like for you in Liberia before the war brought you to Nigeria?

Well, life for me has been in faces and it has been challenging. Back in Liberia I lived with my late mum who died when we came into Nigeria. But, I was separated from my mum for a long time because her supposed best friend sold me to a soldier for fish. She denies ever knowing me or my mother when she was confronted. I was taken to the soldier’s family house where I stayed while my mum looks all over for me till she found a good Samaritan whom she shows my picture in a bus after she was beaten by a group of soldiers. After my mother found me, the war began so, we kept seeking for refuge, moving from one county to another till we landed in Nigeria. This time I was seven months pregnant. We came with my ‘fiancé’ whom I met back in Liberia but he is a Nigerian from Abia State.

How old is your daughter?

My daughter is seven years old.

Is she with her father?

No! She lives with me, am raising her.

How was it for you while you were pregnant?

While I was pregnant I thought of having an abortion but, I had this dream one night where I was walking down a road with my cousin and just in the bush we heard the cry of a little baby. I traced the voice and found a little baby on the floor covered with grass. I reached for the baby and the next thing, the baby spoke to me and said ‘please don’t kill me’. When I woke up, I spoke to my God-mother about the dream and she said to me ‘the dream means two things, if you are pregnant, if you have an abortion you either die or you never have children again if you survive it’. It was at that point I decided to have my baby girl and she has been a blessing to me. I am so glad I have her.

Do you communicate with your baby’s father?

I really don’t. After my mother died, I never heard from him till after Idols. He came to me and said ‘I saw you in the papers, can we come back together to have a family’. Well I told him no because, anybody who cannot love me when am nothing, you just cannot love me when I am something.

What do you mean ‘love me when am nothing’?

Well, I did not get back with him after idols because that is not true love. During the Liberian war, when I and my mother came with him to Nigeria, we were not treated well at all. His parents did not like the fact that I am not Nigerian. When he was in my country, I took good care of him but, he changed completely when I got to Nigeria. I and my mum stayed in his place and because of his attitude towards me, my mum had to get this job at Omole in order to fend for I am my unborn child. Well she died eventually from injection overdose in a hospital here in Lagos. He did not even show up at the hospital when my mum died only for him to show up when he saw me in the papers after idol? No way!

What inspired the song ‘Molejo’?

Molejo is a song about my bouncing back from all that I have faced in my life. I have been through a whole lot and now I am on top of the world so Molejo for that reason. I thank God for everything.

What is your advice to women like you out there?

Back in the days, it was impossible for mothers to discuss sex education with their children, and like it is, a child goes out to play and she doesn’t know what is right or wrong for her. Her friend says this is ok and she feels my mother didn’t say that this was wrong. In Liberia, sex education is not something people discussed with their children. First of all, parents should be very open with their children especially girls because, we grow faster than boys. To young girls, because you can never tell, please keep your body to yourself till the right time. But if you have to, have protected sex. Parents should try to who their daughters and even the boys are going out with, it helps.

When I got pregnant, I told everybody in my house but, nobody believed me. This was so because, back in Liberia, girls usually do not admit if they are pregnant even when they are dragged to the hospital they deny it. But I told my family and they did not believe me till my tummy started protruding. I tell my seven years old daughter all she needs to know. Imagine my daughter came home crying from a neighbour’s house and, I ask her what was wrong and she said, the boys there told her to come let them do ‘kerewa’, and she said no, that her mummy said she should not allow anybody touch her down there. They told her to leave their compound. You know if I did not take time to teach this little girl sex education where she should not allow boys touch her, she would not know anything is wrong. Finally keep praying for your children.