Tonto Dikeh disappoints with debut single

In the last 48 hrs, Tonto Dikeh’s latest singles, Hi and Itz Ova, have become two of the most listened and downloaded tracks, with over 500,000 views.

Dikeh, who joined the bandwagon of other actors who succumbed to the moonlighting itch to delve into singing, has been lampooned and criticised for the lack lustre quality and uninspiring singles which went viral shortly after its release on Wednesday.

After announcing the planned release of singles last week, the actress was advised by fans and critics to forget music and concentrate on acting.

Ironically, Hi and Itz Ova have caused a Twitter disaster and left in its trail criticisms and knocks, mostly from disappointed fans over the ‘auto-tune’ assisted tracks.

As if coming from an ill-advised artiste, the song which lacks cohesion from start, ends up losing the listener at some point, as the singer also sounds unsure of her lyrics. The over-use of lewd lines is also a cause for concern, especially for younger listeners.

Not surprising, the first set of jabs emanated from Twitter and in an instant the sultry star became a trending topic. Chocolate City artiste, M.I sparked off a stream of tweets, when he wrote, “That new Tonto song tho…”

Other comments came from followers like @ifyliciouss who wrote, “Are u tired of living? Do you want to die? Put on your earpiece and listen to Tonto Dike’s new single.

@iAmBigMitch said, “Tonto Dikeh sang that song for psychiatric patients” while @kayc sugarboy wrote, “Tonto Dikeh’s new single is good but I think she better as an actress.So, please pass the Mic!!!”

For @walesleek, it was humour unlimited with the tweet, “Tonto Dikeh just dropped her new single, be very afraid! “

For a smart few, complimenting Dikeh was all it took to get a follow back, mention or re-tweet by the budding singer. This ploy did not however go unnoticed by a smart follower who mentioned that God was watching all those who were hyping her to get noticed.

But just when one was about to conclude that none of her colleagues was yet to speak in favour of the tracks or otherwise, controversial filmmaker, Charles Novia, who was lashed by e Dikeh on Twitter ,after he criticised the soft porn film she starred in two years ago, penned a worded article on his Facebook page titled, Tonto’s Tremolo.

It partly read, “I’m a music label owner (November Records) and have produced and acts like Majek Fashek, Terry tha Rapman, Zubby Enebeli etc. I know much about music and the slant of commercial music. But after listening to Miss Dike’s songs, I’m inclined to align with the majorly negative comments about them on cyberspace. Ah-ah! Whoever produced her knew she has a bad voice for singing and masked our listening torture with the autotune effect. But even the autotune rejected any attempt to make a bad voice worse and Miss Dike came out sounding like she was in mid-stream orgasm instead of singing! Her anguished tremolos would have been better reserved for a horror movie sound effect than an attempt at joining the revered profession of music. If Omotola got away with her last two terrible attempts at singing, it was because Omotola is a fantastic actress and her fans could forgive her musical failings after back-tracking her body of work in Nollywood. With Tonto, I can’t say much either for her acting depth. She’s a one-dimensional actress in my opinion, who mistakes notoriety for fame.”

Although Dikeh is not the first Nollywood actor to have delved into music, the many controversies she has courted, coupled with how much she boasted about the tracks before its release, made her plight worse.

Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, for instance made several attempts in music despite two albums; the actress who claims that her music is not for everyone is yet to make an impact.

After she was suspended by the Actors’ Guild in 2005, Genevieve Nnaji also took a shot at music with the release of the song No More, after clinching a mouth-watering recording deal in Ghana.Yet this was not even enough to make her a force to reckon with in the music industry. Also, Anita Joseph, who recently announced that she is born again, is yet to make any spectacular statement as a singer despite several singles and colourful videos.

Other Nollywood stars who have gone into music include Nkem Owoh, Shan George, Zack Orji, Pat Attah, Desmond Elliot and Kate Henshaw.