How was it being the host of the Season 1 and 2 of Nigeria Got Talent show?
It was fun. I am usually not the person that gets blown away by the things I do for a living but NGT is probably one exception. It is always more fun as it builds up. It gets packed with endless adrenalin until at a point, you just pray for it to finish. Towards the end of the show, you pray that someone who you think is worth it would come out tops.
Do you usually have a favourite at the show?
Absolutely. But I would never say it loud. Not even the crew members knew who my favourites were. It is always professional to separate your individual emotions from your role as a representative of a brand and franchise. Yes, even if you like one of the contestants, you will not bring it up or talk about it in the work place. It is absolutely not allowed. You keep quiet and give everybody the same treatment and let chance and skill play the last role left.
How did you get to be a part of NGT?
I got a call one day. I think it was in 2012. I was asked to attend an audition for a TV show. At this point, I was a full time member of staff of Nigezie. I already knew even before then that I was going to resign from Nigezie. I had spent four years there and I wanted to break out and find out what else I was good at. I wasn’t even in Lagos when I got that call. I told the person that called me I would give her a call when I return to town. I tried calling the number back but I couldn’t get through. I felt I had missed it. I decided to let it go. Thereafter, I resigned from Nigezie. I was in middle of producing a TV show and I got a call from another number. The person reminded me that somebody from their office had earlier called me about the audition and they wanted to find out if I was available. I went for the audition.
How did it go?
I walked in there completely blind because I didn’t have a script. I saw the likes of Sound Sultan and Gideon Okeke and I felt it was a set up. I didn’t know how I was going to make it with these ‘heavy’ entertainers. Anyway, I sat through the audition. Twenty minutes before the audition, I realised everybody got a script except me. It was an error though. Anyway, I got mine and I jammed the lines as quickly as I could.
So you weren’t confident you would make it at first?
Not really. But then, I also felt I had an upper hand given the fact that I was with Nigezie for a couple of years. Kwame (CEO 0f Nigezie) would always make us improvise even when we didn’t have a script. So it wasn’t a major stress for me to adapt. I got a call few days later and I got the job.
Granted you wanted to do something else with your life but most people still couldn’t understand why you left Nigezie.
I used to work on radio. I was with Rhythm 93. 7 Port Harcourt. I left there in 2008 because I had pretty much done everything there was to do on that platform. I came in as an amateur. I was the youngest person in that office for a long time. But I learnt the ropes. I became the head of programmes for the station for a while. I met Kwame in 2008. He came to audition for presenters in Port Harcourt for the then brand new Nigezie platform. People recommended me to him to be the judge for the audition process. We were on set and out of the blues, Kwame looked at me and said he didn’t understand why we had to do the audition when I was there. He asked me if I would want to work on TV. Before then, I had never given it a thought. I told him to give me a while to think about it. But I didn’t follow it up. He called me a few weeks later to ask me if I was still thinking about the offer. He encouraged me to try it out and I came to Lagos. Well, I decided to take it. I did every single show at Nigezie. I was a presenter, a director, creative director and so many other things. In fact, I had done everything. I wanted to keep on learning. But when I realised there wasn’t much room to expand, I spoke to Kwame about my decision to leave.
How did he take it?
At Nigezie, we saw ourselves as family members. Kwame and I were more of friends. It was a tough decision for me to make. I asked myself if I was being fair to my friend. But when I spoke to him about it, he said he was okay with it and he gave me his blessings. He said he wouldn’t hold it against me. He said we would always be friends. I left Nigezie because I realised I could be tempted and become so comfortable to not keep growing. It wasn’t an easy decision.
Have you always wanted to be a presenter?
No, not even remotely. I never considered radio or TV. It was never in my career path. But I thought I was going to be a writer. I have always enjoyed writing, so I naturally assumed I would end up being a writer.
So what were you doing before you joined the radio?
I was a bricklayer. I was a mason.
How?
I went through a path in my life when I wasn’t the wisest of the young men. I made a lot of avoidable mistakes. When I came to my senses and decided to live more responsibly, one of the things I had to do to make a living was bricklaying. I was a mason for a while. I was actually a mason when the call for auditions for Rhythm 93 came up. I didn’t even hear about the auditions.
Who told you about it?
My brother heard about it and made my life a living hell until I attended the audition.
You said you didn’t live responsibly, why was that?
When I was younger, I was very rough around the edges. I gave my mother the worst of time as a child. I am still trying to atone for that. I got tired of breaking her hearts and I decided I was going to be better. But deciding to be better is one thing and the people believing you is another thing. I was the black sheep in my home.
What of your father?
My parents parted ways when I was pretty younger. My father passed away some years ago. He wasn’t around most of the time. My mother is proud of me now and she doesn’t stop telling me that. There is no day she doesn’t tell me.
How do you feel being a father?
Sleepless. It is a sleepless role. It is a perpetual work in progress. You never think you are good enough or you are doing good enough or doing right enough. It is difficult but I am lucky. I have two beautiful daughters. They are very emotive. They let you know how they feel without saying a word. Fatherhood has been one of the biggest lessons in my life. It opened my eyes to a lot of things.
When are you going to marry their mother?
There are areas of my life which are open to the public and there are areas which are completely private. This area is blocked off.
So many people don’t know you are related to Kate Henshaw…
Kate and I are cousins. The Henshaw family is huge. I and Kate’s brother have known each other probably since I was seven. I knew Kate but she didn’t know me. She knew me by reputation until we met during the season 1 of NGT. Before now, the Henshaw in my name wasn’t utilised as it is now. I was majorly known as Andre Blaze. It was in 2012 that I decided to add my surname to my twitter bio.
Working on TV should have exposed you to female fans, how do you deal with them?
I don’t have female fans. I am not that handsome. I have no problem in that area. But then, I respect my fans. I love them a great deal. It never ceases to amaze me that there are people who have followed my works. They just like what I do. I love all my fans and I don’t have psycho female fans who do weird things. I have been lucky.
How was growing up?
It was fun. I grew up like every other normal child. My brothers taught me all I know. I grew up in a large family. I was a very stubborn person. I knew I was going to be prominent. I knew I could do better in life, maybe not become popular or famous, but I knew I could do better than I was doing. It was one of the things that drove me and still drives me to improve myself.
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