Monica Ene Ogah (born August 7, 1994), commonly known as Monica Ogah, is a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

singer, the 2011 winner of the fourth edition of MTN ''

Project Fame West Africa ''Project Fame'', also known as ''Project Fame West Africa'' or ''MTN Project Fame West Africa'' (for sponsorship purposes), is a music talent TV reality show filmed in Lagos and aired in the West African subcontinent. It is a regional version of ...

''. As a prize, Ogah was given a record deal and her first album, ''Sometime in August'', was released in August 2013.

Early life

The youngest of six children, Monica Ogah was born on August 7, 1994 in

Makurdi Makurdi is the capital of Benue State, located in central Nigeria, and part of the Middle Belt region of central Nigeria. The city is situated on the south bank of the Benue River. In 2016, Makurdi and the surrounding areas had an estimated popul ...

Benue State Benue State is one of the North Central states in Nigeria with a population of about 4,253,641 in 2006 census. The state was created in 1976 among the 7 states created at that time.The state derives its name from the Benue River which is t ...

. She credits her mother, a choir mistress, as one of her earliest influences. She said in an interview with Thisday News: "

other Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

would also remind me of how sweet my voice was when I made those innocent cries which she believed was laced with God's given voice." She further revealed that her father had hoped that she would become a

nurse Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health c ...

and would not support her musical aspirations until she gained entrance into the Project Fame reality show where she would emerge from popular finalists as the victor. Ogah's early education was at Bammco Nursery and Primary School. She later attended Methodist Girls' High School in

Otukpo Otukpo is a town in Benue State, Nigeria located in the Middle Belt Region of Nigeria. It is also the eponymous name of a subgroup of the Idoma people. Otukpo is the headquarters of the Otukpo Local Government Area. It was the headquarters of the ...

, Benue State. Her singing talent was first honed during Sunday school at her childhood church.

Career

Monica Ogah auditioned for the fourth edition of ''Project Fame West Africa'' in August 2011. She made it past the audition stage and was among the nineteen contestants to join the music academy. Ogah shined throughout her time on the show, garnering positive comments from the judges, who praised her performance. On December 18, 2011, she was declared the winner, making her the second female after Chidinma to win the competition. As a prize for the victory, Ogah received a recording contract with Ultima Studios while being managed by Goretti Company. In August 2013, two years after her appearance on Project Fame, Ogah released her debut studio album, ''Sometime in August'', which featured collaborations with singers Wizboyy and Chidinma. Contributions to the album's production came from TY Mix, Del B, Silvastone, Wizboyy, J. Sleek and the Suspekt. Her singing style ranges from R&B, pop, and soul to highlife. Preceding its release, the album's lead single "Body Hug" received significant airplay on radio stations across Nigeria and the song's music video, directed by

Clarence Peters Clarence Abiodun Peters (born 27 July 1978) is a Nigerian music video director, filmmaker and cinematographer. He is the founder and CEO of Capital Dream Pictures, a production company that specialises in the realms of the performing arts, fi ...

achieved considerable popularity. In April 2014, Ogah released an

Igbo language Igbo ( , ; Igbo: ''Ásụ̀sụ́ Ìgbò'' ) is the principal native language cluster of the Igbo people, a meta-ethnicity from Southeastern Nigeria. The number of Igboid languages depends on how one classifies a language versus a dialect, so ...

love song titled "Obim bu nke gi" which features Harrysongz. The music video accompanying the song was filmed in South Africa.

Discography

Studio albums

* ''Sometime in August'' (2013)

Awards and nominations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ogah, Monica Living people 1994 births Nigerian rhythm and blues singer-songwriters 21st-century Nigerian women singers Musicians from Makurdi Musicians from Benue State Nigerian soul singers Nigerian women pop singers Nigerian women singer-songwriters Nigerian singer-songwriters Nigerian highlife musicians Igbo-language singers Nigerian Christians Participants in Nigerian reality television series