The vivacious and plus-size singer Maria Benjamin is from Benue state, as is Nigerian Afropop icon Innocent Idibia, known as 2Baba. Beyond their common home state, the duo make great music. While 2Baba is a legend in the music industry, Maria Benjamin is a rookie, quietly and diligently making a name for herself as the ‘Queen of Patwa’ by fusing Afropop with RnB. It’s no wonder that music giant ‘African Queen’ had no qualms about joining forces with her on her debut single “Imi,” which she dedicated to couples to come together through thick and thin.
Maria Benjamin, who is back with a new song titled “419” from the EP she is currently working on, explains why she featured the iconic singer on her debut single.
“Everyone knows that 2Face is a legend and the most inspiring musician of our time. 2Baba doesn’t just sing, his music inspires. His music inspires me. It is not only the largest brand locally, but also internationally outside of Africa. Working with him was a great honor and a completely new experience for me. The single “Imi” is a song to inspire married couples, that no matter what they are going through, they should stick together and try to make things work, “he said.
In his new single “419”, Benjamin revealed that he was inspired by a situation between two girls and a boy that he experimented in a restaurant some time ago.
“I was in a restaurant and a lady came in, after a boy and a girl also entered. Soon after, I found out that the boy is dating the two girls. He seems to love one very much and seems to be collecting money from the other. I saw that he was staying with the two girls for love and money. When I got home that day, I remembered all the drama. Thus was born the song “419”. It’s about what evil men do in the game of love and lust, ”he said.
With the talent she has shown in the trade of making music, Maria Benjamin believes that it was the music that chose her and not the other way around. He started out with music at school as a member of a group known as “The White Doves” and went on to release an album.
His first musical endeavor was the version of the Brick and Lace hit “Love is Wicked.” When he made a Nigerian version of it, putting his Patwa to good effect and gaining wide acceptance, he knew he had a fruitful future ahead of him. And the best point that could have underscored his conviction is getting 2Baba to support his career by appearing on his single.
Maria Benjamin has two other bachelors to her name, namely; “Gudu” with 2Tight and “Nnamdi ‘. His two best music mentors are Tiwa Savage and 2Baba.
