Nollywood actress Yvonne Jegede has revealed the surprising circumstances that led to her appearance in 2Baba’s classic music video, “African Queen,” describing it as an opportunity she never saw coming.
Speaking in an interview with BellaNaija, Jegede said she was on the set of Missing Angel when the moment unfolded. “I was sitting beside Uncle Charles when his phone rang. Charles Nova turned to me and said Uzor, the director of African Queen, wanted to speak to me,” she recalled.
According to her, the request came out of the blue. “He said, ‘I want you to do a music video for me tomorrow.’ I was like, music video?” she said.
Jegede noted that she was initially reluctant, having previously featured in music videos where her only role was to dance. “I said me I don’t want to do a music video o,” she said, adding that the director then hinted that the project was the video for African Queen by 2Face (now 2Baba). “I sha said I don’t want,” she added.
However, a conversation with a friend later that evening changed everything. As soon as she mentioned African Queen, he became excited and urged her not to miss the chance, stressing his love for the song — one she had not even heard at the time.
Encouraged by his reaction, Jegede called the director back around 9 p.m. “I told him, ‘Okay, I think I’ll do the video,’ and he gave me all the information,” she said.
She rushed to Surulere that same night to prepare. “There was a studio and a salon. When I got to the salon, they already knew someone was coming to get a specific hairstyle. After they were done, I took a bike to the location,” she said.
That shoot, she added, became the turning point of her career. Jegede, now a notable figure in Nollywood, credits the iconic music video with launching her into the limelight. “And that was the beginning of my career, with the African Queen video,” she said.