Seyi: I proposed to her after we had dated for over a year. She was in the vocal booth and I was teaching her a line. I left the vocal booth and I left a note there. I then asked her to go take her reading and by the time she got there, she was not singing again. Instead, she was just beaming. Foster Zino, who now mixes songs for P Square, was there with us and he kept shouting, ‘Azee sing now, why is she smiling?’ I was the only one who knew why she was beaming.
Azeezat: I did not see the note on time because I was angry over the way he asked me to go into the vocal booth. He then said, ‘Azee, will you pick up that thing?’ I picked it up and I screamed because it was absolutely unexpected. It was something I had never thought about.
How will you describe 12 years of being married to each other?
Seyi: I don’t want to say certain things because some people won’t understand. They are not in our marriage and they will just think that these people are just giving them fairytale stories. Marriage has its challenges. Things you never dreamt will come your way but it is like any other life. I don’t think people should see marriage as being restricted to a particular way of life.
Azeezat: Because we did not see marriage as a big deal and we did not have to make any serious changes in our lives, I don’t feel caged. For us, all the things that come with marriage came gradually and that really helped. I did not see myself as the marrying type. This is not because I am not domesticated but my husband made it easy for me. He did not put any pressure on me and that really helped.
Have your careers ever posed a challenge to your marriage?
Seyi: Not until recently, that we are both getting busier. Before, we used to be together but now she has to be here. I have to be there, which is rather challenging.
You are both in the limelight. Truthfully, do you get suspicious of each other?
Seyi: It is always very natural, whether we are celebrities or not, for a woman or man to be suspicious of his or her partner.
She has admirers, do you get jealous?
Seyi: I know she has plenty of them and they call me sometimes. There was a time one guy sent her a text message saying he just hit millions and they should elope together. For a long time, she was not interested in using a phone and my phone was her business line. Guys would just send text messages and call without knowing it’s my line. Some call and when they hear a male voice, some tell me to give the phone to its owner, while others will go off the line.
What contributed to the success of your union?
Azeezat: First and foremost, it’s the grace of God. We understand the place of God in the marriage; he is the owner and upholder of marriage. Before I got married, I know the kind of commitment I made to my God because I was actually very scared of marriage. But once God gave me assurances, I knew if I keep my part of the commitment, He will keep His part also. Secondly, I and my husband are friends. Before we got married, there were times when we decided not to have a relationship anymore but I realised that even when the relationship was off, we could still make each other laugh. At those times, we still had to take care of business and we got along beautifully. That spilled over into the marriage and even when we are quarrelling as husband and wife, we are still friends and that helps to ease off the tension.
When you quarrel, who apologises first?
Seyi: Quarrel? I don’t know if we quarrel. We disagree everyday because we discuss business everyday. I can’t remember who always goes back to talk first but it just happens naturally. By the time we are both bored and quiet for a while, discussion will come from anywhere.
How romantic are you?
Seyi: I am not sure that is important for marriage. I don’t want to fool people out there. Romance is not necessary for marriage and my wife is okay with that. In fact when I am 60, ask me that question and then I should be able to tell you.
Azeezat: I think he has said because romance will not sustain a bad marriage. In the area of romance, I think I see things that show me, ‘this person loves me even more than I do.’ I have been able to accept that as his romantic side.
Do you have pet names for each other?
Seyi: We have to change pet names from time to time because we discovered that even our friends start to address us by the pet names we have for each other. I call her Azim and she calls me Olum.
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