Cynthia Morgan

Last updated

Cynthia Morgan
Birth nameCynthia Ikponmwenosa Morgan
Born (1991-09-23) 23 September 1991 (age 32)
Benin City, Edo, Nigeria [1]
GenresPop, hip hop, dancehall, rap
Occupation(s)Singer, song-writer
Instrument(s)Vocals
Years active2007–present
LabelsTCMC

Cynthia Ikponmwenosa Morgan (born 23 September 1991), [2] popularly known by her previous stage name Cynthia Morgan, now Madrina, [3] is a Nigerian born songwriter and singer. Her music is a fusion of pop, hip hop, dancehall and rap. She shot into limelight following the release of two singles titled "Don't Break My Heart" and "Lead Me On", which received massive airplay and positive reviews from critics. Cynthia made her acting debut in 2016 Nollywood movie "The Wrong Number" Directed by Saint Joseph ovensehi, and Ay's comedy movie 'A trip to Jamaica'. [4]

Contents

Early life and education

Cynthia Morgan was born in Benin City, Edo State where she completed her basic formal education. [5] At the age of 3, she was already a backup singer for her mother's musical band. [5]

Reports about Cynthia Morgan’s childhood say her father abandoned them when her mum was just 20-years-old and pregnant. She was then raised by a single mother who is now a top gospel artist in Benin City. That’s probably why Morgan fell in love with music at the early years of her life.

If Morgan truly started performing at age 3, it’s not surprising that she started making her own songs at the age of 7. Those experiences equipped her to lead her school choir in secondary school.

10 years later, Cynthia Morgan was set to record her first debut single. She featured Pype in the debut titled Dutty Stepping. Thereafter, she moved to Lagos to give her music career a push. She subsequently signed a recording deal with Northside Entertainment Inc.

With that deal, she proved her worth soonest. Her Don’t Break My Heart and Lead Me Onsingles received much attention which essentially, catapulted her to the limelight.

Going into music professionally at the age of 16 and releasing her first single at the age of 17, Cynthia Morgan showed she has a keen ability, enabling her to blend these genres of music together for something unique.

While “Don’t Break My Heart” flows with an upbeat Afro Pop synchronized to represent an ideal song suitable for wedding vow moments, “Lead Me On” exhibits a reggae-dancehall love song beautified with Morgan’s patois accent.

The singles continued to earn Cynthia heartwarming reviews and “Lead Me On” was eventually, nominated for “Best Reggae-Dancehall Single” at The Headies of 2014. [6]

Career

At the age of 7, Cynthia Morgan started composing songs and at the age of 17 she recorded her debut single which featured General Pype "Dutty Stepping". In 2008, she moved to Lagos to further her music career. [7] [8] she calls herself "Killa Marshal" which is her Ego on stage. [5]

On 22 August 2013, Cynthia Morgan signed a recording contract with Northside Entertainment Inc. owned by Jude 'Engees' Okoye. [9] Few months later, she released two chart-topping singles "Don't Break My Heart" and "Lead Me On" which got positive reviews from fans; the latter went on to be nominated for "Best Reggae/Dancehall Single" at The Headies 2014 [10]

On 23 May 2020, Cynthia Morgan who has not released songs for years in an Instagram Live session revealed that she lost her stage name, “Cynthia Morgan”, her VEVO account, royalties, Instagram account and other things due to the contract she signed with Jude Okoye. She revealed that she became depressed after her fallout with Jude Okoye of Northside Entertainment but did not informed public about her issues. [11] Fans went on to donate to a GoFundMe account set up for her [12] and even Afrobeats Superstar Davido weighed in and asked her to call him up for a collaboration. [13]

Selected discography

Selected singles


Madrina

Selected awards and nominations

YearAward ceremonyPrizeResult
2014 2014 Nigeria Entertainment Awards Best Female Artist of The YearNominated [14]
Best Rap Act of The YearNominated [14]
South South Music AwardsBest New ArtistWon [15]
The Headies 2014 Best Reggae/Dancehall SingleNominated [16]
Ben TV AwardsBest NewcomerNominated [17]
Best Hip-Hop Female ArtistNominated [17]
Best Reggae/Dancehall ArtistNominated [17]
ELOY Awards Best Female ArtistNominated [18]
2015Music Artist of The YearWon [19]
2015 Nigeria Entertainment Awards Female Artist of The YearNominated
South South Music AwardsBest Reggae/DancehallWon [20]
2016 The Headies 2015 Best Reggae SingleWon [21]
Next Rated Nominated [22]

See also

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References

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