The 8 'Wow' momments of Waje's 'Onye' Video

Watching the video for Waje's 'Onye' which featured Tiwa Savage along with Bryan Okwara and Omawumi, offered me a bunch of 'wow' moments.

If the song managed to garner enough appreciation, the video definitely will reinforce it the more, and that's definitely because of the 'wow' moments presented before my viewing.

The video showcases the hilarious battle between two rivals, Tiwa and Waje for the love of one man who happens to Mr Nigeria - Bryan Okwara. Bryan is presented as a player cum gold-digger who two-times between the two women. The ladies try their best to impress him by buying him stuff until the eventual face off where they end up fighting each other while the playboy Bryan sneaks off with a third woman who turns out to be Omawumi.

Okay, let's check out the 'Wow' moments:

Wow moment 1: Waje's look.

Waje is probably one of the most simple artistes on the Naija music scene today, she's not one to flash her looks all over the place with indescretion. In fact I've seen her in some shows and interviews where she looks so simple but in the 'Onye' video, Waje suddenly looks classy, beautiful and sexy. Though its not the first time she's looked this good in a video (she also looked good in her 'I wish' and 'For a minute' videos) but the way she's made to look elegant and sexy without being indecent.

Wow moment 2: Tiwa's Yam Pounding

Tiwa Savage pounding yam? Hahahaha! Okay, maybe I've been exaggerating with the laughter but this moment would have had more intensity to its 'Wowness' if Tiwa had been pounding that yam seriously and not turning it into a naughty sexy caressing display and romancing of the pestle with the wide-apart legs.Well, she's become uninhibited these days and bares it all sha. Oh...yes, and she coquettishly cleans off the sweat in her body and shakes it into the yam she's pounding...nna...that one na 'Ewo!'.

Wow moment 3: Waje is a good actress

Before I saw this video, I had actually seen Waje in a funny skit on the Video Hits Show on youtube which is hosted by Yomi Black. Her acting there was hilarious and natural; I just had to conclude that it was about time some good nollywood flick snatched her up for a production. So I was not surprised neither was I disappointed when I saw Waje display those antics in the ‘Onye’ video. Truth be told, Waje can really act; she even outshines Tiwa Savage. My favourite part of Waje’s acting is the part where she discovers her gift car to Bryan parked in Tiwa’s garage and the basket she’s carrying drops, then she does this hilarious pissed waka up to where the car is parked.

Wow moment 4: Bryan Okwara is getting Stereotyped  

There’s always that danger for an artiste or actor to become stereotyped after playing a certain role so well. Sometimes I wonder whether it’s a recognition of the flair and talent or it’s just a curse. Just on the same Video Hits Show channel, we have two videos that featured Bryan and guess what? In both videos he plays the role of the playboy. In one, he even plays a very similar role of the playboy that secretly runs away from his chick simply because he’s afraid of commitment. Bryan plays just the same role in the ‘Onye’ video. Is it that his looks are cursed to play such role forever? I think maybe…

Wow moment 5: Omawumi playing an older woman

The first time I saw the video, I never knew the woman Bryan eventually absconds with was Omawumi. She behaved so much like an older woman – a sugar mummy to put it succinctly. She incorporated a waka and attitude that was void of youthfulness and it worked.

Wow moment 6: Tiwa Savage’s Priceless Expressions

While Waje seemed to outshine Tiwa Savage in acting (which is not to say Tiwa did not put up a good performance, she actually did), Tiwa Savage made some serious moments of impact with a couple of priceless face expressions. These may seem like unimportant parts of the video but I tell you, if you took those parts out, the video would lose some of its beauty and humour. Tiwa’s act of dropping her jaw when Bryan makes a heavy purchase on her debit card and when she and Waje see Bryan pecking Omawumi before driving off together were just hilarious to watch; maybe it has to do with Tiwa’s facial look, I have never seen Tiwa wear such a dumbfounded mouth-ajar look in any video and it definitely added sweet spice to this one.

Wow moment 7: Omawumi’s plate number

At first I didn’t notice the hilarious finality of the last scene which shows the plate number on Omawumi’s car in the first few times I watched the video. But on watching it again I noticed it: when Omawumi’s SUV arrives, we see on the front plate number - ‘My Baby Ko’ - and when it departs we see on the back plate number – ‘My Baby Ni’ – which is a popular way of responding with sarcasm and rubbishing to someone else’s interest or remarks. This was just a brilliant way to end the video; by making a statement that ridicules the two women brawling over one man who’s no good to them. It all wraps up the video with an unspoken lesson, that ‘no be fineness be husband material’.

Wow moment 8: Kemi Adetiba - the Director    

Kemi is one prolific director who you don’t see everywhere, because she doesn’t just direct music videos anyhow. Watching the ‘Onye’ video, you get to see directorial detailing and creativity (though there were some aspects I question – like Waje and Tiwa having the same sitting background while awaiting their ‘fine boy’ gold digger). Adetiba’s treatment of the video is elegant and classy; I must say this places her in the unique category of music video directors. I was expecting this to have probably been a Sesan or Clarence Peters montage but was ‘wowed’ when I discovered it was this lady director that did it.   

Okay…that’s about it; this post is getting too long, about time I stop it here. Sebi na ‘8 Wows’ I talk?