By Etienne Mainimo Mengnjo
Tina Vernyuy is a Cameroonian singer, who hails from Kumbo, Bui Division of the Northwest Region.
She is popularly known as Música in the music industry.
Tina is a young and appreciated female emcee and vocalists. Her presence in the music world has earned her a vintage spot in the hearts of music lovers in and around the country.
After graduating from high school, her desire to change the world through music got her into the industry.
“After graduating from High School, my passion to change the world through music got me into the music industry.
“My vision for what I wanted to use my voice for became clearer, and at that time, the only motivation was my unique self because as a little girl, I already knew how special I was to my parents and those around me.”
Back in her school days, partaking in different school choirs gradually earned her respect and appreciation from authorities which contributed to her being crowned best vocalist of her time at the age of 17.
Her desire, passion and decision to make it in music professionally, pushed her to the first-ever studio record, “Stony Road”, released in 2014.
While many described her as a unique voice in the industry, Tina describes her music as Afro-njang, a blend of traditional instrumentals with other genres.
Apart from drawing inspiration from Dolly Parton, Jim Reeves, Don Williams, Tina says, Sia, Enya, Nathalie Makoma, Lucky Dube, Fela Kuti, Miriam Makeba, Brenda Fassie, Richard Bona and Lil Wayne also enthused her.
Besides, her biggest inspiration came from her best friend, which is the guitar. In the studio, Tina says, “I see myself as a servant of the world.”
Her talents and frequent free-styling attitudes have made her the queen of Afro-njang.
Her collaboration with Cameroon’s talented male artiste, Tzy Panchak in the song title “Na So” and “Who Be Actor” with other artists have gotten her a unique spot in the entertainment industry as well as exposed her God-given talent.
Tina has released singles “Música, Jei, Yùtí” and others. They have both gained massive airplay nationally and internationally. Believing in her dreams and hard work, Tina is steadily keeping her faith and eyes up to God.
“Jéí and Música are some of the songs, but I am still working on more singles for now. The albums will come later by the grace of God,” she added.
Talking about Cameroon Music Industry, Tina says, there are a lot of talents that need to be groomed. “Absolutely we got what it takes to be the best in the world. In other to make the Cameroonian Industry stronger, we need to love and consume our products more than any other products. That’s a lot of sacrifice, but we need to.”
Concerning what is happening in the country, Tina thinks musicians like her have a role to play for peace to return. “As an entertainer, you are your people’s voice and it is important to preach peace directly or indirectly when need be. This can be done through songs, movies from real-life experiences, hashtags on social media, constant passing out of encouraging words to the affected people,” she stated.
To her, the Government should listen to the people while the people also need to be skilful. Tina is not only a singer and rapper, but she also loves gardening. She holds a BSc in Geo-Mining Science and she is the President of Tination, art budding firm.