Munachi Abii: Why I juggled pageantry, rapping, and acting

Munachi Abii, the ex-beauty queen, has narrated how she bounced between professions in the creative industry after she won the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria (MBGN) pageant in 2007.

She was speaking about her career struggles in a chat with Nancy Isime, TV presenter and Nollywood actress.

Munachi said she dove into rapping after she felt she was thrust into the “deep end” of pageantry too quickly.

“I started with the whole beauty pageant thing, opening the door to every other thing I wanted to do. Unfortunately, I felt I was thrust into the deep end quickly. It’s a whole beauty pageant industry thing, not just me,” she said.

“They never really get to prepare you for what lies ahead. They just tell you to be put together and do not disrespect the brand within the first year of your being queen. There was a whole lot more to it I had to learn.

“I became a rapper. I always wrote the music and rapped. I had friends who were in the industry already. They brought me along and it was very easy to transition into that. Typically, beauty queens are expected to be singers.

“I didn’t want to be a beauty queen like everyone else. I wanted to stand out. Rapping was something that stood out. Till today, I don’t think there are beauty queens who rap. I haven’t come across one but maybe there is.

“But they haven’t gone mainstream. We’re still bubbling under. The music industry had its own challenges, so I took a step back, not entirely to understand the game and the business side of things. I want to own my master’s.”

On the link between her acting and rapping, Munachi said the latter helped her become better in the former.

She also disclosed that she had to juggle between the professions to remain relevant in the entertainment industry.

“I want to own everything that I do. I don’t want to get into the limelight and fizzle out. But my art had to thrive. I had to find another way to express myself. I got into film and started acting to get better at performing,” she said.

“I was very attached to my music. So if you criticised my craft, it became personal. So I had to separate myself from Munachi to Muna the rapper. I later decided I could direct. I had people give me a shot. And rest is history.”