Nollywood actress Yvonne Jegede has revealed the surprising story behind her appearance in 2Baba’s legendary 2004 music video African Queen. Speaking on the Nollywood on Radio podcast, the 41-year-old opened up about her initial hesitation and how a friend’s excitement eventually changed her mind.
“When the director called me, I bluntly said no. I wasn’t interested at all,” Jegede recalled. At the time, she was focused on building her acting career and didn’t want to be known as a music video girl. “They were shooting the next morning by 9 a.m., but I wasn’t moved.”
Interestingly, Yvonne admitted she hadn’t even heard of African Queen or 2Baba’s solo work. “He had just left Plantashun Boiz, and I didn’t know any of his solo songs,” she said, laughing. “I didn’t even know what song they were talking about.”
Later that day, a casual chat with a friend changed everything. “I told him someone asked me to appear in some African Queen thing. He screamed and said, ‘That song is amazing! Go and do it now!’” Taking the advice to heart, she contacted the director, got the shoot details, and showed up prepared the next morning.
Seeing 2Baba in person was surreal for Yvonne. “I was like, wow, this is real. This is Tuface!” she said. Despite the exposure it brought her, she wasn’t interested in becoming a video vixen. “I just wanted to act,” she affirmed.
Yvonne only appeared in one more video—Djinee’s Ego—which she did as a favour to a friend. Today, she has carved out a respectable career as an actress and producer in Nollywood, far beyond her brief but iconic music video debut.
