Cynthia Morgan: Where is the reggae dancehall queen?2013 was the year it finally happened for Cynthia Morgan. All she had ever wanted since she was three, was finally becoming a reality. Her singles Don't Break My Heart and Lead Me On, had turned out to be hit songs that grew on Nigerians surprisingly fast. It was finally happening; the fame and fortune that came with conquering the world with good music. It was certainly going to only get better from there on. But barely five years down the line, everyone who knew the reggae dancehall queen and grooved to her music, have just one question left on their lips: What happened to the rising star? Real name, Cynthia Ikponmwenosa Morgan, the talented singer was born in Benin City, Edo state where she completed her basic formal education. Just like her mother who is a gospel singer, Cynthia Morgan developed a passion for music and at the age of 3, she was already a backup singer for her mother’s musical band. READ ALSO: Personal letter from the Editor-in-Chief of Legit.ng (former NAIJ.com) Cynthia Morgan started composing songs and although she recorded her debut single at the age of 17 which featured General Pype, Dutty Stepping, it was her move to Lagos in 2008 that paved the way for her musical success. A few months after signing a recording contract in 2013 with Northside Entertainment Inc. owned by Jude 'Engees' Okoye, she released Don't Break My Heart and almost immediately after, Lead Me On. While the former was a sweet and safe love song with the high chance of being a favourite on everyone's wedding playlist, Lead Me On was more alluring, bolder, daring and even sensual. It was difficult to reconcile the two songs to have been sung by the same artist but one thing was clear, Cynthia Morgan had not only proved herself ready for the music industry, but started off with a fire that wasn't going to quench anytime soon. Still in 2014, she went on to release I'm Taken and Popori which received as much applause as her first two major hit singles. READ ALSO: Reactions as Femi Otedola and family visit Italy for one hour to buy ice-cream With her signature red hair, daring fashion scene and her mezzo-soprano voice coupled with her patois skills which made dominating the reggae scene easy for her, it was clear for all Nigerians to see that if there was never a queen of reggae dancehall, they had one now and that was Cynthia Morgan, sitting pretty and unapologetic on the throne. Not only did her singles make waves, she also got to work with several artistes including Illbliss, Yung6ix, Dammykrane and Chidinma. Later that year, she got nominated for five awards in nine categories. Although she was among the nominees for The Headies 2014's Best Reggae/Dancehall Single category, she emerged winner in the South South Music Awards as the Best New Artist. She also won the Music Artist of The Year at the ELOY Awards. With a growing fan base and more hit songs to her name, Cynthia Morgan was unstoppable in her quest to conquer the Nigerian music industry. The following year, she dropped 4 more songs which also proved successful. They include: German Juice, Come and Do, Simati Niya and Baby Mama. She won Best Reggae Single at The Headies 2015. READ ALSO: Gabrielle Union's daughter Kaavia looks adorable in ankara dress and turban In the year 2016 however, it appeared the singer's ability to deliver monster hits lacked its usual panache that many Nigerians had grown to love. It began to look like the tough-talking reggae queen was missing her mojo. In the whole of that year, she released just one song, Bubble Bup featuring Ghanaian singer, Stonebwoy. In 2017, she released Summer Time which barely enjoyed airplay before it fizzled out almost as soon as it came out. Following this release, Morgan exited the music scene and was basically nowhere to be found. There were many speculations about what could have happened to the singer but her handlers claimed she was busy working on her debut album, and had decided to stay off public glare in order to concentrate fully. No album was released and it appeared she had taken a one-year hiatus from music. Shortly after, she exited her record label, Northside Entertainment Inc. Morgan would later site unhappiness as the main reason for her unceremonious exit from the label. While some blamed her struggle on the belief that she couldn't connect with her fans based on the fact that she spoke a lot of Jamaican patois in her songs, others however speculated she was abusing substances. This, she debunked in an interview with Encomium. PAY ATTENTION: Get the Latest Nigerian News on Legit.ng News App In April 2018, the singer who had managed to stay off the social grid, was in the news for debt. The music star who once headlined top shows in the country, was facing financial difficulties and unable to pay her rent to the point that she was dragged to court by her landlord. At this point, a lot of people were worried about the once rising star. How did she go from a hit maker to almost becoming homeless? The very next month however, Cynthia Morgan returned with a bang. Not only did she rebrand and changed her stage name to Madrina, she released her first song under her own imprint, TCMC (The Cynthia Morgan Company). PAY ATTENTION: Get the hottest gist on Africa Love Aid The song titled Billion Dollar Woman came in her usual delivery and held promises of becoming a hit but sadly, it never was. The same thing happened when she released Porsche Panamera in February 2019. Once again, Madrina went back into hibernation, deleted all her social media pages and till date, nothing has been heard about the Edo born talent. With her struggle to remain in the limelight, one is forced to assume Cynthia Morgan may be battling with more demons than one would like to imagine. Regardless of all of this, it is pertinent to understand that while the possibility of her still returning to the limelight is uncertain, her sound is unique and very much unlike many female artistes out there. Whether she knows this, is still a mystery. PAY ATTENTION: Do you have news to share? Contact Legit.ng instantly However, it is safe to say that Madrina still has a chance to return and bless her fans with good music as her spot remains vacant and the throne, so far unattainable by other female acts doing her type of music. This probably explains why she calls herself the 'original gangster property'. HELLO! NAIJ.com (naija.ng) upgrades to Legit.ng We keep evolving to serve our readers better. Women need to work ten times harder to get noticed in the Nigerian music industry | Legit TV Source: Legit.ng 2013 was the year it finally happened for Cynthia Morgan. All she had ever wanted since she was three, was finally becoming a reality. Her singles Don't Break My Heart and Lead Me On, had turned out to be hit songs that grew on Nigerians surprisingly fast. It was finally happening; the fame and fortune that came with conquering the world with good music. It was certainly going to only get better from there on. READ ALSO READ ALSO READ ALSO PAY ATTENTION PAY ATTENTION PAY ATTENTION HELLO! NAIJ.com (naija.ng) upgrades to Legit.ng We keep evolving to serve our readers better.