Music is still somewhere at the back of my mind – Papeeyah

Nigerian social media sensation, Ayomide Jesse Adisa, popularly known as Papeeyah. Through his infectious humour, unique perspectives, and absolutely brilliant wittiness, Papeeyah talks about his music career, his first viral content, as well as challenges he faced as a content creator.

You were an aspiring musician but you ended up as a content creator, how did that happen Papeeyah?

At that time, the Nigerian idol audition technical department experienced difficulties that were beyond their control, also coupled with my lack of knowledge on show business, no experienced guardian, and most importantly, the unprofessional as well as insensitive response from the judges, made me reassess my path, therefore changing my approach.

It was a deliberate decision, a calculated strategy even, to put music on hold and shift focus to creating content due to the challenges I faced* * Music is still at the back of my mind—something I would not let go of but for now, content creation is taking the forefront in this trajectory.

What was growing up like?

Growing up was a deeply emotional and challenging experience, and major events shaped my outlook on life. I never really enjoyed going to school as I never really quite understood the concept behind it, plus I liked playing with my hands, creating things from what looked to others like nothing, so asides the colourful and pictorial textbooks, I had no interest in the vapid pencil and papers in front of me, except for when I was told/allowed to draw, I furthermore had little to no interest in the uncharismatic explanations from most of my teachers, I must however mention how fortunate I was to meet some really passionate ones that made it more bearable along the way. My mother gave me home lessons sometimes. I was more comfortable learning at home, although “I don’t want to speak English anymore”, was what I would say to her many times in Yoruba when I was around age six. Whenever I get to attend real school, I would come back home to often adequately imitate my school teachers, teaching my imaginary students with the chalk a friendly (passionate) teacher would always give me. My schooling wasn’t the steadiest, it even got worse after the death of my father, when we had to move and I had to at-some-point start attending a public school. I vividly remember my mother asking me, “What are you going to do now?” She was confused and tired, struggling to find a way to continue our education. It was during this time that I realized I could possibly succeed without school. I started telling myself that I didn’t need formal education to be successful—that I could be great and even be on television. Although I faced so many challenges growing up with a single mom, one thing remained constant: hope.

The transition to the public school was a culture shock. The school was overcrowded, under-resourced, and I remember walking into class and there was literally no seat. I was shocked. I had to trek to school every day, dealing with a poor educational system. However, my interest in formal education continued to wane. I found myself avoiding school whenever I could, going as far as throwing my school uniform in water to avoid class when I was in primary school and yet none of these experiences (even from childhood) ever affected my grades negatively regardless, as I was always slightly above average in every class.

During this time, I channeled all my energy into creative pursuits. From age five to eight I made lots of sand cakes that looked so real they amazed people, and I also often led high praises on long bus rides to church, I progressed to joining the choir, I choreographed many dance performances as I was also part of a couple, I coordinated, led and was part of many march-pasts, I made mosaic designs for school decorations during the new term, even down to always rearranging spaces I walk into and making it better for its inhabitants. My creativity became my passion, far more than anything I found in school. I would stand in the centre of our sitting room, performing as if I were on TV, and that passion for creativity grew stronger every day.

As I moved on to secondary school, my elder brother made a significant decision for me. He decided that I should study science, I remember him saying “art is for lazy people, and you’re very smart so you’re going into science.”

I represented my secondary and senior secondary school in many inter-school competitions like; acrobatics, Jump rope, march-past and most especially, debate contests. Debating was always the most fulfilling to me because of my ever growing love for speech..

At every phase of my childhood-journey of lack, art, creativity and passion were my greatest and ever sufficient possessions, my tools for making MY way.

Tell us more about your failed Nigerian idol audition, Papeeyah. What really happened behind the scenes?

My audition time was slated at 10am or thereabout and I remember getting there a lot earlier than my given time, despite the distance and the amount of public transport I had to take. I got there and we were made to wait in our numbers outside with no aid for comfort, there was also an existing COVID-19 protocol that had us standing in a spacious and extremely long queue, we eventually made it into the hall where we took our b-rolls et al, this was were I discovered that the two-day shoot would also mean me appearing the same way I came for the first day, I had no idea they were televising it as something that happened in a single day, I had no knowledge of continuity and other show intricacies. The next chosen date came and I arrived early again, went through the extremely stressful process and eventually got to the waiting hall, some numbers before me went in for their main auditions, some came out with the golden tickets and some didn’t, and suddenly, they stopped calling for new numbers, there was apparently some technical issues which led to me and a couple of others waiting for up to 10 hours in a cold space, before auditioning, I personally had lost every ounce of strength and passion to continue, I was honestly also so hungry and just wanted to go home, these factors affected my drive and ultimately, my overall performance. The experience, the insensitive feedback from the judges as well as my innocence towards “show business” led to a sense of defeat which I am still thankful for, because I reassessed my path and met the best supporters on my own, the audience I went there looking for, eventually found me doing what I love.

Take us through your creative process.

It all starts with an inspiration, it could be from a video on the internet, something that simply makes me want to air my opinion, or just a topic in my head. I write down the inspiration in my notes, then I just keep writing till I make it whole, ending with my viral phrase “What the Eck?”… I sometimes record my thoughts in that moment to retain the authentic feeling during the inspiration, I feel like my power is in the writing process, because I love words, I am able to express my emotions, wittiness as well as structure a buildup through the arrangement during my writing, once my script is done, I set up my lights, camera and start delivering the lines in the Papeeyah fashion, afterwards, I start editing, this is another one of my favourite things to do, being intentional with every single detail, from overlaying audio to adding sound effects at strategic points, this is basically where I have found another one of my many superpowers. I add my subtitles the old-fashioned way, typing and aligning by myself, no AI assistance just because of the love for precision I advanced with through my era in the content creation world, I then do my finishing touches, export and finally, schedule the upload. I started with inShot and it’s still my favourite editing software.

Let us talk about the first content you made that went viral.

Many people think my first viral video was the Musa video…It resonated with foreign audiences as well as Nigerians in the diaspora, many of which started following my social media. That video was a turning point, marking the beginning of my journey into content creation and the expansion of my audience beyond Nigeria.

What about the first project you handled for a brand?

I recall sitting down and strategizing for this campaign. I listened to the song, identified what aspects were peak and relatable, I then channeled it into what was trending from me at the time, (Mummy Enoch) I created a dance challenge that led to my audience duetting and doing the dance. The top three participants also won cash prizes, (from the money I was paid) which was also part of the campaign strategy I developed.

For my first ever gig, especially with only about 200,000 followers and little to no experience at the time, I believe I did pretty well. The song gained some traction, and the challenge was a success.”

You have carved a niche for yourself on social media. Do you get weird comments?

Yes, I get weird comments about how I talk. Some people are quick to liken my voice to that of a woman and attach unsolicited labels to me, this has been constant and it was even worst when I was a lot younger because my pitch was a lot higher back then, “why are you talking like a girl?” this made me a very self conscious kid, but so what?  I don’t have control over my voice; it’s what I was born with. Why make its texture seem like a flaw with your condescending comment? Women are powerful—they are life givers, creators even. I know who I am, and I’m owning it from here on out. Plus, there are better things to spend my time on than wondering if I’m talking in a key that suits someone else’s hearing.

Are there topics you don’t dabble into?

Absolutely! As much as I am all about leaving my opinions on matters, I am very sensitive with the topics I speak on, and the topics that shouldn’t concern me or my audience, I simply steer clear from.

How challenging is it to be a content creator?

Being a content creator isn’t challenging for me because it’s what I love doing—filming and editing are pure entertainment for me because I love CREATING, I also love entertaining people. The real challenge before now was usually after I hit ‘upload’, when anxiety used to kick in, “how would people receive the content?” “would it perform well?” Were things I bothered my mind with, but I have thankfully grown to trust myself and everything I put out, I no longer second-guess my actions neither am I influenced by the things I see. I have a vision and everything I do is channeling towards my greater goal.

How do you balance content creation and other obligations like work, leisure, and family?

Balancing content creation (which is THE work) with other obligations like running personal businesses, leisure, and family, isn’t much of a struggle for me because I have learned to simply be where my feet are. My management and I also developed a calendar I work with, I get some breaks between works. I can be sometimes spontaneous with my movements, but dedication is constant, so wherever I am in the moment, I make sure to be PRESENT and I simply give my best.

Can you shed some light on what keeps you going despite your challenges?

My journey is majorly about proving to my young self that he can break through all the stereotypes as well as the boxes he was placed in, he can achieve greatness in whatever he sets his mind to while inspiring many more souls to pick up the pace and believe in their passion, I am here for a purpose, to shine my light so bright, hereby illuminating the paths of those in the darkness/confusion put around them by society and what they can see, it may not look very much like it when this publication is out, but you would see it in no distant future.

Social media was a huge factor during the #EndSARS protest and we are seeing this same thing with #EndBadGovernace, do you also use your platform to call out bad leaders?

Yes, I’ve used my platform to call out bad leaderSHIP during significant movements. I sometimes express myself through poetry, sharing pieces on social media to encourage people to take action. In recent times, I talked about our road safety and the impact of unsafe vehicles on our roads following an unfortunate accident which involved an unmaintained truck and the death of a person on the road. The video gained lots of traction and generated awareness, many people have vowed to take intentional steps towards outrightly rejecting unsafe vehicles that transport people as well as goods. I am most certain that the video also made it to some Federal Road Safety officials who also have a vital role to play in helping to ensure our roads are truly safe.

What do you say to people looking to get into the content-creation industry?

Authenticity is also key. Don’t chase after trends just because others are doing it, do what genuinely makes YOU happy, not for the numbers or clout but for your passion and towards your ultimate goal. Also, don’t forget to have fun with it, and be careful not to fall victim of losing your REAL life to your virtual life. Do healthy collaborations, and most importantly; always stay true to yourself. The reason some creators don’t last is that they try to be something/someone they’re not. The ones who thrive are those who stay authentic and do what they love.

What accomplishments do you see yourself achieving in the next five to ten years?

In the next five to ten years, I envision achieving significant milestones across various ventures. I plan to establish a highly successful perfume industry, start a talk show and expand Papeeyah Entertainment into a full-fledged production company, specialising in music videos, movies, podcast production, impactful talent shows and many more. My passion for directing will also be explored within this company. Additionally, I aim to develop and promote a new merch line and beyond these ventures, I have long-term dreams/plan for “retirement” . I won’t be sharing this now… I’d like you to see it unfold but the main purpose of it would be to inspire (especially young people) that success is attainable from whatever part of the world you find yourself in, yes dream, but WAKE UP and put in the work!