“My first concert in Ibadan was a failure”, KieKie shares on #WithChude.
Content Creator and Event Host, Bukunmi Adeaga-Ilori popularly known as KieKie sits with Chude Jideonwo, host of #WithChude to discuss, the rise of her career in the creative industry, and why she hid her pregnancy from the public.
“My first time in Lagos, was when I came for my NYSC in 2010. After coming to Lagos, I realized that even though Lagos was smaller than the city I grew up in (Ibadan), it was very difficult to get almost anything done. Speaking of getting my content on TV, having the right people to collaborate with, the right group to work with, it was really difficult. I started producing my own content which I called Style Connect, where we had makeup artists and hair stylists come and give fashion tips. But I struggled with it. So, I thought ‘Let’s rewind and give this another try’. At one time, I was hosting red carpet and I met Gbenga Adeyinka who introduced me to the boss of GoldMyne TV. That was my first entrance into the media space and the hustle continued. It was definitely not as I had envisaged”.
KieKie also shared how her stint in creating events almost failed, “I threw two concerts in Ibadan in 2015/2016, it cost us millions, my parents supported that. The concerts were successful, and they were not. They weren’t successful because it wasn’t a filled-out show. However, because my parents had friends who bought tables, we kind of got the money back. For the second season, we didn’t lose money, but it wasn’t a great show to put on the show reel, but the first one was a failure”.
She also shared how her content unexpectedly broke the internet during the 2020 lockdown. “My breakthrough will be in 2020. Covid happened. The way my followership was going up, it felt like it was from Facebook’s headquarters. On TikTok, everyone was finding the things I did funny. Another thing about me is that if I film anything and watch it and I don’t laugh, that means it’s not funny because I crack myself up. As I am thinking about it, I am already laughing.”
KieKie also shared how she started making skits online, “I was dragged into skit making, it was Mr., Macaroni that dragged me. He is my friend, we spend time together, and he always says, ‘you are so funny, I need to feature you in one of my skits, and I am like, ‘I am not doing’. So, we shot his skit in 2020. That was my first skit, and then other skit makers started calling me and I ran, for almost a year. Then I shot one mummy’s boy content with Victor Edem featuring Taymesan and that one also went boom. When the skit makers started calling me, I was reluctant because I am a fashion person, I am not a comedian but I am a fun person with a lot of humor and I can express myself that’s it.” After her stint in skit making she finally accepted a role with Oluwadolarz which had beautiful feedback and also led her to start producing her own skit in August 2021.
On why she hid her pregnancy from the public, she said, “while I was pregnant, I had a lot of energy. For the first three months, I did not know I was pregnant, I just visited the hospital, and I was told I was pregnant. Pregnancy was more of a 2023 vision for me. A lot of things are the way they are because of how people will perceive me. In as much as I like to do things my own way, I also have to be conscious of the environment you live in. I was going to film a sitcom, and I don’t want a situation where people will be like, ‘oh, don’t stand up’. I was on a tour with my fellow actors, and they didn’t know that I was pregnant. People will not allow me do the things that I want to do. Even after the announcement, people were still like, why are you posting pictures, you are supposed to post after giving birth”.
Watch the excerpt here.