February 27, (THEWILL) – Multi- talented entertainment consultant, Victoria Nkong speaks with Shade Wesley-Metibogun, about her love for humanity, foray into talent management and sundry issues. Excerpts
What inspired your decision to manage artistes and talents?
I started out with an African event production company, KORA All African Music Awards, in the production department precisely. We always had about 2,000 artistes to handle for our event. At one time in the past, there was a problem with an artiste and I was called in to handle it. That was how I got to know that I could do well managing artistes and that I would co-handle and manage some talents with the team in charge any time we have an event coming up. By the time I left KORA, I had a number of artistes reaching out to me all over Africa for favours. I would collaborate with them and give them advice for free. This was how I began managing artistes.
Who among the artistes you have worked with do you consider to be your favourite and why?
Everyone I have worked with at one point or the other is unique. I have a background in Human Resources Management so when I do talent management, I tailor my services and relationship to suit the person’s personality. Let me just say that I have had great relationships with different people and talents. Harrysong was one of them. He was like a son to me. He is an orphan. He had a tough time growing up with his step mother. I had to play the role of a sister and mother figure to him. So, with different talents, I have had different experiences. I had Samantha from South Africa and Toofan from Togo. They are very big in the Francophone world, but there is a special respect between both parties. I have never worked with ‘celebrities that are not responsible’. My artistes are never late for an event, there is never any drama and they almost kept me in check.
Can you recall the most memorable moments you had while working with those great talents?
It was when I was working on the 50th anniversary of music in Africa. Akon was the headliner then and I was still with KORA. I remember I had handled one of his events in Burkina Faso before and this time, he requested that I liaise with his team. I was still a young girl then. I was in my early 20s. It was a big moment for me. An international client preferred to work with me. I remember that when the event came to an end, Akon left me a recommendation on social media, which was huge for me. The second one is about Harrysong. When we got an offer from Universal Music, it immediately became evident that we were doing something right and we were working in the right direction. We were supposed to be chasing these people and they came knocking on our door. I think we were in London that day. It was a big deal for him. He was in tears, but he was very appreciative.
How does it feel being a part of the success stories of the artistes you have worked with?
It is very fulfilling I must say. I like it when things eventually come together and I can sit down and say, yes this is right. When I reflect on it in my personal moment, I see it as something fulfilling because if you work with talented artistes generally, other people do not know that most of them are quite fragile. Out there, their images are different from who they really are. They are seen as champions, confident people, but beneath the surface they are the most fragile and vulnerable people. They are concerned about their products, how the public will receive their songs or react to their movies. The fact that they trust you and look up to you for the major decisions is tasking. I have an artiste that would tell me, if it goes well, it is his name, if it goes badly, it is my own name. He will tell me that he would do whatever I ask him to do, but if it goes well, they will sing his praise and if it doesn’t go well, people will drag me. I always keep that in mind. Sometimes they take decisions without letting you know and it is up to you to manage the crisis that may result from their action and ensure that things turns out well. It is really a huge responsibility. I feel that my career depends on it. It is also interesting for me to see the artiste who is a lion out there look up to you for major decisions.
Entertainers, especially music artistes, can be quite difficult to handle. What challenges have you encountered in the course of managing some of them?
The most difficult part is getting them to key into your vision. Initially when I started, I wasn’t choosy about the people I work with. But as I made progress, I became very choosy. There is a lot that goes into talent management. You have to put your relationship and image on the line. If you work with people that do not share the same vision, it could end up in disaster for you as a talent manager. My company also handles talent management for other brands. For instance, a telecommunication company may have a big event and sublet it to my company to do all the bookings and ensure that artistes keep their own side of the contract. In some cases, you cannot decide who this brand wants you to work with. I ensure that before we start working with the brand, the people they are requesting are a bit reasonable. But no matter how reasonable they are, it gets into their heads sometimes. Sometimes I have to be very firm, but if I see that it is not working, I will use another approach. Maybe we have just signed a contract for a big deal and I don’t want the artiste to misbehave. You just need to try your best and still get a balance. There are days that they just want to be difficult, but somehow I always find a way round it. I had an experience with a deal we signed for Wizkid with MTN. We held a meeting and discussed the deal and we agreed on taking six people. One of the crew members wanted to get into the car before the back-up singer, I had to stop that person. I told them I would take Wizkid and his back-up singers first then come back for the remaining people. That got on his nerves and he didn’t tell me. After the event, we were about to go for the after-party. Guess what? My artiste didn’t show up. He switched off his phone and locked his room. I was ill then and struggling to manage my health. I was calling the road manager, but nobody could give me a concrete answer. The partners were already waiting and they were on my nerves. I had to pull myself out of bed and check on them. I went to the front of his room and saw the road manager and the project manager sitting on the floor. They said they couldn’t reach him. I was shocked and I was trying to calculate to see what had gone wrong. I stood in front of his room and started shouting at the two managers that they were not competent. I shouted at them to get the spare key of his room because my artiste might be in danger. He might be in a life threatening situation and they were just sitting down staring at his door. I purposely stood in front of his door and was shouting. I think he heard the drama happening outside so he called one of the guy’s phones and said he was okay and he said “tell mama to dey try to calm down now.” He eventually came out and we went for the after-party. We got there and I teased him and he said “boys were angry.” He intentionally switched off his phone so that we couldn’t reach him and he was already paid for the job. You can imagine the things we go through at times.
What determines the kind of artiste you work with?
We have quite a number of things we check. They include your background, history, attitude, financing, etc. Do you have a financer or are we the people to finance you? I would check if the person has been running away from previous commitments with labels and managements. It is better to let go of such a person. We are not usually in a hurry to say we have xyz artiste signed to us. We are more worried with having a select few that we can make impact with.
Most artistes and their record labels usually have issues at the end of the day, maybe due to breach of contract or something else. What do you think artistes and their record labels can do to enjoy a smooth relationship?
I think the responsibility is both ways. First of all, the problem is that a lot of people see the fast lifestyles that most celebrities live on television and they want to copy them. Artistes need to understand that it is business, not just a document that they are signing. The record label is taking a risk on you, not just for your fine face. It is going to invest in you. If they can understand that, it will go a long way to eliminating conflicts between record labels and their artistes. Most artistes complain that the moment they start making money, their labels don’t give them part of it. The problem is that most artistes don’t take time to read the terms of their contract at the beginning of the deal. They are usually too excited to read those documents. I would advise artistes to get a lawyer who will accompany them to sign any contract. The lawyer will explain everything to them so that they will understand what they are getting into. That way, it becomes easier not to feel cheated. I have been doing this for more than a decade. At times, the record label would have spent the first three years just investing money on the artiste, recording music, housing and feeding the artiste and paying for lifestyle appearances too. A lot of money would have been spent, yet they are unable to recover the funds from one or three shows. This is business and it should be run as such. When you begin to earn money as an artiste and you don’t get anything from it, don’t forget that your management has been spending on you and they need to recover the money. On the part of the record label, besides doing a background check, know that the artiste also evolves too. Try and review the deal if the brand grows bigger than you expected. Upgrade the percentage you plan to give your artiste. There is nothing written on stone, people need to be a little flexible. Make the artiste feel at home. I have gone to an event where people stood right before me offering juicy deals to my artistes. It takes a lot of principles for an artiste not to draw back and remember they have a contract with you. That is why when an artiste moves from a record label to another one, you may not get to hear anything from such artiste again. It is not just about the talent alone. It takes the efforts of a whole village to make an artiste successful. As an artiste you cannot expect to reach millions of people in the comfort of your home. There should also be a lot of communication. Don’t think you have grown bigger than the person that invested millions of naira on you. The label also should not see the artiste as their employee. Both parties have to be reasonable; they should see business as business.
You managed Olajumoke Orisagunna when she came to the limelight. How was the experience?
Olajumoke wasn’t business for me; it was more of charity. I was in the United States when her story blew up. I wasn’t part of her initial story. When I got back home, the buzz had just died down and there was nothing being said about her again. We had this boat cruise organised for media moguls and captains of industries. I was in a strategy meeting when I suggested that Olajumoke should be part of the boat cruise. Media personality, Denrele Edun used to be our host back in the days and I wanted them to co-host together. People were against it because the buzz was no longer there. I spoke with some people and we met with Olajumoke. I expected that a lot would have changed in her life, six months after her discovery. She still couldn’t speak English and walked down the road with her baby strapped to her back. The image we had was larger than life, but what I saw was different. We had a conversation and I concluded that she couldn’t co-host with Denrele. She kept begging and was so determined about it. I had to do a two way conversation, my personal assistant was the one translating for me as I tried to communicate with her. When we were leaving, she was all over me and I told Denrele about the plan, he said we should bring it on. You know Denrele is always positive. He promised to make her comfortable with Yoruba. We gave her four sentences to cram and she was grateful for the experience. She said she wanted to work with us. We had to contact someone in the background and we spoke with her lawyer. I gave the lawyer our retainer fee and the response I got was that there was no one to pay for it. So we took her up more on charity basis. I thought it would be a win for both of us, but nothing prepared us for what was to go on behind the scene. We had to deal with a lot of insecurities, we had to get her an English teacher. I wouldn’t blame her. She never asked for the limelight; it just walked up to her door. It was a bit chaotic for her because she couldn’t understand why we wanted her to learn English at a point. We got a modeling instructor, but Jumoke was missing classes. She would come for two days and she would be worn out. Her family issues, which were in the background, was another challenge to contend with. I was more than a manager. Till date, I can say her brand tested me a lot. I used to tell myself that I am a good talent manager, but her brand was a bit tough to handle. Towards the end of her tenure with me, her lawyer commended me because of everything we had to deal with that no one heard about. I wished her luck and hoped that someone comes along who will be able to understand her better and take her to the next level. We had done it all, taking her abroad one or two times and trying to see how that would impact her career. I wanted to position her for the Yoruba movie industry because modeling wasn’t going so well. We shot her television show, but we just had to move on. I am still in touch with her and assist her the best way that I can.
A lot of people were disappointed because Olajumoke went into oblivion so soon. What do you think would have been the best way to handle her brand?
That is the mistake we all make. You can force a horse to go to the river, but you cannot force it to drink from the river. Contrary to what the public think, that stardom is easy, it is not easy. It is more difficult to stay in the limelight. It takes a lot of self-discipline to build a career. For example, my talking voice might sound good, but my singing voice is a disaster. No matter how much I try for the artiste, I cannot get on the stage and perform for the artiste. It is the artiste that they want to see. It is the same thing with any other talent you are managing. If the talent is not willing to give it what it takes, everything will collapse in front of you. The best way to keep a person in the limelight is to find out if he or she is ready to dust his or her boot. Is the person ready to do what it takes to be in the limelight? Jumoke had a good brand that was built from emotion. That is what we believe in Africa. More than 60 per cent of the continent’s population live below the poverty line, but there is nothing bad in dreaming. We should all be able to dream. If you work on your dream and God is also by your side, then everything will be in place. Everybody will identify that story because everybody wants a Cinderella story. The moment we begin to move away from the essence of the brand, that is the end of it. If you sell a girl as a hardworking young lady, who was selling bread and got lucky, that is the brand people are attached to. The moment you begin to deviate from the hard work, things will turn around. People identify with a brand because of a particular thing. People identify with Davido because he is from a rich background and he has a good heart. People identify with Innocent Idibia, aka 2Baba, because he is talented and he is down-to-earth. If 2Baba should enter a place, he will be the first to greet his fans, which is what people identify with. Brand managers do a good job of covering the dirty part and putting the good part in the limelight. When people saw Jumoke flying out of the country, they felt money was in the business, but what I was trying to do was to build an enviable brand. I wanted her to have a good thing to fall back on when the whole buzz disappears. She could make good hair. So I thought of building a wig brand. I knew people would love it. I did all I could for her brand, but it was unfortunate really.
How is she faring now?
I believe she is okay. Like I told you, I do speak with her once in a while. I support her when I can. I lost a lot of money working on her brand.
Running an orphanage can be quite cumbersome. How did you conceive the idea?
I needed to do something as my contribution to humanity and something I could do for God. I remember that when I was nine years, I visited an orphanage and I carried a baby and I was told that they don’t carry them so that they wouldn’t get used to being carried. After that experience at the orphanage, I really wanted to have a home. I lost my sister to an abusive marriage. That was when I had a clearer view of what I wanted to do. It was like a healing process when I started. I gained strength from the project. It has not been rosy though. Sometimes I would ask myself what I have gotten myself into. If I could have another life, this is what I will still do.
What are the peculiar challenges of owning an orphanage?
There is a lot. It is human life, innocent children that depend on you. Some of them have escaped one disaster, at least, in their lives, maybe from mentally ill parents or from parents who lost their lives in an accident. You wouldn’t want them to end up in another disaster. My vision is to have a family. We had a few children who came in when they were a few days old and they are almost 10 years-old now. I have to cater for their emotional needs, too. Sometimes the whole burden gets to me, but I just have to move on. All of them are in a private school. Recently, I found out that they were being stigmatised in school for coming from an orphanage. We pay their school fees fully and I don’t know why they are treated that way. The trauma had been going on for a while. So I had to change their school in the middle of the second term. There was a time when I lost a child at the orphanage. The boy had cerebral palsy. We were doing all we could and thought he would be okay, but we were wrong. When he was brought to me, I didn’t want to reject him. We tried our best, but he died. He had flu and by morning, he was half gone. We rushed him to the hospital, but he didn’t make it. I thought that was the end of the project for me. I wanted to pack up and leave after it happened. I wanted to hand over the orphanage to someone else. It was even more traumatising because the corpse was left in the morgue for a very long time. Bureaucracy and proper handling of things made it go that way. I had to be going to the morgue every month to check his body. It was a very tough time. I had made up my mind sincerely to run away. I guess the love from the other children kept me grounded. There was a day my partner video called me with the children and they asked, “Mummy where are you?” That was a turning point for me. I had to go back. There are times when you are worn out. You have to buy things in bulk and you can run out of money. I always say that God doesn’t give you responsibilities without holding your hands while doing it. So I always find my way around problems. There are days that I cry to sleep and in the morning, I just have to smile. Even giving out a child for adoption is quite tough. This is a child that grew up looking up to you and suddenly you are giving the child to another family. I used to cry for the first three days after a child is adopted because I would have so many questions in mind, but we are trained to just empathise and deal with it as social workers.
How do you get financial aid to take care of all the children?
I have a partner who finances part of the project. We have friends who donate funds to us. Recently, I was able to get support from a church for some of the children’s school fees. That was a huge burden taken off my shoulders. Abroad, there are structures for such projects, but we are not yet there in Nigeria. We just find our way around it.
Davido donated the money he was given by his friends to some orphanages. Didn’t you apply for the fund?
Yes we got that. It was a breath of fresh air. We got N540,000 from the project. I put in for it. I have known Davido for a while now. I knew he wasn’t just saying it for the fun of it. He was going to live up to his words. There was no cutting corners. We have received the money and I can say that a number of other homes also benefitted.
A lot of married couples shy away from adopting children. What advice do you have for people who want a child but are reluctant to adopt one?
Adoption is just such a beautiful thing. Maybe because I grew up with a lot of people not related to us. A child is not only yours when you bless that child. I have some children who call me mummy and they are not my biological children. There are couples that have been waiting for 10 or 20 years to have a child of their own. They should go out there and adopt a child. Children respond to love. It is the love you give them that you get back. The difference is the experience during pregnancy and at the labour room. You are helping a child to get love and sowing into humanity and taking care of God’s child. I encourage adoption a lot. I have given out about 15 children from the home. Some people only give birth to their children after they adopted a child. It is a beautiful experience. Aside your own children, I encourage every family to take a child off the street.
You are from Akwa Ibom State, but you also bear Remi, which is a Yoruba name. How did you get a Yoruba name?
My mother is from the Yoruba-speaking part of Benin. My mother bears the name and I was given the same name too.
You are also multi-lingual. What are the languages you speak?
I speak English, French, Spanish and some other Nigerian languages. I got a few words from German and a few from Chinese. I think I have a flair for languages. For French, my first degree was Modern Languages and Linguistic studies. When I started working with KORA, I had a lot of French colleagues and started working in a lot of French-speaking countries as well. There was a time that I had to fully programme my brain in French. When I came back to the country, I used to think in French. There are things I would love to express and I would just say it in French. I picked up Spanish as a second language. Spanish and French are quite close.
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