Content creator Joseph Onaolapo, popularly known as Jay On-Air, speaks with IVORY UKONU about his craft and the things that shaped him to be what he is today. Excerpts:
How did your journey into content creation begin?
It began in 2020, the COVID-19 year. It was during the lockdown period and everyone was home. I was in a very bad situation financially. I was out of work. Even before COVID-19 started, I was just not in a great place. At that time, the app, Tik Tok, was the rave of the moment. Everyone was on Tik Tok and I said to myself, ‘you know what, I need to make myself happy.’ And so I got on the app and started creating styles. The responses I got were positive and I knew from then on, that it was something I wanted to explore further. And so that spurred me to continue to create styles, lip sync, create original content and it just became a thing for me from there on. I had done some things before 2020, but I began the funny style of content creation and we are here today.
What inspires the kind of content you create?
Everyone inspires me. I grew up around strong women: My mother, her friends, my sisters and my personal friends. I always had a lot of great women around me. When I was in paid employment, I had a lot of female bosses. So most of my contents are based on personal experience. Apart from that, I’m good at observing things. Each time I go out, I observe a lot of things, the different ways people talk and I relate it to different situations. My mind is constantly observing things. I think that is what really inspires my content creation. I am a student of life and I am inspired by life itself. So my content is something that people can easily relate to, especially women.
Does your content reflect what happens within your family, with your friends and other relations?
Like I said, I am inspired by life and everything and everyone inspires me. I have a female Yoruba character that most people assume is my mother. She is not my mother. My mother is an Efik woman from Cross Rivers State. When I was growing up, she had a lot of Yoruba friends. Those women inspired my Yoruba mother character.
How do you source the costumes you use in your skits?
When I started out, I relied mostly on my mother’s wardrobe. She is a fashionista and literally has all kinds of dresses. As my brand started to assume a life of its own, other brands started believing that they could sell stuff through me and so I started getting clothes, wigs, bags and shoes. Now most of the things I wear are stuff from the brands I work for as an influencer, which believe in what I do and want me to wear their stuff. Once I wear it, people like it and want to buy it. So I am grateful for growth really.
Did you expect that your contents would be well received when you started out?
Honestly, when I first started, I was never really thinking about whether people would receive it or not. Like I mentioned earlier, I was in a really sad and depressed state. I just wanted to get myself out of depression. So creating content for me helped me out of depression.
You are very attached to your mum. How did she react to your decision to become a skit maker?
Oh yes, I am very attached to my mum. We look alike very much and we have almost the same kind of personality. She found content creation interesting and a little puzzling as a Nigerian mother who couldn’t understand initially why her son should wear female clothes, especially her own dresses. But you know, one had to keep going, no matter the kind of reaction from one’s family. Eventually, wearing dresses became a habit that brought in money and you know, money is a great thing to have. I won’t say my mum was not receptive to my content creation. She just had her doubts, which was not unexpected.
Some of your contents are reflective of a deeply spiritual soul. Do they also reflect your personality?
In many ways, my skits are somewhat reflective of who I am and the things that I have experienced. When I was in the university, I was the pastor of a Christian fellowship and so that kind of helped with some of the content I create. In fact, the religious side of my content is primarily based on my experience. This is why the Christian community like my content. Many Christians relate to it.
Some of your colleagues and celebrities have spurred you on with their comments. Not many of your contemporaries are that privileged. How do you feel about this?
When I get positive comments from people like Jude Lemfani Abaga, aka MI, Aituaje Iruobe, aka Waje, Omawunmi Megbele etc., it makes me go wow. I mean these are people that I have looked up to. I remember having lunch with Kate Henshaw and that just bowled me over. This is somebody I had seen in the movies when I was growing up. Life is wild. What can I say? To be honest, I am just grateful. Like I said, I didn’t start out because of celebrities knowing me or encouraging me in the comment section. It comes with the quality of content I create and I am just grateful. Every single day I wake up, I feel humbled that I am able to create and be loved for my work, not just by celebrities but also by regular people.
Who are your role models and why?
I look up to people like Maryam Apaokagi aka Taaoma, Nosa Afolabi aka Lasisi Elenu to Gloria Oloruntobi aka Maraji etc. They all inspire me because it takes a lot to create content every single day not minding what naysayers say. I am inspired by every single person that creates content, the new, the old, internationally, locally, they all inspire me.
Have you ever been involved in a conflict with another skit maker, with regard to similarity in content?
We live in a creative world, ideas will always come. People will always see the ideas I try to promote in my content and they want to do the same, too. So why not? I have heard people say to me that a certain person tries to be like me, regarding my content, but I don’t really care. I just create because I know the ideas will keep coming. Am I bothered that people may be copying me? No, because I am also inspired by other people. You just need to find a way to make your content original so that people will know it is uniquely yours, even though they may have seen it created somewhere else.
Is there a reason why you are comfortable mimicking women so accurately?
I have had more experiences with women than I have had with men, to be honest. And my contents are based on my experiences. I cannot relate what I do not know.
Have you ever been a victim of online bullying?
In this age of social media, who hasn’t been a victim of online bullying? But I made a vow to myself when I started out that I will never be moved by negative stuff because the reason I started creating content was to be happy. So why should I allow people who do not know me or my intentions and who have never met me try to make me feel bad about myself?
Mention one instance and tell us how you handled it
On one occasion, a content of mine went viral on the American social media space and black American women came for me, questioning why I was mimicking them and making fun of the female struggle. That wasn’t my intention. Women within and outside Nigeria are my audience and they love what I do. I felt bad about it for a minute or two and then moved on because I didn’t want to be enwrapped in a negative atmosphere. I don’t respond to trolls. I would prefer to mute than dignify them with a response. I never respond to negative comments. It is a covenant I made with myself and I am grateful that several years down the line, I have not broken that covenant.
What are the challenges of skit-making?
For instance, when you have a good viral video, you begin to wonder what idea to work on next. With someone like me who likes to create a lot of content, that can be an issue. You also sometimes experience dryness of ideas, especially when you want to create content for a brand. When this happens, I just chill, relax and the idea comes. I am grateful to God for that.
What would you say has been your greatest achievement since becoming a content creator?
That would be being able to do the things I do for my family, especially for my parents. My dad is in his 80s, my mum is in her 60s and they aren’t going to be around forever, especially my dad. I may not have bought them a house or a car yet, but I am able to make them eat the fruits of their labour to an extent.
What was it like growing up with your father who you hardly flaunt?
We stopped living with him since 1999 because of some things that happened in the family. He is way older, 80 years like I earlier said. He married two wives and so I have half siblings. My dad is amazing, has always been kind, I love my dad, we see a lot, we talk a lot. Growing up was really just amazing. Even though we didn’t live together, he took care of us, paid our school fees and was always there, a true father to be sincere.
What would you say significantly shaped you to be who you are today?
I would say life has shaped me to be the person that I am today; the good, the bad and the ugly. Without the things that I have been through, I won’t be the content creator that I am today. I always thank God for both the good and the bad. I made something from the bad, I mean not everyone can actually say that.
What did you study in school?
I studied Mass Communication. I am a presenter with 88.5 UFM, which is owned by Ultima. Working as a radio and television host has always been my dream, my first love.
If you weren’t a skit maker, what else do you think you would have excelled in?
I would have just continued as a radio presenter and TV host. It is what I have always wanted to do. I look up to people like Frank Edoho and Ellen De Generes who inspires me to have my own TV show.
Have you ever thought of quitting what you do?
I hope that day never comes because I never started it because of people, for recognition or money. I started it for myself and till today creating content makes me so happy even in my darkest time. The joy I feel creating content is indescribable. But, of course, I want to evolve and do different things. I don’t want to keep wearing wigs all my life. I mean what is life without evolution? So let us wait and see.
You have a unique stage name. How did you come about the name?
I work in a radio station. That is where the ‘on-air’ comes from. The ‘Jay’ comes from my first name, Joseph and I added ‘On Air’ to it because of my job and it caught on pretty well. Some people think ‘On Air’ is my surname and they call me ‘Onair’ until they meet me and discover otherwise.
You had a brief stint in thrift business. What is the story behind it and why did you stop?
Oh yes, I tried my hands in ‘okrika’ business. I was out of job and needed to do something. A friend of mine, who lives abroad now, encouraged me to go into the thrift business. He took me to ‘Kotangora’ market in Lagos State, where I bought stuff for sale and I promoted it on WhatsApp and people started buying and it became a business and then COVID-19 happened and people stopped buying my goods. It felt as if life was dealing with me at that time. I still want to do business, maybe not thrift business, but I am taking it one step at a time. I am still young. There are still other sides of me to explore and business is definitely one of them because as a creative, you can’t always think that money will always come from creating content.
You have talked about getting depressed at some point in your life. What triggered it and how did you get out of that dark zone?
You know when you come out of school and you get a job and money is coming and then you suddenly lose everything? That was what got me into depression. But then I started creating. That was my therapy and that got me out of depression even on my toughest days. That is why I do not joke with my creative side. I also listened a lot to the American Christian preacher, Joyce Meyer and that helped too. And for anyone battling depression, I can’t say I have the perfect remedy to get out of depression, but just think of whatever will give you joy or take your mind off dark thoughts, find it, there is always that thing and stick to it.
How do you unwind?
I binge watch a lot of Youtube content. I am not big on movies, but if I have to watch, it will have to be political dramas, medical dramas, legal dramas etc. I also like to party sometimes, go out to have a good time. I also listen to worship music.
