You graduated from the Nigerian Law School and became famous as one of the most famous Instagram comedians, how would you describe the journey?
The journey, for me, has been great and unbelievable. Unbelievable in the sense that I could not have predicted that it would have happened so quickly. I knew something big would happen to me, but I never pictured it happening so soon. Does that mean it has been easy? I will say no. The journey has been rigged with a lot of challenges. But I have also had God and of course, He kept me through the tough times and the good times. We keep taking every day as it comes and we are trusting God.
In less than two years, you have become famous with your kind of comedy that tends to portray you as some who is always angry. Is this your strategy?
This is funny. So, my comedy portrays me as someone who is always angry. What I put out there was never really a strategy but I stuck to it because people really loved it…instagram/online comedy has always been a means to an end. It is one of the ways to get popular and get in the eye of people. It helps the world to know what I can do and what I am capable of. It showcases my talent to the world basically. On my road to discovery, I found out that something I do very easily (which is getting angry) is something a lot of people love and so it’s something I stuck with…And I discovered that I have got to better at it with.
Coming into the industry at a time when many people were looking for new comedy contents, you have been able to leverage on this new trend to your advantage. Did you actually see any of this coming?
No, I didn’t see it coming at all. I always knew that as long as I created good content, people would find out about Mc Lively and love him but I certainly didn’t know that I would climb to the top so quickly, but I guess that is the advantage that social media has. It makes a lot of people know about you, and once you, are good, you are good.One thing that is certain is that If you got have the content, then people are certainly going to be following you for a while. So, I did not see it coming this way at all. It’s something I had to get used to.
Are you surprised at how your brand of comedy has been appreciated and taken you beyond your space?
Would I say I am surprised? I think I would say I am happy it has taken me to where I am. I would rather say I am astonished, amazed and thrilled. I never wanted to become a musician. You only need to hear my voice. In fact, it can make Jesus vex and do second coming. I always wanted to be in entertainment- an actor but not a musician. The goal, for me, was to be an actor but because I am not very comfortable with the Nollywood industry, I just felt like I needed to do more than just be an actor, and that’s what brought the refining of the comedian in me. This is because being a comedian opens up other opportunities like being an actor…a TV host, among others.
How was life in Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) and whose idea was it that you study Law?
It was my idea to study Law. It was not influenced by anybody. If anything, my mother wanted me to study English and become a doctor or professor, to live a very quiet life. If only she knew how much of a shouter I would become in future. She was scared I would not be able to cope with all the books and all but I was convinced otherwise because I knew that Law was going to help me refine my talent of being a talker. There was one thing I loved to do “talk”, so I needed a place where I would refine the talent and make something out of it. That’s how law came to the fore. Need I mention that this was even after I had failed jamb two times. Meanwhile, OAU was a great experience for me because I made sure I got involved in a lot of activities, social and political, which really shaped my ideology on a lot of things today.
Did you ever see yourself practising Law before you graduated?
I never saw myself practising Law… because like I mentioned in the beginning …I studied Law because I needed to discover myself and find myself. However, Law was my backup plan if entertainment didn’t work out because there are no guarantees in this life. So, while studying Law, I was always thinking what if things didn’t work out as planned. But I didn’t let that discourage me. I can’t practise Law because it is quite boring to me.
Some people believe that some of you, who are into Instagram comedy, tend to struggle on the real stage when it comes to cracking up people. Why do you think this happens regularly?
I have heard this question a lot of times. The first thing is that there are different kinds of comedy. As I mentioned initially, there is standup and comic actors. Most of us who do instagram skits are comic actors and not stand up comedians. These are two different styles that people tend to confuse. I don’t know about other people, but I know I am not a stand-up comedian. It is something I hope I would be good at in the future, but I understand that I have to bring my craft into the stage. Whenever I am on stage, I am always getting people to ask me questions and that’s where my spontaneity comes to play. Yes, there are sometimes when things will not go as planned on stage, but when I bring my style to stage, it always works well for me. I am a formal kind of comedian and I perform at formal event majorly. There are other people who would do better during social or random events. The most important thing is understanding what one’s style is and mastering it.
This trend of comedy may not last for another five years, what are your plans to reinvent yourself and rise to the game?
Comedy for me is not about trends, and once one develops the right content, the job is simple. When you have the right content and you develop it, you will forever be relevant. I totally agree that people get tired of online comedy. However, online comedy is not restricted to instagram alone. It transcends measures, and the most important thing is to bring the online comedy to the mainstream creatively so that people can see what they do online to real life. Whatever you do, if you are creative, you will stand the test of time. Many people have done instagram comedy for a year that people stopped following them because they stopped being creative and innovative.
What do you think of your career in the next few years?
I am hoping to be the most excellent comedian.
How are you keeping your game afloat?
It is a consumer service and there is a need to satisfy. Once you keep satisfying that need, trust me the game remains afloat. Once you make your customers happy, you will remain in the business, no matter what you do.
and then