Everyone's Time Is Different!!!

It’s no news that in the past week or so, one of the most trending topics in Nigeria has been about Brainjotter, a comedian and skit maker. And how he was able to revive a song that was over 30 years old and many people of this generation had no idea about. However, he used the song to create a dance and it went viral, sparking off a challenge that took not just Nigeria, but the entire world by storm.

The song is none other than Onye Ori Utaba by Gentleman Mike Ejeagha which was released in 1983. At the time, and for many years after its release, it was quite the sensation. Our parents loved the song back then and they danced to it. However, over the years, the newer generation preferred more modern music. Yet, thanks to his challenge, Brainjotter was able to resurrect the song and make it viral once again. Just one part of the song, the chant “Gwo gwo gwo ngwo!” is what is making everyone go crazy and for good reason.

Anyway, this reawakening did the song a lot of good and also drummed up a lot of interest in the music. And since then, more and more people have been streaming the songs across all platforms. It was as if overnight, people were suddenly reminded that there was a legendary song gathering dust on these platforms, and at long last, it was once again getting the attention it rightfully deserved.

But then, the point of this post is not really to talk about what Brainjotter did, but more about what it all means for everyone. I think I’m right when I say that Brainjotter had no idea the song would go viral when he made the video. After all, he uses songs regularly, and not all of them go viral that way. It was just something that happened and sparked off a challenge. And as they say, the rest is history.

My takeaway from all this is that true art never dies. It doesn’t matter how long ago you did it, it doesn’t matter if people no longer care about what you’ve got to offer, it could always come back to you.

Nobody knows tomorrow, anything at all can happen and it can be vastly different from your today. So, just keep doing what you’re doing. Keep creating art and keep doing beautiful, because all that is required from you is consistency. All you need is one day! Just one day! Your content just needs to come across the right set of eyes or ears at just the right time. Then, that very thing you’re looking for, you’ll get it.

And then, you also have to make sure that you’re ready to succeed. It will shock you that despite how many of us are working hard to succeed, we’ve not really put much thought into how we’ll handle it. This is why some people will go viral, gain a significant number of followers and after a while, just fade back into the crowd. Meanwhile, others will capitalize on it and use it to grow their brand, choosing to consistently remain in the spotlight.

As a creator, you have no idea when you will ‘blow’. It could happen by mistake, it could happen by design. But you must be ready. Going viral would bring a lot of followers to join you, but your plan and your subsequent output will decide if they get to stay on or if they unfollow you back. After all, that’s how it is for all the popular skitmakers we know today. They all became viral with one video, and people suddenly realized just how good they were.

So, don’t stop what you’re doing. Keep it up! The sun will definitely shine on everything you do. I’m happy for Brainjotter, and I’m happy for Gentleman Mike Ejeagha. It’s all good.