November 17, (THEWILL) – Despite the fact that Nigeria’s music industry is dominated by men, more women are breaking through the barriers, pushing the boundaries and making their mark by introducing and managing new talents, championing diverse styles and genres. These female executives have taken on key roles in record labels, management companies and other aspects of the music industry, helping to shape the sound and direction of Nigerian music. IVORY UKONU takes a look at some female music managers that are behind some of the most successful music artistes in the country today:
Louisa Williams
Having worked with the likes of Obinna Kelvin Anyanwu, aka Waconzy, Oluwatobiloba Daniel Anidugbe, aka Kizz Daniel and reggae/dancehall singer, Umoren Akannimo Felix, aka Sugarboy, as well as other music-stars, Louisa Williams, who is the Head Artiste Manager at G-WorldWide Records is stamping her feet as one of Nigeria’s most critically acclaimed artiste managers.
The graduate of Chemistry from the University of Calabar started out pitching artistes to perform at the famous Calabar Carnival through her uncle who worked with the Cross River State Government.
Louisa’s talent goes beyond managing talents as she has put to good use her certificate course from New York Film Academy by producing and directing a few music videos, short films, beauty pageant shows including her debut movie, ‘Suga Suga’.
Victoria Nkong
Victoria Nkong is a multi-talented entertainment consultant who has paid her dues as a female talent manager entertainment industry, having worked with notable international and national brands.
Victoria’s love for managing artistes and talents began when she started out in the production department of the defunct KORA All African Music Awards where she was part of a team that handled 2,000 artists for the company. That was how she got to know that she could do well with managing artistes.
By the time she left the company, she had a number of artistes reaching out to her all over Africa for favours. She would do collaborations and give out consultancy advice for free. Eventually, she decided to incorporate those services she was offering for free into one of the services her company offered.
She managed Harrison Tare Okiri, Samantha Leonard from South Africa, Toofan, a musical group from Togo, even Olajumoke Orisagunna the bread hawker turned model, at a point. She is currently the associate producer for All Africa Music Awards, AFRIMA.
Mariam Aduke Abass
Mariam Aduke manages popular afrobeat singer, Joseph Akinwale Akinfenwa-Donus, aka Joeboy.
Before starting her career in the entertainment industry, Mariam, who holds a first degree in civil engineering and a master’s in oil and gas pipeline engineering practiced her profession while she was based in the United Kingdom. But after oil prices crashed and the company she worked with was unable to keep up, she made a transition to fashion styling after realising she had a passion for adding value to people and talent. She would later set up Luxe Reloaded, a talent management business and Malc Agency, a management and brand partnership agency which helps talents scale and grow on brand partnerships to get paid.
Her talents are found all over the world, especially the UK and the United States of America. She focuses on talent from ethnic backgrounds like black agents and people from ethnic minorities.
As a rule, only women work in her companies and she has clients like Cilla Purple, Mugler, Meta, Spotify. Last year, she was among the top Nigerian music players to be inducted into the Grammys’ Recording Academy Class of 2023.
Elizabeth Sobowale
Elizabeth Sobowale is a programme director with the Music Business Academy for Africa (MBA Africa).
She manages singer Adekunle Kosoko, aka Adekunle Gold, and Florence Otedola, aka DJ Cuppy on the side. She has many years of experience working in public relations firms.
She also operates a consulting firm, Brand & Stitch and she is passionate about expanding the creative business as the Programme Director at MBA Africa.
At a point, Elizabeth was almost frustrated by the lack of structures and clear career path in the music industry in Nigeria. She wanted to do more by helping others become managers, music executives, artists, etc.
Then one day it clicked. She decided to use her experience and voice to not only help the clients that she managed but also advocate a community of people that have the desire to engage in the industry but lack the right support, education and funding to make their dreams happen.
So, she went back to school to gain the right knowledgeabout advocacy, policy, politics, economy, geopolitical and the international relations of Africa and she is currently living her dreams.
Bolaji Sarah Olufunmilayo
She is the manager of controversial street-pop artist, Habeeb Okikiola, better known as Portable.
Bolaji who is fondly referred to as Babyluv runs Aquila Records, a record label owned by politician and businessman, Shina Peller.
She also manages all the artistes under Aquila Records, such as fast rising act, Nightlight Queen; Abisoye Abiola Peller, aka Que Peller; Ayomide Oluwasegun Odebunmi, aka Airboy; Isaac Sotunde, aka Base One; Naomi Peller and Abiodun Usman Azeez, aka Beezy. Bolaji, who started out by organising shows and bringing artistes to perform at the events, says her love for music inspired her to start managing artistes.
Osagie Osarenkhoe
Despite not being a household name, Osagie Osarenkhoe’s influence is felt throughout Nigeria’s music industry.
Her expertise has been instrumental to building an ecosystem that facilitates Nigerian artistes’ global outreach. She is a remarkable talent manager, boasting over 15 years’ experience in  showbusiness.
Best known for her role in discovering Afrobeats superstar, Ayodeji Balogun, aka Wizkid, Osagie’s influence extends far beyond this notable achievement. Her career speaks more to her deep passion for nurturing talent, pioneering new ventures and shaping the future of African entertainment.
A graduate of Mass Communication from the University of Lagos, her journey in the entertainment industry began as an Operations Manager at Empire Mates Entertainment (EME). During that time, she not only honed her skills in managing artists and operations, helping to solidify the label’s reputation as a powerhouse in the Afrobeats scene, she also managed one of the label’s signees, Raoul John Njeng-Njeng, aka Skales.
In less than a year with Empire Mates, Osagie’s entrepreneurial spirit led her to create her first platform, One Mic Naija. This initiative provided a stage for emerging artistes to showcase their talents, further demonstrating her unwavering commitment to discovering and promoting new voices in music.
Her passion for talent discovery and development didn’t stop there. In 2016, she founded two more platforms: The Zone Agency and The Basement Gig. Both ventures were extensions of her vision to uplift and spotlight Africa’s next generation of entertainers, cementing her reputation as a force in the industry’s talent pipeline.
Osagie’s managerial prowess reached new heights in 2020, when she was appointed Country Manager for OnErpm, a digital distribution company and record label. In this role, she managed operations across Nigeria, overseeing the growth of independent artistes and the distribution of their music. Two years later, her expertise earned her a promotion to A&R (Artists & Repertoire) for the entire African continent—a role in which she continues to shape the future of African music on a global scale.
In addition to her accomplishments in music, Osagie co-launched GOSI TV, an online TV channel for independent creators by advocating the independence and visibility of Africa’s creative voices across all mediums. Her innovative ventures and talent for nurturing future stars make her a true architect behind some of the biggest names in African entertainment, including Abiola Ahmed Akinbiyi, aka Bella Shmurda, Chike Ezekpeazu Osebuka, Remilekun Khalid Shafaru, aka Reminisce, and late Ilerioluwa Aloba, aka Mohbad. Osarenkhoe prioritises creating opportunities for emerging artists, as evident in her signing of rising stars like Oluwapelumi Olorunda aka Runda in 2023.
Bose Ogulu
Businesswoman and talent manager, Bose Ogulu is not only the mother of Grammy winning artiste, Damini Ogulu, aka Burnaboy, but also manages his musical career alongside that of his sister, Nissi.
Mama Burna, as she is fondly called, managed Burna Boy until 2014 and again from 2017 onwards. A businesswoman, Mama Burnaboy is the daughter of late Fela Kuti’s manager and music critic, Benson Idonije.
Long before she began to manage Burnaboy, she translated for the Federation of West African Chambers of Commerce after earning a Bachelor of Arts in foreign languages and a Master of Arts in translation from the University of Port Harcourt. She speaks English, French, German, Italian and Yoruba fluently.
Vanessa Amadi-Ogbonna
She is well known for managing Tiwa Savage’s music career.
She is one of the key figures in the music business and has had dealings with American pop idols, such as Beyoncé Knowles and Nicki Minaj.
She has also planned and executed publicity campaigns for a wide range of international artists, including Grammy Award-winning British R&B singer Estelle, Usher, Ciara, supermodel and activist Naomi Campbell, etc.
She was the brain behind the debut sold out performance of David Adeleke aka Davido at the famous O2 arena in 2019. Vanessa, who has a career in public relations and marketing spanning over 15 years, achieved these feats through her award-winning public relations firm and management agency, VA-PR.
Isioma Nwaroucha
Isioma Nwaroucha is a member of one of Nigeria’s foremost music-producing mega houses, Chocolate City Group, where she is the Head of Promotions.
She currently manages John Saviours Udomboso aka Young Jonn, a gifted record producer who successfully transitioned to being an artist while simultaneously carrying out the responsibilities of an A&R to improve constructing his sound and public presence.
Kimani Moore
A formidable force to be reckoned with in the Nigerian music industry, Kimani Moore is one of the industry’s most trusted voices, thanks to her vital contributions to the lives of the artistes she manages, such as Bowofoluwa Olufisayo Odunsi, aka Odunsi the Engine; Osayaba Andrew Ize-Iyamu, aka Santi; and Larry Ndianefo, aka Larry Gaaga.
A music lover, her passion for the art of developing sound, packaging it and reaching an audience is what she has transformed into a business, the Kimani Moore Entertainment Company.
Her eclectic love of all kinds of music; from Jazz, to soul, to reggae, a dab of Gospel and weirdly, the Wizard of Oz soundtracks influenced the type of musicians she manages now.
Morin Oluwatobi
Morin Oluwatobi works with Chocolate City and manages the trailblazing, fast-rising Nigerian hip-hop artist, Emeka Akamefule aka Blaqbonez.
A computer science graduate from the Yaba College of Technology Lagos, Morin plays a pivotal role in the music industry.
In addition to being the manager for Blaqbonez, she also gives master classes on being a force within the entertainment industry.
Ivory Ukonu is a versatile journalist with many years of experience, with entertainment and society reporting as her area of core competence.
