3 months ago
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Social media personality, Jessica Ikhile, who has over 146,000 followers on Instagram, tells FAITH AJAYI about her journey as a content creator and interest in languages
What can you tell us about your background?
I come from a family of seven, and I am the eldest child. I have a twin as well. Although both of my parents hail from Ewohimi in Edo State, I was born and raised in Lagos State.
My father works as a travel agent and manages swimming pools, as well as being a landlord. My mother, on the other hand, is an entrepreneur who sells clothing. Thanks to their support, I was able to complete my education at Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, where I studied Accounting and graduated with a second-class upper degree.
What other educational qualifications do you have?
Aside from my Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, I also hold a Quality Management System (ISO 9001) Lead implementer certificate in Compliance which I utilised to do a 9-5 job alongside content creation.
When did you become active on social media and how did you start the journey of content creation?
I first became active on social media in 2016, but I wasn’t consistent at the time. I later became more consistent in 2021 when I got my first repost from Tunde Ednut.
When you started, how did your family react to the idea of you being a content creator?
My dad was not in support, and he still is not in support. He believes that in Edo State, witches and wizards will remember one every time one makes a post on social media. However, my mum has been super supportive and she literally forces me to post contents on my social media every day, because according to her, she hasn’t seen someone switch between accents so effortlessly like I do. As for the rest of my siblings, they have been supportive since day one.
What inspired you to become a social media content creator?
Without trying to sound cliché, I would say God, because if anyone had asked me what I wanted to do while growing up, I would never have mentioned being a content creator. But, I just had a strong feeling from the inside nudging me to take this path and pursue my God-given talent.
What form of support did you get when you started?
I got support from my mum and siblings telling me to trust myself. I also got support from the Holy Spirit to help me meet the right people and get my content to the right places at the right time.
There are a lot of content creators out there. Why did you decide to specialise in impressions and mimicking accents?
I do that because those are my strong points. I am also an actor, but what makes me stand out is my ability to mimic multiple accents, and speak different languages. So, the reason I specialise in the type of content I create is because those are my strengths; and it got me a lot of attention online.
In most of your contents, you play the role of an Indian and you mention the name of the actor, ‘Shah Rukh Khan’. What informed your love for Indians and that actor in particular?
While growing up, I had always loved watching Indian movies. The actors, storylines and other elements always captivated me. Over time, I came across other movies that featured Shah Rukh Khan in it. I went on to read all about him, because he made me laugh in his movies effortlessly. Seeing that he was also a Bollywood legend made me motivated, and I started mentioning him as my Indian father in my content.
How many languages do you speak, read or write fluently; and how long did it take you to learn them?
I speak four languages fluently— Hindi (India’s official language), French, Russian and Italian). But, for accents, I can mimic over 10 accents— British, Indian, Jamaican, Russian, Italian, American, Black American, Kenyan, Esan (Edo State, Nigeria), and Ugandan. I pick up accents easily. All I need to do is listen, and try to imitate it. It takes me about one week to mimic the accent fluently.
How and where did you learn these languages?
I actually learnt them by attending classes on YouTube and Udemy. I am in the advanced level when it comes to French and Hindi, and I can communicate in the other languages, though not at an advanced level.
What are some of the challenges you encountered when you first started?
Staying motivated and creative during periods of low engagement was a struggle every time. Also, I had issues with gaining visibility when my phone’s camera quality was bad. I used that as an excuse to be inconsistent at the time.
How did you overcome those challenges?
I learnt to adapt by experimenting with different content formats and engaging with my audience more actively. Over time, I developed a more strategic approach to content creation that helped me to navigate those challenges. And most importantly, I learnt to pray to God before posting my videos. I also learnt to trust the process, and use whatever I had per time to create content.
What are your major highlights as a content creator?
The first highlight was when I got my first repost from Tunde Ednut in September 2021. That was a life-changing moment for me. After that time, I got a lot of reposts from him in subsequent years. Another highlight was when I got my first two million views on Instagram. It was a video of me switching between multiple accents that skyrocketed my followers to over 100k,000 on Instagram, as well as on other platforms, such as TikTok and Facebook.
Yet another highlight was getting featured in one of Charles Inojie’s projects, which would be aired soon on television.
Aside from speaking with different accents, what other unique features differentiate your content from that of others?
That would be the ability to switch between different accents effortlessly. Additionally, the ability to mimic anyone stands me out.
Who are some of the people that inspire you?
They include people like Trevor Noah, Funke Akindele, Bisola Aiyeola, Shah Rukh Khan and Bimbo Ademoye.
Aside from creating content, you also own a business. How has social media helped your business?
Social media has helped me in different ways, including getting patronage from many of my fans. They often say that their patronage is a sign of their support for what I do.
As a media personality, you are very likely to have critics and people who don’t like you, and they might often say negative things about you, no matter what you do. How do you deal with such negativity, especially on social media?
Whenever I see a negative comment, I just delete it. I don’t even bother responding, because I know I’m not what they say. Rather, I am who God says I am, and who I choose to believe that I am. I don’t dwell on negativity at all. Luckily for me, the positive outweighs the negative.
What is your creative process like, and how do you get inspiration?
The Holy Spirit gives me ideas, because there are times I would be blank, and when I pray to God, He would give me ideas. That is because my type of content is different, and He always comes through for me every time. Also, I watch other people’s content to get inspiration. I get inspired from watching movies as well.
You sometimes shoot videos with some of your family members and friends. Why do you involve them in your content?
I do that because it is easy to get them whenever an idea pops up.
Collaboration is one thing creators take seriously because they believe it brings growth and more visibility. Who are some of the people you look forward to feature in your content in the future?
Shah Rukh Khan, of course (laughs).I will also like to work with Trevor Noah, Funke Akindele, Bimbo Ademoye and Bisola Aiyeola.
Who are your biggest cheerleaders?
My mum, my siblings, and a few of my close friends; as well as my fans.
What are some of the benefits you have enjoyed from being a content creator?
I have got cash, portraits of myself, and other gifts.
How are you able to merge being a businesswoman and content creator?
It is not as hard as the 9-5 job I have been doing for three years now, though I have plans to resign soon, so I can focus fully on my acting career, and business.
What are some other areas of interest you are looking forward to venture into?
I look toward to venturing into movie producing and directing. I want to direct my movies, and sell them to streaming platforms, such as Netflix and Amazon Prime.
How do you like to dress?
Jeans and chiffon tops do it for me; but at other times, I love to wear comfortable gowns with heels and a colourful bag to match.
How do you unwind?
I go to the beach, watch movies, hang out with friends, listen to music, or go to a restaurant.
