“I don’t think I have ever said I am a YouTuber. People call me that and I am okay with it, but I don’t see myself that way,” says Korty with a wry smile during our conversation at her upscale Lagos residence. Now an internet sensation, she started off posting videos to Instagram before her YouTube videos beamed her into Nigeria’s pop culture spotlight. But her ambitions don’t end here. “I am not confident enough to say I’m a filmmaker yet. I don’t say things until I am sure of it. But what you’re seeing is film,” she asserts of the journey ahead of her.

Real name Eniola Olanrewaju, she was raised in the sleepy hollows of Ibadan with a thirst for a purpose greater than her. Going on to study Computer Science at the University of Ibadan, her longing led her to Lagos for an internship, where she got scouted by the agency Few Models and ended up walking the runway at the Lagos Fashion Week 2017 for brands including Lisa Folawiyo, Andrea Iyamah and Tracy Reese. After graduating the following year, she went to work for the pop-culture upstart Zikoko, and eventually became head of content at the Mr Eazi-powered label service company, Empawa. All the while she was building up her viral moments and within a year, she was ready to quit the day job to start the YouTube channel.

Having caused a buzz on other platforms, this move, which she saw as “making what you’re doing seem serious”, altered the course of her life. At the moment, Korty became arguably the fastest-growing YouTube channel within Nigeria, with her subscriber count rising to 100,000 within 12 months. “If YouTube wasn’t a lot of work, it would have been nice. Do you know how long I have to work for?” she jokes. “There’s really no format for growth. Some people believe there is an almighty algorithm that just needs to skyrocket one of your videos and everything will change but that’s a bloody lie.”

Currently, Korty’s channel is segmented into two sections. There are her vlog-styled takes of her experiences and opinions on life. A recent must-watch video is titled ‘I asked people in their 20s why they have so much sex’. And then she has an interview series entitled ‘Flow, With Korty’ that has featured such stars as Don Jazzy, Niyi Okeowo, Ayra Starr, BlaqBonez and Ashley Okoli. What makes it compelling viewing is her ability to capture big personalities in their most natural state. “I just go out and gist with them. It’s not a very wise thing to do, but I just focus on making them comfortable enough to talk,” she says of the show that is gearing up for its second season.

For one show, Korty spent three days waiting at Lagos’ Eko Hotel in an attempt to speak to music superstar Wizkid. The video chronicling her relentless pursuit has clocked almost half a million views with an elastic chain of reactions from celebrities and the general public alike. Despite all of this, Wizkid has yet to grace her show with his presence. I ask what inspires her numerous boundary-pushing adventures. “Honestly, I think I inspire myself. Most times, I just want to see the end result,” she says. But she does have her heroes. “I think Ava DuVernay is a genius. When she created When They See Us, she made the audience feel like it was happening to them. There’s not a lot of people that can do that.”

At par with Korty’s increasing subscriber count is her online and offline fanbase and growing media clout. So far, the aspiring filmmaker has given a speech at Stanford University, been recognised by YouTube’s Up Next programme, earned partnerships with Skillshare and a host of other international companies, become a meme and even inspired a song by Afro-fusion star Buju on his debut EP ‘Sorry I’m Late’. However, Korty remains adamant that she is not an influencer. “I have a community, that I am sure of. I am not an influencer but I know I have some level of influence,” she reflects. “I don’t really know what my category is. What I feel like I am doing is creating a category that doesn’t exist yet.”

When I question what stands her out from everyone else, and the force behind her ingenuity and continued success, Korty is quick to credit her parents. “I think my superpower is my gut and my taste. My mom and dad have impeccable taste and that was somehow transferred to me.”

Regardless of her many creative offshoots, one thing is clear, Korty succeeds at whatever she chooses to do. At the moment, Africa is her footstool, the world is her playground and YouTube is her favourite toy. As for what’s next, we’ll soon see. “I feel like the way my life has gone, I have just like tried stuff and enjoyed it. If I stop enjoying it, I will move to something else.”

Words Ifeoluwa James Falola
Photography Fifo Adebakin, Fasanmi Afolabi

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Published on 30/01/2022