By Pauline Odhiambo
When he first posted a funny skit on social media, Seyi Adeyeye never imagined that his humorous antics would one day earn him thousands of followers.
Seyi’s satirical comedy, which is based on the realities of singlehood, was partly-inspired by the conversations he would often have with his friends.
“The majority of my friends are single, and whenever we hang out, we end up laughing so much about all sorts things, including being single,” the Nigerian comedian tells TRT Afrika.
Beyond his friends group, Seyi had noticed that many of the conversations around life as a single person would often emphasise on loneliness and other negative feelings including shame.
Trending topics
“I wanted to create something that could make single people laugh whenever they thought about their status. I wanted to give them something positive to relate to,” says the U.S.-based comedian who began sharing skits on social media in 2023.
Seyi’s content has since gone viral, with Hollywood comedian and actress Tiffany Haddish being among the multiple people sharing his skits.
“My job as a comedian is to take some of the trending topics and transform them into entertainment,” he states.
“The challenge is in making such topics entertaining while still passing on a message that will, not only create awareness about a certain issue, but also encourage people to participate and engage in a meaningful way,” he explains.
One of the trending topics he recently lent his voice to was the #EndBadGovernance protests in Nigeria where thousands thronged the streets of major towns to decry the rising cost of living.
“My spin on it was that single people in the country could attend the protest on the chance that they could meet other single people there,” the 28-year says with a laugh. “With everything being so expensive right now, many people are not going out on dates, so maybe that alone should be a ‘funny’ reason to join the protest.”
The ‘Buzz’
The comedian’s moniker ‘Seyi Buzz’ is partly inspired by the energy of bees which, according to experts, help keep humans alive by contributing directly to food security through pollination. A third of the world’s food production depends on bees, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
“My name ‘Seyi’ is short version of saying ‘God did this’ or ‘the Lord’s doing,” so I thought to combine that with ‘Buzz’ which implies energy and liveliness.”
A graduate in actuarial science and insurance, Seyi moved from Nigeria to the U.S. in 2021 to further his studies.
The move also led to a job with Microsoft where he currently works full-time as a talent manager.
Balancing act
“Comedy is a thing I do on the side because I'm passionate about it and it just makes me happy,” the Lagos native enthuses. “The biggest challenge is not being able to immediately jump on the trends happening during weekdays because I am not able to right away script and record.”
In 2015, data firm Ibis World projected that the comedy industry in the United States would be worth $344.6m in 2020. The global comedy industry is now estimated to be worth over $8 billion, according to World Metrics.
Seyi is optimistic about cashing in on this growth.
“I hope I'll one day take my comedy beyond social media to actual live events where people can laugh about being single while mingling with other single people,” he tells TRT Afrika. “If I stay consistent, maybe one day I’ll have a Netflix show to churn out more content.”
On a good weekend, Seyi can record up to 40 videos which is enough to cover his content for at least a month.
“When I get content ideas during the week, I write them down and then shoot my videos on the weekend so I can still continue being productive at work. That how a strike a balance,” he adds.
But Seyi doesn’t only rely on weekends to have some fun.
He stays active by playing soccer and pickleball with his friends after work hours on weekdays.
‘Every single day’
“You can have fun every day of the week when you’re intentional about doing joyful things,” he notes. “Unfortunately, many people are only happy when it’s Friday and very sad when Monday comes around.”
Many of Seyi’s followers, the majority being based in Africa and the U.S., are also intentional about seeking happiness daily.
“About 32% of my followers are in the U.S., with the majority in Nigeria at 35%,” he states. “I also have a significant following in Kenya and Ghana.” A smattering of followers hail from different countries in Europe including Belgium and the Netherlands.
Some of his followers are often curious about Seyi’s own relationship history and often look forward to his weekly uploads to ask direct questions about his status.
“Every single day there somebody always asking me if I’m single, and when I say ‘yes’ they can’t believe it” he tells TRT Afrika. “Some of them say, “If you are single like us, why do you make jokes about single people?”
His answer: “But that’s exactly the point. Being single should not make you feel like it's a bad thing. We can laugh about is as well.”
Right partner
Seyi believes single people should take time to connect with the right person before getting into a committed relationship.
“I'm not a hopeless single person. I’m just like many other single people who don’t want to rush the process of finding a partner that aligns with their own values and belief systems,” he says. “I’ll still continue making content for single people even if I get into a relationship because that’s my audience.”
Seyi is nonetheless open to broadening his content in the future to include other aspects of life.
His advice to aspiring comedians: “You don’t need any fancy equipment to get started. Laughter connects everyone,” he concludes.
“So if you have a phone that can record, just start with that and don’t overthink it. Ignore the trolls and focus on the people that can push your comedy forward and help in organically growing your brand.”
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