Get To Know Ibukun 'Aibee' Abidoyee

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Writer:Toriola Olawale

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1. Can you share a bit about your journey into the music industry and how you became the Executive Vice President of Chocolate City, one of Africa’s most prolific labels?

My journey into the music industry started when I was at Pepperdine University. In my freshman year college, after the first semester, my sister asked me where I was going to work during the summer so that I could get some business experience. I had no idea what I was going to do at this time because I was studying political science in hopes of being a lawyer, but my sister encouraged me to try music because I was always singing in the house. That Summer, I interned The Music Bridge - a privately owned Company, that focused on clearing music for movies, documentaries, and uses that required identification of rights in music and the proper clearance for use. I was immediately fascinated by the business world behind the music that I enjoyed and that’s how my journey began. From then on, I did quite a bit in music - from working with my sister, NAYO as an A&R on her Album - “African girl” that was released in the UK and entered on the top 20 charts, to performing as her back up singer at live events, to my internship in law school at the Harry Fox agency, to my experience at Notting Hill Music Publishing as an executive assistant to the Director of A&R - I gathered as much knowledge as I could about the music and everything behind the scenes . When I moved to Nigeria, I was hired by Chocolate City, and as they say the rest is history.

2. Before your journey at Chocolate City began, you gained experience across different roles, interning at law firms, music companies, and entertainment agencies. What ultimately influenced your decision to pursue a career in the entertainment industry?

My first internship. I already had a passion for music but I didn’t want to be an Artist. I was thrilled to find out that there was a whole business world around the music we heard and to find out there were professionals on the back end that made it all happen. It was driven by passion and a genuine love for the business.

3. Your current role at Chocolate City Music involves overseeing key areas like strategy, sales and marketing, P&L management, and operations. How doesthis directly impact the artists and creators you work with?

We have to understand where the ARTIST is and align with them to understand the goals and targets for the year. Once we have this we craft what we plan to do to get us there. We run a very Collaborative process as a team - Artist and CC team.

4. Looking back on your career at Chocolate City, is there a particular project or initiative that stands out as one you’re especially proud of?

I believe that our Women’s internship initiative has been extremely effective in bringing in new female talent into the business, which helps us hit our targets for gender representation

5. Rising from Legal and Content Manager to Executive Vice President is no easy feat. What were some of the biggest challenges you faced along the way, and how did you navigate them while staying true to your values?

I had to learn a lot on the job. There were not very many female leaders in music in an executive capacity and so I had to learn very quickly not only about the subject matter in Nigeria - which was a very different landscape from what I was accustomed to - but also about managing men that were often times older than I was or more well known in the industry than I was. I believe when you bring value and you focus on excellence you become an integral part of the conversation. No one wants to lose anything that is valuable.

6. What advice would you give to young women hoping to break into or advance in the music industry?

Know the part that you want to play, understand the intricacies of the actual business, and show up prepared.

7. You’ve been a strong advocate for gender equality in the industry, with initiatives like NAHLA—a program dedicated to empowering young women in music by providing them with the skills and resources to succeed. Can you tell me more about NAHLA and what it aims to achieve in the near future?

The NAHLA initiative advocates for the representation of more women in production, songwriting, and engineering. Our focus is training for young woman between the ages of 18 and 25 in production, songwriting, and engineering, with a goal is to reach 50,000 young women in 10 years. We have put together two sessions of training, one in production and engineering and songwriting, and another writing camp, the EP will be released later this year. We are very proud of the achievements that we’ve made as one of our alumni was selected to be a part of the 1beat residency in the US and we were able to support her by getting her a passport and supporting with per diem while she was at the residency. We exclusively by support from various partners as we are a grant funded initiative.

8. How do you see women’s roles in the music and entertainment space evolving?

While we have quite a few women taking up space in music, I expect to see more women in executive positions. I also think we need more producers, engineers, and songwriters.

9. What does International Women’s Day mean to you personally?

It’s a celebration of what we have achieved as women and a reminder that there is always room for more.

10. Is there a woman (or women) who has significantly inspired your career.

My sister. NAYO ABIDOYE

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