What It’s Like To … Be A Female Music Video Director in Nigeria

The first thing Director Pink does before starting a new project is to ensure her immediate space is free of clutter. It’s an artistic quirk she protects fiercely, as for her, a clear space often triggers a clear mind.

“I make sure that I arrange my room. I like when everything is organized and everywhere looks good,” she tells OkayAfrica.  “I kind of realized that it's not just me because if you check out people like Mark Cuban and Steven Spielberg, we all literally do similar things where we want to make sure that the structure of our day is right before we actually get into it because if your space is disorganized,  it reflects in your mind and whatever you're going to put out.”

Director Pink is a rare talent — not merely for being one of the few female music directors working in recent years, but for her experimental, highly unpredictable directorial style. Her music videos are expansive, rich in color, and drawn from a myriad of cultural codes.

Born Praise Onyeagwalam, Pink is renowned for music videos that enter cultural conversations. Between directing Chike and Mohbad’s music video for “Egwu” and working with some of Nigeria’s biggest stars, including Davido, Wizkid, and Burna Boy, Pink has established a new standard for narrative-driven music videos, often at a time when the form is more functional than artistic. Pink began her artistic journey as an editor, then as a photographer, and eventually expanded into music video directing.

Below, Pink tells OkayAfrica about her journey and love for making music videos, her process, her milestones so far, and what it means to be a female music video director in a field dominated by men.

Music videos have always been a way for me to tell different stories of whatever song I am listening to. I’ve always loved music. I could listen for hours and hours without getting tired. I’ve also always loved dissecting music to the point where I would pick up every nitty-gritty detail of songs I am listening to and construct them into a visual flow in my head.  From the very first video I did for Chike, I knew something was coming with this video directing. At that point, I wasn't really making money from it, but I was happy, and that’s how I knew I really loved doing it. 

Music video directing has made me regard every single thing I put out as art. I like it when people appreciate the effort and thought process that go into every video. That's why I also try to show a lot of my behind-the-scenes just to show what it takes to put it all together.

I have an interesting process for planning a shoot. When I get a song, the very first thing I do is arrange my space. Then I divide the songs into the hook, the chorus, and everything else. I also try to understand what the song is trying to say, so I talk to the artist to get insights into their headspace.

I ask questions like: “What do you want from this song? What do you want it to achieve?” An advantage I have is that I studied economics in school, so I also look at things from a business perspective. Aside from the art, I am also asking the artist, how do you want to commercialize this?

After figuring out the artist’s vision for the song, I create a mood board, then we pick locations, shoot dates, and conduct risk assessments for the locations we intend to use. I plan my shot list - I watch a lot of videos that give me references. I also watch classic films just to get inspired and be in the right headspace. This entire process takes one to two months, depending on the scale of the shoot.

I’ve had different milestones in my career, but the most significant was working with the Big Three: Wizkid, Burna Boy and Davido. Working with the three of them came with different experiences. Wiz was amazing throughout as we worked on the video for “Abracadabra” (originally by Rexxie, featuring Wizkid). He respects you as a creative person. There's nothing like ‘oh, you're a girl or a small girl, and I cannot listen to you’.  I learned something from them. 

I would describe my directorial language as beautiful storytelling and unconventional color palettes as well. One thing we've been working on right now is actually blending the world of filmmaking with special effects. I recently did a video where we created a full prosthetic for an alien. I hope people are in the world I have created for them and forget whatever for two to three minutes while they watch that video. So if I don't capture your attention, if I don't put you in that world, then I don't think I have succeeded as a director. 

This part of the year has seen a lot of growth. I’ve grown from being just a music video director to actually being a film director and also being an entrepreneur with Gopink, my brand. It's more than a period panty brand; it is bringing a different invention than the regular pads that people wear because people always forget that the first days are the heaviest, and it's designed to give you confidence to always just be on the go. It’s even more important for me as a woman in a high-pressure industry, where you have to deal with period stains while working on set — something male directors never have to deal with.

Still, I wouldn't be here if I did not put in the work, and that's the thing that my team and I keep battling with. It also makes me understand that I am in a position where so many women look up to me. I must never slack off because it makes other women believe in themselves. I see myself as a culture shifter.

When I think about who I was before and who I am now, I realize I have not even begun to conquer a fraction of what I want to. It makes me hungry for more. It helps me understand the weight on my shoulders and know there is so much more that can be achieved. Still, as a music video director, we're forming culture and the way people see Africa. I honestly think that's what is going to make or break the industry, because what people see is very important. My favorite part of this work is making something out of a blank slate.