There were times I regretted going into comedy

 Ibadan comedy gist met with one fast rising young stand up comedian in the city of Ibadan，Akinyoola Ayoola aka BUZZ.

    He has begin to stamp his feet on the entertainment industry as a genuine article. The Ibadan-bred multi-talented greenhorn, has created a niche for himself by uniquely re-branding the fusion of comedy, In this chat with him, he speaks on his career, challenges, sex, and dynamics of the Nigerian entertainment industry.

People Know you has BUZZ, whats your real name?
   Am Akinyoola Ayoola aka Comedian BUZZ.

How did the journey begin? 
     It all began in 2014, when I did an event for a cousin who organized a birthday party. It was the first time I held a microphone to speak in the public. It wasn’t something I planned for, the celebrant just came to my house and invited me to be the MC to save money, saying they’ve noticed I’m funny, jovial and hilarious. I accepted and did it. During the birthday, I spoke and sang using the Yoruba accents, which thrilled and impressed people a lot. After the event, I was applauded, compliments flowed in from all angles that I was funny and able to carry the audience along while thrilling them with hilarious jokes and occasional infusion of music. I was later told I possess the required skill to become a successful comedian, but as that time, what I really wanted to do was to sing, record songs, drop musical videos and become a popular artiste like Olamide, Davido, Wizkid and the likes, but people kept encouraging me to give comedy a try because they believed I had what it takes to be a comedian. A week after the birthday, I was invited for another event. I played the role of a mascot at the event, painted my face, wore funny costumes and did stuffs like Baba Sala (Moses Olaiya) of those days with a big belly just to look funny. I was actually shaking because it was my first time on stage, but at the end the audience was thrilled and the organizers were impressed. It was at that point I began to give full time comedy a thought. So, since then till now I’ve been doing my comedy thing and God has been faithful. 

How did your family members react to your choice of career? 
  At first my parents refused because most of the events I was invited to were late night shows, and it was always a weekend thing, so whenever I was invited for a show my parents refused because they felt it was going to be in a bar or club where people drink and smoke. Also, at that time, my parents saw the entertainment industry as a corrupt entity, so they didn’t want me to get involved because they felt once I do, I’ll have to smoke, drink, draw tattoo on my body and get involved in other vices just to feel among. But I was able to convince them that I won’t forget where I’m coming from or the values and teachings I’ve learnt. I told them this was what I had a passion for and wanted to do. They also began to see that I was getting so much love from people, people wanted to associate with me because I was doing comedy. So my parents had a change of mind and said “okay, let’s give it a trial and see the outcome”.                                                                                                                                                                                   
    
 Any regrets so far? 
       There were times I regretted going into comedy at all because occasionally when I’m performing and I don’t get the expected applause or feedback, it would make me very sad. Imagine hearing comments like “he’s not funny”, or people are just busy pressing their phones while I’m cracking jokes, I felt so bitter that I wanted to quit and just face music. I later told myself that I was going to do one more event and if it wasn’t successful then I’ll quit comedy. Ironically, I got the referral for my next show at the event that made me never want to quit. It was a birthday where I got my first standing ovation for doing comedy, I was so happy because of the magnitude of response I got from the audience. I then said to myself “life is not a bed of roses, there would be high and low times”. These experiences opened my eyes to the basic dynamics that life hold for everyone. I’m proud to say that my regrets of the past are now becoming an advantage for me.  

How would you rate your success so far? 
     I think I’m just starting. Before now, when I’m called up on stage to perform people hardly scream, but now when I’m done there is always a standing ovation what should your fans expect from you this year？ I’m planning on doing my own annual comedy show soon,which will be titled BUZZKILO AND I. What does sex mean to you? I’m a virgin so I don’t know what s3x is (laughs).  

Is BUZZ in love? 

     Yes o, I’m in love with my mother (laughs), she is the love of my life for now.she’s been so supportive. That is not to say I don’t have female friends, I do, I even have a lot of female friends and fans that want to date me. But because I still want to be relevant in the industry in the next 10 or 20yrs, I don’t have time for a relationship. I want to work, work, and work. I’ve been in relationships before but they didn’t work because I didn’t have time for the girls. I think a lady deserves attention in a relationship; her man should always be there. It doesn’t mean I don’t have free times, I do, but even in those free times I still work. Relationships in the entertainment industry hardly work, if you have to date someone in the industry, it has to be someone who understands the nature of the job because some partners are very jealous and need real attention. So, right now I just want to wait till when I find someone who really understands because I don’t want to break any girl’s heart. I don’t even have a heart, it’s kpomo that is there (laughs)