Little to no recognition is given to those working tirelessly behind the scenes—the ones who lay the foundation for success. Kulupsy is one of these unsung heroes who deserves applause for her tenacity and dedication. Feyisola Ogunbanjo, popularly known as Kulupsy, is a versatile A&R manager who contributes to the success of many projects at Native Records, amongst many other roles. 

Smur Lee’s breakout single, “JUJU” with  ODUMODUBLVCK featuring Shallipopi debuted at No. 8 and has 6.1 million on-demand streams while spending its fifth week on the Official Top Nigeria 100 chart. This is ODUMODUBLVCK’s second longest-spending song on the chart, following his hit song “BLOOD ON THE DANCE FLOOR” featuring Bloody Civilian and Wale. The latter track has 41 million streams, spent four weeks at No. 1, and a total of 33 weeks on the chart. It is eligible for a 2x Platinum TCSN award.

While speaking with TurnTable Charts, Kulupsy discusses her flair for creativity and her journey into the entertainment industry. 

TTC: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and what you do?

KULUPSY: My name is Feyisola Ogunbanjo (Kulupsy). I love food, having fun, being around water, and creative spaces. I wear many hats –I'm an A&R, director, operation head, project manager, visual producer, talent manager, and a dog mom. I'm also a friend of TurnTable Charts.

TTC: Could you share your artistic background and what led you to venture into the music industry?

KULUPSY: Coming into the industry was a very transformative for me. I was a straight-A student and creativity wasn't a thing for me while growing up. My parents loved music. My mom listened to reggae, international and country music while my dad introduced us to Fuji and Apala. I looked forward to a straightforward picket-fence life. The plan was to finish school and work in tech because I studied Computer Science. During my second year, I had a feeling that something was missing. I had a discussion with my Dad about taking a gap year to figure out what I wanted to do. I'm grateful to him for his support. While taking the gap year, my manager at work told me to put together the end-of-the-year event. That opened my mind to a new world. I was doing what I liked. I returned to school and took a minor in public relations and advertising. I joined student associations and got myself involved. We used to put together events and we invited artistes including Basketmouth, Tiwa Savage, Wizkid, Burna Boy, Sauce Kid, Lynxxx, etc. That made me connect with artiste managers and music executives in the industry. Coming out of school, I hit up one of my friends, Abuchi, who was managing M.I, but now CEO of Chocolate City. He connected me to a friend of his looking for an assistant. I became assistant to Mr. Omoregie, the programming director of TRACE at the time. After some months, I got hired at TRACE. Later, I branched out and produced a TV show. I got fired but didn't back down. I thought entertainment wasn't for me so I went back to pick up my computer science. 

TTC: How did you start working at Native Records, and how has the experience been till this point?

KULUPSY: I started getting some recognition, did some minor stuff for Native and Beat FM, and worked on radio. Abuchi called me again saying that he needed talented managers and employed me. We worked for some brands. In 2021, I got a call from Seni, the CEO of Native Networks to Project manage the NATIVEWORLD album and that was how it began. I worked with a bunch of artistes and that gave me room to grow. I realised I had marketing, A&R, and communication skills. With so many skills, I gained confidence in myself and my bosses were pushing me to be the best. I got employed as the A&R coordinator when Native signed a deal with Def Jam. After that, ODUMODUBLVCK was signed and I started working with him. I'm good at A & R and it became a part of me but I didn't like to do it. I went back to project management which is still my role with ODUMODUBLVK but I was so good with A&R and always drawn back to it. I was one of the A&Rs for the ‘EZIOKWU’ album.

TTC: You’re our Executive of the Week because Smur Lee’s “JUJU”, featuring ODUMODUBLVCK and Shallipopi, has spent four weeks at No.1 on the Official Nigeria Top 100 chart. How did this collaboration come about?

KULUPSY: I'm a devoted TikTok fan and I have my ears to the ground everywhere looking for exciting new music and artistes. I heard “JUJU” in late May and noted it, I even made a couple of videos to it. Once the sound crossed 100,000 videos,  I was like this sound is onto something. The coincidence was very beautiful. I was working that day when Seni sent me the sound and asked who the guy was. I told him it was a lady and we contacted Smur Lee. We got the file, spoke to the producer. While we were on the UK tour, we were in the car and ODUMODUBLVCK was impressed. I told him I’d been looking for a way to put the song out to him.  The day he was recording, Shallipopi was in the studio and wanted to be on it. We sent it to Shallipopi on the 10th and he sent back the recording on the 11th. That’s it!

TTC: This is another impressive achievement as it marks the second-longest time ODUMODUBLVCK’s track has topped the charts. “BLOOD ON THE DANCE FLOOR” was the first and it spent four weeks at No.1. Could you share your role in contributing to the success of both projects? 

KULUPSY: “BLOOD ON THE DANCE FLOOR” was the first song that got my attention while listening to the project. I was the project manager and marketing lead. We wanted something universal that could transcend and with Wale, it felt like a hat-trick. What matters is the vision behind the song. Once you see that this song has potential, we put more marketing into regions where it’s doing numbers. All these backend efforts carry the song to where it’s meant to be. We put it out in clubs and made it relatable to everyone. ODUMODUBLVCK has a way of singing that makes you vibe to the melody. There was a new trend recently coming on with “BLOOD ON THE DANCE FLOOR” which is evidence of how extensive the single has gone. The same strategy was carried on with “JUJU” and we’re not even done with that. 

TTC: Will there be any future collaborations from these artistes –ODUMODUBLVCK, Smur Lee, and Shallipopi?

KULUPSY: ODUMODUBLVCK and Shallipopi are best of friends so you can expect more. For the trio, I can’t divulge a lot but all I can say for now is there's more on the way. And from me also. I’m not giving too much away but let’s see. Anticipate.