I remember the first time I met Dolapo. I was immediately captivated by the sheer brilliance of this 5-foot-something man and how he knew the right words to articulate his thoughts. It didn’t take long for me to figure out he was a “tech bro.”
As the founder of WeTalkSound, a dynamic 360 creative company, Dolapo’s journey reflects a fusion of passion, skill, and relentless ambition. From collaborating with global brands to championing emerging artists, his story is a testament to the power of intersectionality in shaping the future of business and culture. Through his innovative endeavours at WeTalkSound and his impactful contributions at Google, Dolapo continues to redefine what it means to be a visionary leader in today’s digital age.
Interview – Ayo Lawal
You have an impressive background spanning both the tech and creative industries. How did you first discover your passion for merging these two worlds?
As far as I can remember, I was always excited by both artistic stuff and quantitative stuff. I was the student who would do well in both Social Studies and Math. I have always liked writing and music, and I knew I didn’t want to give up that side of myself, even if I was pursuing a technical course like Electrical Engineering. I figured in uni that I could view my ability to play both sides as a strength and fully embrace it. The first serious venture I built was an art collective at my uni, which we called ‘UitesWrite’. We collected written art from students and alumni and published the compilation as a digital anthology, and we won an award for ‘Best Student Initiative’ in the school. That was my first tangible project, and I did it while studying electrical engineering. After that, it was like a free flow from ideation to execution of my other ideas.
Talk to us about WeTalkSound. What inspired you to start this tech-enabled creative company, and what sets it apart from others in the industry?
Initially, it was just my love for building digital communities and music. After UitesWrite, I became more confident, and I thought I could build a community of music-inclined creatives first across my uni, Nigeria, and across the world. That was how WeTalkSound started as a WhatsApp group of music enthusiasts. Over time, we learnt so much about how the music industry works, especially the intersection of music and digital technology – how to leverage the Internet to promote music, social media, how to make money from content online, etc. We also experimented with building digital products and fan-engagement microsites and did a lot of data analysis to reveal insights into the Nigerian music industry.

Doing all these gave us a lot of understanding and positioning around being a strongly digitally enabled creative collective. Over time, people started approaching us to help them with design, marketing, strategy, insights, building products, and more, and we decided to actually start an agency to provide these services at scale.
Now, we’re a 360-degree company with a strong team that understands the creative and digital landscapes and can solve various types of problems across both. What stands out is our approach; we apply the best relevant tech tools, platforms, and knowledge to solve creative industry problems. We’re also very in touch with the audience and the general pulse of young Africans. The fact that we do a bunch of interconnected things means we can tap into multiple places to figure out how to solve a client’s challenges.
With divisions ranging from media and marketing to fashion and events curation, how do you ensure synergy among these diverse areas within WeTalkSound?
I believe a lot of things in the creative industry are interconnected. We have media, agency, fashion, label services and events. This means we can provide end-to-end services to a client. So, we deeply understand what they want to achieve and look at the best combination of our services, ideas, and tech to lead to the best results for the client or project. So, think of us as a creative tech hub with several tricks up our sleeve, and we unveil them as they are relevant to the project we’re working on. The team is also very collaborative, and everyone’s generally curious, which also helps.
Through WeTalkSound, you’ve worked with notable brands and artists such as EMPIRE, Sony Music, and Davido Music Worldwide. What strategies do you employ to maintain successful partnerships in such a competitive industry?
We’ve worked on different projects with several brands, record labels, and artists. It’s been an exciting run. The business landscape here is an interesting mix of formal and informal. As a CEO, your biggest job is identifying business opportunities and partnerships that bring in revenue. One key thing for us is differentiation – because how we approach the work is different and unique, it’s easier to acquire and retain clients. Also, being willing to go above and beyond to add value to the clients and partners goes a long way.
Being named a professional Grammy Recording Academy member is a remarkable achievement. How has this recognition impacted your career and aspirations within the music industry?
I’m grateful about that one in particular because it’s a testament to my work with WeTalkSound and in the creative space in general. It just generally wows people when they find out. It’s apparently a really big deal. The best part for me is being part of a global network of some of the most influential people in music worldwide and having the power to advocate for changes that could impact the international music industry. That’s a rare privilege and one I don’t take for granted.
As someone shaping Nigerian music under 30, what do you see as the biggest challenges and opportunities for young creatives in the industry today?
There’s the challenge around access to resources to bring their ideas to life. These resources include funding, knowledge, networks, and everything else. It’s become an increasingly competitive space, and there are so many hurdles to scale for young people today. On the flip side, the biggest opportunities are the Internet and digital platforms and the ability to reach millions of people simultaneously via your mobile phone with whatever art form you practice.
Transitioning from roles at companies like Bolt and KPMG to your current position in Product Marketing at Google, what lessons have you learned along the way, and how have they influenced your approach to your work now?
My approach has always been to learn how things work at successful companies and figure out how to apply that to my own companies and projects—just seeing the structure and how a company with over a hundred thousand employees keeps moving and growing shows that it’s also achievable for me. On the tech side, there’s also a lot I’ve learned in terms of understanding emerging tech and how to make them relevant and apply them to the creative space. Another thing working at places like these gives is global exposure, working on international projects with colleagues from across the world and learning about their cultures and stories, which widens your worldview as a creative and helps you understand the world at large better.
Your work at Google focuses on projects spanning education and creativity. Can you share any exciting initiatives or collaborations you’re currently involved in?
I’ve worked on some exciting stuff from projects around music, such as the Rema O2, Asake O2, and Trace Awards live streams that have allowed millions of Africans to experience these groundbreaking events from the comfort of their homes on YouTube. I have also worked on driving education projects that give young Africans access to digital skills and help them grow their careers. One more thing: I worked on the Rashidi Yekini doodle project last year – I was particularly excited to see it become one of the biggest conversations on the Nigerian Internet, and I felt very proud. Now, most of my work revolves around helping to tell stories about Google products in Africa and connect to users.
How do you stay inspired and creative in your day-to-day work, especially when faced with challenges or obstacles? How do you keep a balance with everything that you have going on?
It’s difficult to stay balanced, but I’m used to managing multiple projects simultaneously, so it’s not exactly new. There’s so much inspiration floating around and so many awesome things people are doing worldwide. These things remind me that I have so much to do, and they push me to do even more. I also have a great network of very supportive people around me, and sometimes, I hold on to them for support, but for the most part, my long-term vision drives me.
Looking to the future, what are your goals and aspirations for yourself and WeTalkSound? How do you envision continuing to impact the tech and creative industries locally and globally?
The future is really about scaling and becoming more relevant on a global level. Working on more projects worldwide, having access to the most important rooms and tables worldwide, and just leveraging the power of digital tech to showcase African creativity to the world. On a personal note, the goal is to be that guy, to bring my understanding of tech, culture and business together and sit in rooms with the biggest brands, companies, and governments and help them build products and initiatives that will positively shape the world’s future. With WeTalkSound, build a stronger team, stay ahead of the emerging tech curve and become one of the most important creative companies in the world.