Joseph Onaolapo, also known as Jay On-Air, is a popular content creator and on-air personality. In a recent chat on the WithChude podcast, he shared how life changed for him after the COVID-19 pandemic crushed his dreams.
Jay On-Air said he moved to Lagos with big hopes. He wanted to work in the media and sent his CV to almost every radio station. But nothing happened.
“I thought I would get a job quickly, but it didn’t work out,” he said.
He later got a chance to work with an online radio station, but that didn’t go well either. So, he moved into the corporate world. He worked as an executive assistant and a communications officer, but still faced a lot of problems. He was not paid on time and felt like he wasn’t valued at all.
That pushed him to quit and start a small business — selling okrika, which means fairly used clothes. The business did well. In fact, many people knew him as “the shorts guy” because he sold a lot of nice secondhand shorts.
But just when things were beginning to go well, COVID-19 came and shut everything down. His business stopped. He had no job and no income.
“I was home with nothing to do. Then I saw people on TikTok and decided to try it out,” he said.
Jay On-Air started making fun videos on TikTok to keep himself happy. It helped him fight sadness and depression.
“When I was sad, I would wake up, take a bath, and jump on TikTok. I would lip-sync sounds just for fun. It made me feel better,” he shared.
Today, Jay On-Air is doing well as a content creator. TikTok helped him turn his pain into purpose, and now, he uses his platform to inspire others.
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