Nigerian actress, Funke Akindele has opened up on how veteran singer, Oladapo Daniel Oyebanjo, better known by his stage name D’banj, helped her in reviving the beloved Jenifa franchise.
She revealed that conversation with the singer at a club sparked a career-changing conversation which led to a great outcome.
Funke noted how the ‘Kokomaster’ hitmaker gifted her the funds to create more Jenifa content, describing it as a lucrative brand which she should keep milking and feasting on.
Funke praised Dbanj as a trailblazer, whose music has brought joy and inspiration to countless fans.
She honored his legacy, acknowledging that his impact extends far beyond his music.
“After the big break with Jenifa, everybody loved Jenifa so much, I was out there and everyone was celebrating me so much. I was invited to a club where I met Dbanj for the first time and he gave me his number and inquired if there is a sequence to Jenifa, I told him No and he questioned why as he noted how Jenifa is a brand I can feast on for the rest of my life.
” He told me that when I have a brand, you feed on the brand, you milk the brand very well and make money out of it.
” Out of his pocket, he gave me money and said I should go write another Jenifa and he supported me with the money, advised me to continue shooting Jenifa. That’s how the Return of Jenifa came about. God used @iamdbanj to speak to me to have the Jenifa brand.
“Dbanj you’re more than just a musician, you’re a movement! Your music has brought joy to our hearts, and your legacy will live on forever”.