LEXIE ARMANI: CULTURE UNWRAPPED
Lexie Armani has it: effortless, confidence and flow, style in abundance. Lexie Armani grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, as an extrovert, but since finding his feet as a Media personality, he's taken his craft, a blend of talent and hardwork and made them unique. One major breakthrough into the Entertainment scene, Lexie Armani gradually, but somehow remains remarkably unphased, as if success was never in doubt. At the beginning of 2024, Lexie connected with our founder Pelumi Adeboye to discuss staying true to yourself, even when it feels impossible.
MONDAY 12:00AM JANUARY 1, 2024, LAGOS.
LEXIE ARMANI: How are you doing?
PELUMI ADEBOYE: I'm good. How you been?
LEXIE ARMANI: I've been cool.
PELUMI ADEBOYE: You been working?
LEXIE ARMANI: Mm..hmm. I'm in Lagos. Locked in every single day.
PELUMI ADEBOYE: YOU ARE A COVER ON THE ENTERTAINMENT PUBLICATION'S NEW EDITION. THE LAST ACT THAT WALKED INTO THIS ROOM WAS AFROBEATS RISING STAR, SALLE. TELL ME, HOW ELATED ARE YOU AND WHAT WAS CHILDHOOD LIKE FOR YOU?
LEXIE ARMANI: I’m very excited doing this, it has always been a dream of mine to be on the cover of great magazines.
I grew up in Bariga Lagos. I’m from a family of 4, my mum, dad and kid sister. I was “Omo get inside” back then lol. Me and my kid sister weren’t allowed to leave the house or mingle with people.
PELUMI ADEBOYE: MM..HMM WHY?
LEXIE ARMANI: Nothing exactly. They will lock us inside and say you have everything you need, so you do not have a reason to be outside. I was trained by Generation X parents so I’m sure millennials can understand where i am coming from lol.
PELUMI ADEBOYE: THAT'S CRAZY YEAH! SO WHAT WERE THE HAPPIEST MEMORIES FROM TEENAGE YEARS?
LEXIE ARMANI: My happiest moment from my teenage days would be when I represented my secondary school, command day secondary school, ikeja, in a national debate. We won the regionals and went on to represent command, Lagos in makurdi. This also made me the only transfer student to become a prefect in my set. I was the social prefect in my set, 2010/2011 .
Also, traveling to the village to see my cousins were also very memorable. We would go to the river to swim, play football and have all the village fun.
PELUMI ADEBOYE: HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR PARENTS LIKE?
LEXIE ARMANI: My relationship with my parents is now fantastic, better than when i was growing up. My dad was a bit distant initially, but now he is more present, so it’s great to see.
PELUMI ADEBOYE: WHAT WERE THE CORE VALUES PASSED UNTO YOU BY THEM?
LEXIE ARMANI: Core values.. Mm..hmm, I was always reminded not to forget where i was coming from no matter how far I go in life. They also taught me contentment and patience and they are still teaching me that true love exist. They have been married for 30 years now.
PELUMI ADEBOYE: ASIDES YOUR PARENTS, WHOM WOULD YOU CLAIM PLAYED A CRUCIAL ROLE INTO WHAT YOU HAVE BECOME TODAY?
LEXIE ARMANI: Asides my parents, I will call my Aunty, my Mum’s sister "Aunty Chioma". She was always present in my life to make sure I wasn’t going astray. Anytime I needed money for school then, after calling my parents, she was the next person I would call and she always came through for me. I owe her a lot of gratitude.
PELUMI ADEBOYE: WE CAN'T ENTIRELY DISCUSS ABOUT YOUR ENTRY INTO THE ENTERTAINMENT WORLD WITHOUT BRIEFLY TALKING ABOUT YOUR EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND... SO I'M CURIOUS WHICH UNIVERSITY DID YOU ATTEND AND WHAT COURSE DID YOU STUDY?
LEXIE ARMANI: I attended the prestigious Obafemi Awolowo university, OAU and I also studied Mathematics.
PELUMI ADEBOYE: STILL ON THAT, THERE ARE ALOT OF YOUNG FOLKS OUT THERE WHO FINDS IT DIFFICULT TO NAVIGATE SCHOOL AND ENTERTAINMENT. WHAT IS YOUR CANDID ADVICE TO THEM?
LEXIE ARMANI: My advice for those finding it difficult to navigate school and entertainment will be to focus on one per time. Entertainment is a very jealous craft, so you have to put all your eggs in one basket, give it all you have and not back down no matter what. Either ways, finish school first because industry no dey catch late comer lol. Some people that came in late are already bigger than people that have been there before.
PELUMI ADEBOYE: MM...HMM
LEXIE ARMANI: Yeah.
PELUMI ADEBOYE: SINCE TAKING A PATH IN THE BROADCASTING INDUSTRY, TAKE ME THROUGH THE GENESIS TILL DATE LEXIE.
LEXIE ARMANI: I started MCing professionally in part one in OAU. I hosted the first ever anglomoz carnival back then. It was my idea. I went ahead to host a friend’s birthday party and after that party, everyone was like guy, you need to take your craft seriously. Then I started. I hosted every and any birthday party you could hear of on campus back then. I hosted my own events. “Mask party” & “Smiley party”. From those events I started gaining small popularity. I started hosting gigs in amphitheater. I hosted MR and MISS Fresher, MISS OAU, OAU Awards, OAU Got Talent and so many more. I became very popular. I can say for a fact that I have hosted events in every hall you can find on OAU CAMPUS. I mean every where you can think of that is an event center, I have hosted there. It wasn’t easy because I had to fight for my way in. Most events were done free of charge.
There was a time I was even paid 500 naira for one of the events I did in amphitheater lol, but I didn’t let it weigh me down because I knew I had a goal and nothing was going to stop me from achieving those goals. I got a small break in 2017. A man named Dellyma contacted me from BBM. It was pinging back in those days. He texted and asked if I could work for Naijaloaded as their Tv presenter. He said he has been seeing my posts and feels I was the right guy for the job. Omo, I jumped in excitement and accepted the gig.
The following year in 2018, I resigned. I felt all hope was lost, however got a breakthrough in 2020. I auditioned as a Tv Presenter for hiptv and they employed me. It was one of the best moments of my life because that was my dream job. I also got to host the The Headies red carpet Big Announcement. My parents and friends were so proud of me. In 2022, I resigned and got another job with Pop Central TV in 2023. Since then it’s been back to back events for me. I’m literally booked every Saturday for weddings, award shows, corporate events and the likes. I’m grateful to God for his mercies so far.
PELUMI ADEBOYE: GRACE! GRACE! NOTHING BUT GRACE YOUR STORY EMBODIES! SO INSIPIRING. SO WHAT INSPIRED YOUR LOVE & RELATIONSHIP CONTENTS?
LEXIE ARMANI: About my contents. I just wanted to do something that could resonnnate with people’s emotion basically and for the fact people love “Love” and also love drama, Hence my content.
PELUMI ADEBOYE: LEXIE WHAT WILL YOU DESCRIBE YOUR CRAFT AS?
LEXIE ARMANI: Well, my craft means everything to me. It’s how I escape from my thoughts and it’s how I give happiness to other people. I’m that type of guy that likes seeing other people happy, but the career is not for the weak. You have to have a sound mind, great command of English and vanacular as the case may be. You also need to be able to read your crowd, to know how to flow.
PELUMI ADEBOYE: WHAT ARE THE STRATEGIES ALREADY IN PLACE TO ENSUE LONGETIVITY IN THE GAME?
LEXIE ARMANI: My strategy is simple. Keep bringing new ideas and reinventing my style to suit any trend or generation that comes. Plus you need the Grace of God to stay ahead. The race is not for the swift at all.
PELUMI ADEBOYE: WHICH MOMENT IN YOUR CAREER DO YOU FIND CHALLENGING?
LEXIE ARMANI: Every new level I attain is always challenging. I feel like convincing clients or brands that you’re the right man for the job is usually sometimes the challenging part of the job. Most especially if the client or brand doesn’t know or trust you. Even if they see your video clips, It still takes a lot for them to hire you.
PELUMI ADEBOYE: WHICH MEDIA PERSONALITIES WOULD YOU LIKE TO WORK WITH?
LEXIE ARMANI: I would like to work with Ebuka and Ik Osakioduwa.
PELUMI ADEBOYE: THE INDUSTRY HAZARDS FACED BY UPCOMING TALENTS AS A RESULT OF AN EARLY SOCIAL MEDIA EXPOSURE. WHAT IS YOUR OPINION ON THIS?
LEXIE ARMANI: Blogs reposting contents will forever be a good thing for upcoming content creators. That’s how they grow, meet a new audience which might in turn, turns to new clients. About it exposing the creator to social media hazards. I feel like when you decide to be a creator. You should be ready for everything that comes with it. Every job and occupation has it bad and good side. He who prays for the rain should also prepare for the mud that comes with it.
PELUMI ADEBOYE: I HOPE SOMEONE GOT THAT!
LEXIE ARMANI: Lol.
PELUMI ADEBOYE: ANY PROJECT IN THE WORKS YOU WANT YOUR FANS TO KNOW ABOUT?
LEXIE ARMANI: Absolutely! I’m working on my first ever concert in Lagos. Lexie Armani Live in Concert. #LALIC. I don’t have a date yet, however, plans are in works. Also intend to dive into Nollywood in 2024. So more acting for me.
PELUMI ADEBOYE: MM..HMM GREAT STUFF LEXIE. REALLY GREAT STUFF. THAT'S ALL FOR NOW, I'VE GOT A FULL DOWNLOAD OF THIS INTERVIEW.
LEXIE ARMANI: It's been a lovely Interview. By the way, If I were to be in the same city again, I'd love to link up and vibe.
PELUMI ADEBOYE: YEAH MOST DEFINITELY.
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