Behind Seyi Vibez’s Releases: Taiwo Disu on Product Management, Marketing, and More

Before a project reaches listeners, there is a long chain of decisions, conversations, and moving parts working behind the scenes to bring it to life. For Taiwo Disu, navigating that process has meant bringing together his experience in marketing, entertainment, and product management to figure out how music is introduced to audiences.

At EMPIRE, Disu has worked across projects by artistes including Seyi Vibez, L.A.X, Teledalase and Islambo, giving him a close view of the different ways an artiste’s music, story and audience can impact a campaign. 

While speaking with TurnTable, he discusses the thinking behind Seyi Vibez’s recent projects, the realities of managing music releases, and the lessons he has picked up from building across music, technology, events and talent management.

 

TTC: Take us back to how you got into product management and eventually joined EMPIRE. What drew you to the work behind the scenes of music?

Taiwo Disu: I have always been that guy from secondary school who organised house parties and coordinated activities, just generally having fun. It became even bigger and more intentional in the university, organising parties, dinners, and club tours, bringing artistes for performances, and all that fun stuff. I found my path very early, quickly, and I knew the space I wanted to be in. 

I got into Marketing fully after university, then I worked in the Mobile & Fintech industry, but I consistently infused entertainment into all my campaigns through events, activations, influencer campaigns, tours, and more. I also started consulting for brands, managing artistes, and then EMPIRE came calling and has so far allowed me to work fully as a Product Manager, driving marketing strategy and rollout campaigns and working with some of the biggest names in the African Music Industry. I am grateful for the journey so far and even excited about what's coming. 

TTC: You’ve worked with Seyi Vibez through his album releases from ‘Children of Africa’ to ‘Fuji Moto’ and now ‘SWAGUU’. How has your understanding of his creative process evolved across these projects?

Taiwo Disu: Working with Seyi Vibez across ‘Children of Africa,’ ‘Fuji Moto,’ and now ‘SWAGUU’ has given me a front-row view of how much his creative process has evolved. One thing that has remained consistent is that Seyi is very instinctive, and very intentional. He knows what he wants to say and, more importantly, he knows how he wants people to feel when they hear the music. 

With ‘Children of Africa,’ there was a strong sense of identity and cultural grounding. It was clear he saw the bigger picture and started to move accordingly, with the song choices, a feature with NLE Choppa, and of course, “SHAOLIN” which to this day is a banger anytime it's played.  

As we moved into ‘Fuji Moto,’ I began to see a greater willingness to experiment with his sound, collaborations, and the scale of his ideas, while still maintaining the authenticity that people connect with him for, like locking in by featuring Olamide, French Montana, and Trippie Redd.

With ‘SWAGUU,’ that evolution feels even more pronounced. There is a much stronger sense of global ambition. You can hear Seyi Vibez thinking beyond just making great records and considering how the music can travel, connect with different audiences, and exist in different cultural spaces. The collaboration with Quavo is a good example of that wider vision.

So, for me, the biggest evolution has been watching Seyi move from simply creating from his experiences to consciously shaping those experiences into a global artistic identity, without losing the authenticity that made people connect with him in the first place.

TTC: From your side of the table, what does it take to move a Seyi Vibez project from the initial idea to an actual release?

Taiwo Disu: It takes a lot of work and a whole community I must say, but more importantly alignment with Seyi himself, because again he knows what he wants and how he wants it. We allow him to talk us through the feeling behind the project, what was in his head for the project, his favourite songs on the project, and what he wants to achieve with the project. Then, the team takes time to listen through the project, get to see exactly what he was speaking about, and figure out how to approach rollout and also what to build around. 

He is very involved with the plan, he shares his thoughts clearly and keeps dropping ideas. All of these are very key component that helps move initial ideas into actual releases.

TTC: Across the projects you’ve worked on with Seyi, was there a particular challenge or moment that changed how you approach your work as a product manager?

Taiwo Disu: There’s been lots of different moments, I must say, but it's all part of the process and I just need to quickly adjust and figure out the best way forward. To narrow it down, I'll say moments when we have to move release dates for different reasons,  especially after setting a lot of things in motion, and it all looks solid and ready to go. 

Such moments as simple as it might sound “it's just to move the date” impact a lot of things, and give new headaches and sleepless nights. I have to rework the entire plan again, while tracking other drops in the market based on the new date. Another one is facing clearance issues and getting it over the line before release dates. But these moments have helped me learn how to adjust quickly, think quickly and fast, learn from the process, and become a better PM.

TTC: With each new Seyi Vibez project, what are some things you now anticipate because of your experience working with him?

Taiwo Disu: With every Seyi Vibez project, I’ve learned to expect the unexpected. One thing I’ve come to anticipate is that there will always be a strong emotional or personal thread running through the music, even when the sound or direction is changing.

I also expect him to push himself creatively. From ‘Children of Africa’ to ‘Fuji Moto,’ and now ‘SWAGUU,’ there has been a clear progression in the scale of his ideas, his collaborations, and the audiences he wants to reach. Therefore, when a new project comes up, I’m always thinking beyond just the music; what is the story this time, what part of Seyi are we seeing, and how do we translate that into a wider cultural moment?

Right now, when we start a new project, I anticipate growth, experimentation, and a strong sense of identity. I know there will be familiar elements that fans connect with, but there will also be something new that challenges us to think differently about how we present Seyi and his music to the world.

 

TTC: You’ve also worked with artistes including LAX, Teledalase and Islambo at EMPIRE. How has working with different artistes factored into the way you work with and manage their projects?

Taiwo Disu: Working with L.A.X, Teledalase and Islambo has really reinforced for me that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to managing or marketing an artiste’s project. Each artiste has a different personality, sound, audience, and creative ambition, and that’s what makes the work exciting for me.

With L.A.X, there’s a lot of experience and an established identity to work with, so the challenge is often finding fresh ways to keep the music and storytelling relevant while building on what audiences already know and love about him.

With Teledalase, there’s an opportunity to explore a more intentional perspective and think about her sound, story, and positioning, whilst connecting with audiences in her market and beyond her immediate market.

Islambo brings another dynamic altogether, with a sound and identity that allow us to explore different creative and cultural angles in how we present his music, his branding, and the story behind every record.

I genuinely enjoy those differences because they constantly push my creativity. I can’t approach every campaign with the same playbook, and that keeps me curious and challenged. Sometimes it’s about the music itself, sometimes it’s the artiste’s story, sometimes it’s the visual world or the audience we’re trying to reach.

TTC: Looking at the projects and ventures you’ve worked on so far, what is something about being a product manager that you only truly understood after doing the work yourself?

Taiwo Disu: One thing I’ve truly understood through experience is that product management is as much about people as it is about the product itself.

When you’re starting out, it’s easy to think the role is mainly about having a great idea, building something useful and making sure it works. But working across different projects has taught me that the real challenge is bringing different people, ideas, and expectations together around one clear vision.

Whether I’m working on an artiste project at EMPIRE, building something, or developing a campaign, there are always different stakeholders, different perspectives, and sometimes competing priorities. My role is to understand those perspectives, identify what really matters, and turn all of that into something clear, actionable, and meaningful to the end user, fans, or audience.

TTC: Outside music, you’ve co-founded an edtech startup focused on introducing African teenagers to technology and also co-own a marketing, event, and talent management company. What inspired you to build in these spaces, and what connects them for you?

Taiwo Disu: I’ve always had a very special connection with teenagers and young people, and I’ve always been fully active in that space for a very long time. In church, I serve as a teens coordinator, and outside church, I always organise street football, speaking engagements, and more for teens in my community. I knew I needed to create even more impact and empower these young people. I co-founded TeendIN, an EdTech startup building the largest community of teenagers in Tech across Africa 

For the marketing, event, and talent management company, I have been in the music, entertainment, and event space for over two decades. It’s only a given to be able to also own what's mine and deliver excellence in a space I have poured into for so long. That’s what gave birth to Eleven18 Media LTD, which involves working with brands, setting up campaigns, and launching products, developing and managing talent, events and touring, and general entertainment consultation.

TTC: Having worked across music, technology, marketing and events, what other spaces or projects are you looking to explore next?

Taiwo Disu: I love sports and politics. You might just one day see me moving, exploring, and pushing impacts in these spaces. 

TTC: After everything you’ve learned so far, what is one lesson you would pass on to someone hoping to build a career behind the scenes in the creative industry?

Taiwo Disu: Be ready, because it's a lot of hard work, and a lot of sleepless nights. There is no closing time and it comes with a lot of craziness. So if you can't take the heat, don't go into the kitchen.