Director K is shaping the essence of Afrobeats cinema

“Lights, camera, action!” For Director K, these words are not just a sequence; they are a mantra. The renowned director, whose real name is Aremu Olaiwola Qudus, is the orchestrator of the most iconic music videos in Nigeria’s current rejuvenated music scene. With a career spanning almost a decade, Director K has established a powerful reputation as a master of creative visuals.

At the time of writing, Director K’s production company – Priorgold Pictures, boasts over 2 billion views on YouTube, with standout videos like “Calm Down” and “Essence” capturing global audiences. With over 200 videos to his name, Director K has cemented himself as one of the most sought-after directors in the industry.

His journey into filmmaking began unexpectedly. “It’s not something I intentionally started doing actually,” he recalls. “But I remember I had a girlfriend at the time, i wanted to do something cute, all the pictures of her that I had on my phone, I put them together as a slide and added a nice slow music to it on my phone, it was around the time picmix was a thing, she loved it when I sent to her a lot and found it very cute, so I felt her feeling that much emotion from just pictures, let me see what it’ll be like actually recording a video with my phone and editing on my phone to see how people would react to it, that’s how it all started” This spark of interest ignited a passion that would lead him to later establish Priorgold Pictures, a production company responsible for the most groundbreaking and memorable music videos in the Afrobeats scene.

Over the years, Director K has then crafted visuals for numerous artists, including Rema, Wizkid, and Burna Boy. His work is celebrated for its creativity and depth, often transforming songs into immersive visual experiences.

Notesphere had the opportunity to visit the visionary director at his Lagos Home for a Creativerse interview, where he shared insights into his creative process, his love for storytelling, and much more. 

Director k is a very disciplined and unique person that is really focused on making a big impact in the industry and in people’s lives.

Notesphere: What’s the most challenging part of this job?

DirK: I don’t really face challenges. For me it’s part of the process, which I feel should be called lessons instead of ‘challenges’ because without these lessons, you can’t be shaped into who you’ll be. Those ‘experiences’ help you become super strong, so they’re not really challenging the way I see it.

Notesphere: What’s your favorite genre to shoot?

DirK: I don’t think there’s any one that’s easier or more difficult, but I enjoy the ones where I get to tell stories, I mean when I get the chance to create a narrative that connects to the song. That way, I get to take my time to create something that resonates with the audience.

Notesphere: As a director, you get to work with different artists. How do you ensure this artist’s vision and your style coexist together?

DirK: first and foremost, we are both creatives, I have my vision, they have their vision, and prior to us working, we are big a big fan of each other so we respect each others opinions, so when it comes to us having different ideas, we end up finding middle grounds to balance the ideas out that works for both of us

Notesphere: A lot of directors start with design or photography or something arty. Did you have the same experience?

DirK: I had no knowledge of design or filmmaking nor experience.

Notesphere: Do you think the rise of short-form content like TikTok and Instagram reels has affected music video consumption?

DirK: I’ll say in a way, but the thing about it is if you’re exceptionally good, people will want to have a taste of what you do regardless of what TikTok is doing. There are two sides to an artist’s brand: sound and image. A music video can make an artist look powerful and charismatic, something TikTok can’t. So I don’t really think so. Like “Calm Down” by Rema, which I shot, has 600 million views, that’s because it connects with alot of people. Someone like Rema who doesn’t really post on TikTok, you can only really connect to him through visuals. So people are definitely still connected to music videos. That’s why I always keep my videos very refreshing, making sure they have replay value.

Notesphere: In an interview, when asked what video you wish you should’ve shot, you said Koffee’s “Shine.” Besides Koffee, what song do you really wish you would’ve shot?

DirK: There’s one song that I should’ve shot that I feel really sad about not shooting due to Schedule, Tyla’s “Water.” They actually reached out but she had only a couple of days to be in Ghana for, that was intended for filming. 

Notesphere: That’s crazy. That would’ve been a good video if you had shot it. You just mentioned how because of production time you didn’t shoot this video, so we want to ask: what’s the fastest video you had to come up with?

DirK: Ahhh, hmm, that’s “Balon D. Or” This video, at the time they gave the green light for it, I was sick and I first said no to it because of how short the timing was, but then my business partner said, “Yo, this is Wiz and Burna together, this is a rare collaboration.” So in like a day, super fast, we had to get it done.

Notesphere: What’s the longest you’ve done?

DirK: I think “Money and Love” because I was in London for “KU LO SA” and I was meant to stay in London for two weeks but for some weird reason, I ended up staying for like two months. Wizkid is a very special artist and he’s always particular about what he wants. We had a lot of ideas; I can’t even count how many treatments I wrote for it before the final one.

Notesphere: That video really came out well.

DirK: Yes it did 

Notesphere: Is there any artist you haven’t worked with yet that you look forward to working with?

DirK: I don’t think so for the current top artists. Maybe new emerging artists because I’ve worked with all the top artists. I don’t know who I haven’t worked with yet.

Notesphere: So which new artists do you want to work with?

DirK: Qing Madi. I’m a big fan of Qing Madi. I even sent her a message to appreciate her talent; I’m always sending messages to new artists I’m feeling. Bloody Civilian too is someone I like. I hope to work with them soon.

Notesphere: Could you share with us any hilarious or funny BTS story?

DirK: Hahaha, there’s nothing coming to mind now but before the end of this interview hopefully something should come to mind.

Notesphere: You’ve been in the game for a while. Since your first video, how do you see the evolution of music videos in general?

DirK: It’s beautiful to see the growth because before we got here, it was really, really tough. We were very, very limited then in terms of equipment and gear. We had not much access to the gears to create something nice, but a lot has changed. Now there’s no foreign video that our videos can’t stand side by side with interms of quality. So it’s beautiful to see the growth. Shoutout to the equipment rental guys for always providing new gears to work and experiment with.

Notesphere: Over the years, I mean, we check your tweets and your stories. Meji Alabi has been someone you respect so much. Now you guys are like brothers. I want to ask: what’s the relationship like now?

DirK: For Meji, I feel he is someone that people don’t really appreciate enough or give him his flowers enough. Meji is someone that made me realize we could make Nigeria look beautiful. I remember people used to say there’s no way we could make Nigeria look beautiful because of the dirt in the air and all. When Meji came and shot videos like “Bad Energy,” I remember seeing “Bad Energy” and was like, wait, this is Lagos—how? Since then, I was like, yeah, this guy has shown us it can be done. So I went to do research on how I could get better at this. Meji has done music videos and commercials and now film. There are not a lot of directors that have successfully transitioned like that. His works are amazing.

Notesphere: We realized you don’t have editors. Why is that?

DirK: Editing makes me a better director because it saves me a lot of time. I get to edit the video before it even gets edited. If I send a video, it’ll take time for an editor to get it, but for me, it’s easier cause I know all my shots.

Notesphere: What department do you like working with the most on set?

DirK: Every part of production is very exciting to me. I know it sounds cliché.

Notesphere: It seems like you really love music, of course, as a music video director. But growing up, was music a part of it?

DirK: Yeah, I mean, when I was with my grandma, my uncle used to play a lot of Fela, bob Marley and all. those music then. So I’d say, yeah, it was a bit of my life then.

Notesphere: A lot of good directors start with music videos before transitioning to making long-form films. Is it something you really, really think about?

DirK: Yes, I think about it every day! Like E-V-E-R-Y-D-A-Y.

Notesphere: Supercell just dropped. What do you think of it?

DirK: I think it was cool, loved it.

Notesphere: This is the Last question—Should we expect a film from you soon? Is there anything in the works?

DirK: Soon! It’s something I’m taking my time with, like, I’m taking all the time because filmmaking is long-term. It’s something you can do till you’re old. I can’t let my fans down.

Notesphere: Okay that’s understandable. Umm, We don’t know if we’re in the right place to say this, but we are so proud of what you’ve done—you’ve inspired a whole lot of kids.

DirK: Thank you. Thank you very much. That’s the goal—to show people that this can be done and that dreams are very valid.

Notesphere: Well done. So I think we’re done, so thank you so much. We really appreciate you having us.

DirK: Thank you!