Agape and Guapé: How Tomi is Crafting Her Path in Music and Fashion
I’ve had the privilege of sitting down with some of Nigeria’s finest music acts, each conversation unique in its own way. So, when I got the green light to chat with Tomi Agape, an artist and entrepreneur, I knew this would be a new chapter in my interview journey.
After scrambling to find a decent spot for the interview, since my usual place had ‘technical issues’, I finally settled down just in time. Tomi joined right on cue, and with her sweet voice and infectious energy, I knew we were in for a great conversation.
I first heard Tomi in 2017, on Juls’ After Six. I discovered more of her songs and became familiar with her work. Her features on Rapid Fire and Love on Weekends further raised her stock and in 2020, she dropped her first project, Never Gunna Be the Same.
In September, Tomi released Say Please, her second drop this year following the Full Moon refix. Alongside her return to music, she’s also launched her fashion brand, Guapé, so there was plenty to catch up on.
After her break from the scene, I was eager to know how her latest music had been received.
“I feel like it’s been really good,” she says. “People have been wanting music from me, so putting out new music has been fun. I’m not signed, I’ve never been signed. So sometimes there are delays. There’s a lot that goes into releasing music. I decided to do the refix because I really liked that song when it originally came out. I even shot a video for it, which was cool, it tells a nice little story.
Say Please was recorded here with an engineer, but the track was produced by three guys from Nigeria—Jesse, DOZ, and Bigfootinyourface.”
She pauses, remembering how she got sent the beat by DOZ. “I loved it so much, and I was like, this is so mad, I have to record on it.”
Tomi Agape’s sound is a unique blend of R&B, Afrobeat, alté, and soul. Authenticity, regardless of the genre, is vital to her. She explains how she stays true to her sound:
“I think I just know my sound. I know how I want to sound on a song. There isn’t a specific thought process behind it. I just approach any song based on how it makes me feel and go from there. Honestly, I’m lucky that when you hear me, you know it’s me. I’m not sure if it’s my cadence or something else, but I just stay true to myself. I make the music I want to make.”
When it comes to influences, Tomi’s list reflects the range in her artistry. “Definitely Brandy, Rihanna, Jill Scott, and Lil’ Kim. I know Lil’ Kim sounds random,” she laughs. I interject, reminding her of a rap freestyle video she did in 2020, which she eagerly acknowledges. “Yesss!” she exclaims. “That video made people respect me more. Because of those freestyles, people know I can rap. If you follow me closely, you’ll know I like rap.”
Collaboration is essential for any artist, and Tomi’s approach is no different. “I think for me, it’s organic. Either I already have a song, and I think, ‘Oh my gosh, I can hear this person on it,’ or we’re cool, we’ve become friends, and decide to try something out together. I don’t believe in forcing collaborations. If it feels like I’m forcing someone into it, I’d rather just make music by myself. I care too much about my music and my craft. Sometimes, collaborations happen for business reasons, and I get that, but personally, it’s all about the energy and vibe.”
The music industry moves at a lightning pace. Evolution is a necessity, and after spending nearly a decade in the game, Tomi Agape knows all too well how things change. But what exactly has changed for her?
“I feel like back then I was so wide-eyed and young, like, ‘Oh wow, this industry is so great. Everyone’s so amazing; everyone wants to help,’” Tomi says with a nostalgic laugh. “I was very naïve.” There’s a certain sweetness to that naivety, she explains, as it allowed her to create freely, without reservations. But now, her eyes are wide open.
Tomi Agape (2019)
“I definitely feel like I’ve become a lot more guarded,” she admits. Tomi’s journey has transformed her approach, and she’s more intentional with her art. “I create from a different place now. I’m more focused on myself rather than chasing after collaborations or opportunities that don’t feel right.”
For Tomi, faith plays a big role in her path forward. “God’s going to open the doors for me that are supposed to be opened, as long as I keep working hard,” she says, with confidence. She’s learned not to force anything, especially when it comes to collaborations, something she still loves but approaches differently now.
Her growth as an artist is undeniable. “My music has gotten a lot better,” she says, reflecting on her progress. “The way I write has improved, and the type of music I make now… it’s just better.” Her evolution has been a natural process, shaped by experience and time.
Tomi recounts a tough situation she recently faced, involving people trying to take advantage of her financially. “It was quite bad, but I came out on top because I’m like a dog with a bone — I don’t let anything go,” she says with a determined edge in her voice. “When it comes to my music and my business, don’t play with me.”
Although she’s grown more cautious, Tomi takes each lesson in stride. “Luckily, the situation wasn’t on a huge scale. Some people end up in much crazier situations, so I feel blessed. But you live and you learn, right? We take everything as a positive.”
Guapé: Music Meets Fashion
Music and fashion go hand-in-hand these days, but it’s not every day you see an artist create their fashion label. Tomi Agape, a fashion enthusiast since forever, isn’t content with just looking good — she wants to build something lasting. Starting her brand, Guapé, wasn’t an accident; it was part of her plan.
“I’ve always wanted to have a brand,” she tells me with excitement in her voice. Rihanna, one of her biggest inspirations, plays a huge role in how she views her career. “Rihanna has always been herself, and she’s never cared what people think. That’s how I am. I’m going to post what I want, do what I want to do, and live life on my terms.”
Tomi takes her music seriously, but she’s equally driven when it comes to business. “I knew I wanted a brand. I thought I’d wait until I ‘blew up’ before I launched it, you know when anything you do just works because people buy into you.” But then something clicked. “I realized I don’t have to wait for this huge moment in music to do something. I can do it now.”
Inspiration struck when she saw vintage heels designed by Manolo Blahnik, adorned with flowers. “My mum loves flowers, and our house is always filled with them,” she smiles, explaining how those heels sparked the idea for Guapé. She made her first pair of shoes for herself, and the response was immediate. “Girls would stop me and ask, ‘Where are your shoes from? They’re so pretty.’ That’s when I thought, maybe I can turn this into something.”
Within weeks, she was all in. “I put a lot of money into it, not knowing if it would work. But two, maybe three weeks later, Guapé was here.”
Guapé—just saying the name feels refined. There’s a certain elegance to it, and though it’s clearly connected to Tomi Agape’s artist identity, she explains that choosing the name wasn’t as simple as it might seem.
“I came up with the name because, obviously, my artist name is Tomi Agape, but my friends Boj and Teezee started calling me ‘Aguaps,’” Tomi recalls with a smile. “One of them said it’s because I always look like money, like ‘Guap.’”
She laughs, recalling how the nickname stuck. “I was like, yeah, you can just take the A off and call me Guaps, whatever.” It became part of her persona, even ending up as her Twitter name.
But when it came time to name her brand, the decision was more complex. “I wanted something that still felt like me, like a part of the Tomi Agape world,” she says, her voice thoughtful. “At first, I considered calling it Agape but that’s ‘Love’ and it already has a meaning. Then I thought of Aguaps but it didn’t sound serious. Next was Aguape, but that’s three syllables. I didn’t want something that long, I wanted it short, sweet, and easy to say.”
Eventually, she settled on Guapé. “It just had this romantic, sexy sound to it,” she says, and though her friends were split on the name, she trusted her gut. “I asked everyone’s opinion, but in the end, I went with what felt right—Guapé.”
Hearing Tomi talk about how quickly she launched her brand, it’s hard not to be amazed. “I was wowed,” I admit, picturing a whole team behind her. But then she reveals the truth—it’s all her.
“At first, I wasn’t even drawing the designs myself,” she says. “Now, I can’t draw very well, but as long as I can get the vision across, that’s all that matters.” Right now, everything is in her hands. “I’m literally doing everything, I do it all in my house by myself,” she says, though she knows that won’t last forever. “I’ll need to upscale soon because it’s a lot on me, but for now, it’s just me.”
The perception people have of her operation is wildly different from the reality. “Sometimes I get emails like, ‘When are you restocking?’ And I think people assume I have this whole team behind me,” she says, shaking her head with a smile. “But it’s just me.”
Despite the workload, she’s in no rush. “I want to take my time with it, not rush anything.” The success Guapé has seen so far has already exceeded her expectations. “It’s shocked me in a good way,” Tomi admits. “I didn’t think people would like it this much, and it makes me so happy.”
One message she received particularly touched her. “Someone sent me a DM saying they bought my heels for what they thought was going to be a proposal,” she shares, her voice lighting up. “And then he did propose, and she was wearing my heels, it was just so sweet.” Moments like that make all the hard work worth it. “I love that. It makes me want to create more.”
There’s always intent behind every piece a creative puts out. When it comes to fashion, they want you to feel something when you’re wearing it. For Tomi, the essence behind Guapé is clear.
“I just want women to feel beautiful,” she says with conviction. “That’s one of my main brand ethos. I’m a girl’s girl. I’m a woman. I want women to feel comfortable, to feel confident.”
Her voice softens as she reflects on the pressures society places on women. “There’s just so much pressure now. You have to do this, you have to do that,” she says. “I just want girls to feel confident, pretty, like they understand that they’re enough when they wear the shoes.”
That ethos is woven into every collection Guapé has released so far, starting with the Orchid Collection and continuing with the Anthurium Collection.
“The Orchid Collection was where it all began. Those are mules with different coloured orchids on the front,” Tomi explains, her pride evident. “I’m not the first person to put flowers on shoes, but if I’m being honest, other brands’ versions don’t look as pretty as mine. They look a bit cheaper,” she says, smiling mischievously. “I’m not in a factory, I’m at home, putting time and effort into choosing the best materials.”
The Blue Orchid Mule
The Anthurium Collection, named after the flower, brings something different. “That’s not a mule. It’s a heel that straps around your ankle.” Tomi is clearly thinking of her London base as the colder months roll in. “Recently, I made boots because I still want girls to be wearing Guapé in fall and winter. Right now, they’re made to order, you just email me, and I’ll create them for you.”
The Anthurium
The White and Black Orchid Boots
More designs are in the works too, though they haven’t been released yet. “I’ve made two new designs. They’ll be out before the year ends,” she teases.
One thing that stands out is how strongly the flower theme is tied to Guapé’s brand identity. I mention to Tomi how a friend referred to her as “the babe with the flower shoes,” and she laughs, knowing she’s on the right track.
“That’s what I’m trying to do, build a strong brand identity. When people see certain shoes, I want them to think of Guapé,” she says. “In the long term, there will be other things, but for now, the flowers are key.”
As the conversation shifts, it’s clear that Tomi wears many hats as both an artist and an entrepreneur. Balancing all of it isn’t easy.
“Do you know what? I don’t know how I balance everything,” she says, laughing. “I just do it because if you want to do it, you’ll find a way.”
Some days, Tomi works late into the night. “There are days I don’t sleep till 4 or 5 a.m., but if I get a lot done, I can sleep better for the next few days.”
She doesn’t stick to rigid schedules either. “I’ve tried making schedules, but they don’t work for me,” she admits. “What I do is make a list of what I need to get done the next day, and however I get it done, I just make sure I do.”
Tomi has a moment of realization. “You’re making me realize that it’s the to-do lists that help. There’s such satisfaction in checking off items. It calms my anxiety and makes me feel like I’m making progress.”
I discovered Guapé through social media, and it’s clear that Tomi has recognized the power of these platforms. For her, social media has been a game-changer, not just for her music career but also for her entrepreneurial journey.
“As much as I don’t always like social media, it’s such a strong tool,” she reflects. “That’s how people find out about Guapé because it’s not in stores; it’s online.” She recalls her first foray into social media marketing. “I just put up four pictures on Twitter (X) a week after I officially launched Guapé and it went crazy! I couldn’t believe it, the retweets, the likes, the comments. My followers shot up, and my interactions spiked. Now, about 50% of my customers are from America, and the other 50% are from Europe.”
Tomi doesn’t live in the U.S., but she’s constantly shipping orders there. “It’s all because of social media. Being an artist using it for my music showed me I could do the same for my brand.”
I’m curious about her reach in Africa, particularly Nigeria. “I don’t ship to Nigeria right now because I haven’t found a safe way to do it,” she explains. “But I have plans. I’m trying to do a pop-up there in December. So, I’ll be in Nigeria this December!”
With the highs of success, there have been lows, including a controversy surrounding a stolen design. Tomi takes a moment to address it. “These fast fashion brands, they see something they like and can produce it quickly for cheap, charging us an arm and a leg,” she states. “They don’t care; there’s no thought behind it. My brand isn’t fast fashion. I sit down and create ideas, but I can’t mass-produce like they do.”
Tomi acknowledges that while flower heels aren’t a new concept, that particular colour had not been used before. “I remember someone online saying they didn’t think that brand copied me because they’d seen similar shoes before. I get that, but this shoe they copied had the same colour of flower I’m using and no one has used that flower before. I did proper market research for that. It’s like they saw my shoe online and thought, ‘That’s nice; let’s make one!’”
Despite everything, she maintains a positive outlook. “I don’t see it as a negative. It means my brand is doing well enough that someone wants to copy it. I think it’s important to focus on the fact that my customer base will always be my customer base. The people who want to buy from me will always choose Guapé.”
On a personal level, Tomi expresses gratitude for her journey with Guapé, despite the challenges. “I feel like God gave me Guapé,” she says earnestly. “Putting money into a business is never easy, especially when it’s your own money. Every time I invest, I’m scared, hoping it comes back to me. I’m always investing in myself, and that’s the scariest part.”
“Guapé has made me realize that if you have something that is a good idea and you want to try it, just do it. You never know. What can come to you to make you successful can be in the most random form that you won’t even think. Like I said, having the idea for Guapé was so organic. I’ve brainstormed music like no other thing and then Guapé just came like that.”
Looking ahead, Tomi is excited for what’s next. “I have so much music in the vault,” she says. “Right now, I’m trying to secure the backend stuff so I can push the songs I want to drop properly. Music will always be there, and I pray I continue to grow and succeed.”
When she gets to Nigeria, she plans to collaborate with different people and producers. “With Guapé, I want it to become a household name. I see it growing beyond my expectations. I envision something really big, bigger than I can even imagine. That’s what I’m working towards, and I’m praying for it.”
