This is 2020 and the social influence is the new currency, the new power and the new cool. Influencer marketing is no longer the exclusive preserve of celebrities. Brands are now courting younger influencers and one Abuja teenager is positioning herself to lead the next generation of influencers.
Cover photoby Aquila of Abuja
Cleopatra Gombe is very much aware of her social power and according to her, aside her love for content creation, having large following on social media also informed her decision to go into youtubing and influencing. AbujaNow had a small chat with her and this was how it went down.
My name is Cleopatra Gombe, was born in Abuja but my state of origin is Gombe state. I am a student, model, youtuber, content creator and brand influencer. I love the creative and media space so I plan to study mass communication in the university.
I think I matured fast for my age. I mostly have older people as friends, and this is because I grew up around older people. As an influencer, I obviously have to work with people way older than me, from there I meet new people (obviously older).
I accept the fact that I look biracial and I feel it kind of draws attention to me. I know my profile is rising fast but I’m basically just going with the flow, learning new things, improving myself and leaving the rest to God.
My celebrity crush is WIZKID!!!!!!!!! If you don’t love him, then you’er snoring on a bicycle and you better wake up.
Me and my mum
My mum is the kindest person I know and my relationship with her is very tight. My parents are separated so I grew up with my mum as an only child, so we are really really close. Most times when my friends see my mum, they would tell me that I’m lucky, and yes, I feel really lucky to have her because, I’m really free with her and she understands me.
If I had a typical African parents, I don’t think my life would have been any different. I probably won’t be as free as I am with my mum, or probably won’t have some of the leverage that I currently have.
How I got into youtubing, content creation and brand influencing
I got into YouTube and social media influencing at this young age because it’s something i’ve always wanted to do. Some of my close friends and manger also pushed me into it, once they saw the kind of followers I had on social media. It’s fun and it actually helps during free time. I feel anyone can go into youtubing at any age. It all depends on you.
What I love about influencing is the fact that you are able to express yourself, and also find people who love you for you. It helps you send the message across to people, letting them know there’s no limit to what they can do.
Industry friends
I have a few friends in the industry, people like Fisayo, Nikki, Michelle, Somzy, Angel, kamsy, Georgia, The Mubarak and many more.
People I vibe with
I’m not really an open person but once we flow, we flow. I like business minded people and people that support me, but nevertheless, if you’re cool with me, I’m cool with you. Though I prefer to keep my circle small.
My likes and dislikes
I have a lot of likes…I like chocolate, food, fashion items (clothes, bags shoes etc.). I love my phone, teddy bears, money, ice cream, my dog, business minded people and supportive people.My dislike is that I don’t like beef. I don’t like problems basically
My super power wish
The superpowers I wish to possess include being invisible, being able to read minds and teleport
My dream
“I’ve always wanted to own an NGO for the less privileged, to be able to care for them and educate them. I also would love to be under a commercial modeling agency”
Last word
“Well, my last words for anyone basically is you can do anything you put your mind to. There’s no limit to what you can do with hard work and determination. It also pays off to put God first”