While many Nigerian children grow up aspiring to be doctors, engineers or lawyers, Irabor “Drey” Damilare set his sights on media and entertainment. He now works as an Artist Manager, A&R (artists and repertoire) and Creative Director.
Early interest in music media#
Music channels shaped his early vision, with MTV Base, Trace and SoundCity among his favourites. Motivated by that interest, he developed skills in writing, social media management and digital marketing, which later led to his career in the industry.
Work with The Kazez#
Drey entered the industry alongside his cousins, The Kazez, for whom he provided artist management services. The duo is a singer-songwriter and producer pairing in Afrobeats.
Through The Kazez, Drey has contributed songwriting credits and production work for artists including Tiwa Savage, Rema, Blaqbonez, Kunmie and Adekunle Gold.
A&R and creative projects#
Beyond artist management and development, Drey has an ear for cohesive sound and timeless music. He is often among the first to recognise quality before it reaches a wider audience.
His A&R contributions include:
- Meeza’s “Azeem: The Greatest” EP
- Abstraktt’s “Uncle Yellow” EP
- Layefa’s singles “Wayside” and “Tobolayefa + 6: 35”
He has also applied his expertise in content strategy, digital marketing, creative direction and social media campaigns to projects involving Macjreyz, Davesound, Oladapo and Musta4a.
Nightlife and events#
Drey has also moved into nightlife and events, with the aim of bringing creatives, music and real-life connections together. His creative and art direction is visible in the launch of One Of Those Nights (OOTN), a platform built around that vision.
Looking ahead#
Drey hopes to strike a balance between the business side of music and maintaining meaningful relationships with the talents he works with. He describes his ambition as “to be remembered as one of the people who quietly shaped the sound, careers, and business of African music without needing to be the face of everything.”
That approach informs his newly founded management firm, Backroom Collective.
