TikTok star Afrolecia reveals her secrets for internet success
When Jade Oliver began her journey as a social media influencer in 2019, she could not have imagined that her brand would pick up the way it did.
‘Afrolecia’, the influencer that became a household name, is synonymous with natural hair, be it products or styles, and she has been living her passion for the better part of five years.
Boasting 450 000 followers, 17.3 million likes, and millions of monthly views on TikTok, ‘Afrolecia’ has become the go-to channel for hair care.
Yet, with all the success and the accolades that came her way, Jade is adamant about one thing: her success is not down to herself.
“So, I’ve had a boyfriend since high school, Morten Oliver, and we’ve been together now for, wow, so many years,” Jade explains.
“He was my boyfriend all along while I started my content, and he believed in me much more than I did.
“We got married in 2021 and moved in together straight after we got married.
“He knew how determined I was [to make a success of social media], but he believed in me much more. So, for me, even though [Afrolecia] was just for fun and I loved what I was doing, he was always like, ‘this can actually be a career.'”
Encouragement in the noise
Like many, Jade did not have it easy coming to where she is today. She opens up about many intimate details over the last few years; things even their closest friends do not know about.
But as challenging as the past was, Morten saw something in his wife that she could not see at the time. He recognised the talent, ambition, and potential that resides within her, and he was the one who motivated and encouraged her to leave her steady job and focus solely on ‘Afrolecia’.
Thankfully, Morten’s job could sustain them while she chased the dream, making the daunting decision to take on social media much easier.
“It was a big, big risk,” Jade says as she pulls back the curtain on what has been a trying road.
“I don’t know where I would be if it wasn’t for him pushing me like that and giving me the space and time that I needed for my content.
“He was like the only person out of everyone that could see my vision, even when things weren’t going well physically and spiritually, everything was always still on par.
“I don’t think I would have been as far as I am now if it wasn’t for someone on my side that encouraged me, helped me, supported me. And yeah, I must say, he is my main person.”
A favoured life
While Jade acknowledges her husband’s importance in the ‘Afrolecia’ brand, she makes no secret of the fact that her faith in God has been hugely instrumental.
Throughout the trials and challenges preceding her TikTok fame, her steadfast faith in the Lord has kept her grounded. She found a renewed faith in God when visiting the church again; which helped refocus her life and gave her confidence.
Getting to know God and understanding the vision He gave her years before made her that much more determined in her social media journey.
“I knew that there was a reason that things weren’t going so well, [but] I had a vision that the Lord gave me long ago of what my life is going to be like,” Jade says.
“I didn’t know it was a vision, but as I kept working towards it without people’s questions and without worrying what other people saw about my vision, it started coming to life.”
New doors opening
In February 2024, Jade won the Africa Rising Creator of the Year in the Sub-Saharan Africa category at the TikTok Top Creator Awards 2023.
The social media sensation’s 2024 is about to get even busier as a new venture is just weeks from taking flight.
The award-winning content creator concludes: “Winning the award has opened so many doors and my life has changed a lot since, but it is only the beginning.”
