Known for mimicking entertainers like Sam Loco, Don Jazzy, Chiwetalu Agu, and Kanayo O. Kanayo on Instagram, Anton Mitchual, popularly known as Mimicko, has carved a niche for himself in the entertainment industry.
In an interview with Saturday Beats, Mitchual said it was difficult for him to convince his father to support his profession.
“My dad never believed in my dream. I studied accounting so he was more interested in me building a career with that. Sometimes, he would look at me and say my village people were after me. It wasn’t easy convincing him at all when I was going into entertainment; he was not comfortable with it.
“But now, he is so proud of me; he even tells his friends that I got the talent from his lineage. Success has so many family members, but failure is an orphan. My dad didn’t pay my school fees when I was in my second year in university because he caught me singing at an event; he was against anything that had to do with entertainment,” he told Saturday Beats.
Speaking further, he described his skit with Don Jazzy as one of the highlights of his career.
“Shooting that skit with Don Jazzy has been one of the highlights of my career; I have been mimicking him for the past five years to get his attention. I have given up so many times; it has been a rigorous journey. I started about ten years ago, it is a style of comedy that is rare in Nigeria, so I need to put in a lot of effort into it to make people laugh.
“I used to mimic ordinary people as a child. I would just watch how they talked; I used to mimic my dad and pastors very well. I didn’t take it seriously because I was keen on going into music but comedy found me. When I was in the university, I used to mimic my lecturers and it even earned me a bonus mark in one of my courses.
“Interestingly, my younger brother also has this talent, so I think it is in the blood. But he is a pastor so he didn’t take it as a profession. Growing up, I used to watch these legends like every normal child. I specifically mimic people that have unique vocal cords. My mum is my biggest fan, she has been begging me to mimic Nkem Owoh, but I have not been able to achieve it; I am still working on that. He’s her best character but it’s sad I can’t mimic him,” he said.