Alumni Feature: John “jayo” Olear ’16 Brings Joy to a Sad World

Originally from Canoga Park, Olear and his twin brother were the first in their family to be born in America, after his family immigrated from Nigeria. Growing up with a mother who was a teacher and grandparents who were also educators, there was no question of if he would go to college, it was only a matter of where and what he would study. As a teenager, Olear’s identity was rooted in athletics. His older sister was an Olympic sprinter and he aspired to rise to the highest level of his favorite sport—basketball. During a summer camp in high school, Olear became friends with a member of APU’s basketball team, and learned that he could try out for the team as a walk-on. “I thought the try outs went pretty well, but the basketball coach ended up taking zero walk-ons that year,” he said. “It was pretty tough not to make the team, but I ended up walking onto APU’s track team instead."

I’m grateful that I stayed at APU, because if I hadn’t, I never would have found music. I can see now that God led me along this path for a reason.

Olear loved his experience on the track team, high jumping for the Cougars. The team went on to win the NAIA National Championship that year. Unfortunately, after the season was over, Olear faced a challenging situation. He had planned on earning a track scholarship, but when it didn’t come, he realized that he couldn’t afford to continue his education at APU for the time being. Pivoting, Olear began taking classes at the neighboring Citrus College. After earning an associates degree in communication, Olear found an avenue to return to APU thanks to a friend who was a member of the university’s Gospel Choir. “I had never heard music like that before. The first time I listened to them, I fell in love with music,” he said. Olear tried out and earned a spot on Gospel Choir. He continued to be part of the choir even while studying at Citrus. “Technichally, I never left APU. I just took one three-unit class each semester so I could still be part of Gospel Choir,” he said. “Later, I found out that I could earn scholarships for Gospel Choir, the Chamber Singers, University Choir and Orchestra, and Driven Acapella Group.” With the combined music scholarships, Olear was able to return to APU full-time. 

He loved his time in each of the musical groups, especially as he toured with his friends and performed in cities from Phoenix to Vancouver. Olear also loved his journalism and communication courses. One of these classes, sports broadcasting, would prove to be invaluable. “My professor, Kent Walls, taught me how to be comfortable talking in front of a camera. It was daunting at first, but I quickly grew in my on-camera confidence,” he said. “That was fundamental for what I do now, both as an actor and a content creator.” Olear was motivated to finish his degree quickly, taking 21 units in each of his final three semesters and graduated in December 2016.

After graduating, Olear began to think about a career in music, but he still had to figure out a way to pay his bills. His mom suggested that he become a substitute teacher so he could make his own schedule, teaching on the days he wanted to and working on his music on the days he didn’t. “It was one of the best ideas she’s ever given me,” he said. Olear passed the CBEST exam and began substitute teaching in fall 2017. For three years, Olear subbed at schools across the valley in Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). Although he enjoyed teaching and was an excellent instructor with natural classroom management skills, Olear dreamed of something more.

Ironically, his students showed him the path to achieve more when they told him he needed to get on TikTok. He had been posting song covers on YouTube and had already built a solid following on Instagram with around 10,000 followers, but TikTok was different. “I didn’t even know what TikTok was when they told me about it, but they showed me and we made a trend video with a Selena Gomez song. I posted it, and by the class period, it had gotten 800 views,” he said. “Seeing I could get that many views on a video when I had just joined the platform and had no following was crazy, so I decided to start posting my music on there.” Olear’s second and third videos flopped, so he talked to a friend who already had an established following on TikTok. She told him he needed to do a duet video with another musician, so he did, and his fourth video blew up, racking up more than 1 million views. “Right then, I knew this is what I needed to do.”

Over the next few years, while he was still subbing, Olear began posting more and more content. He quickly realized that people were engaging with his comedy videos the most. “I’ve always been good at making people laugh. I was definitely the class clown. The people in my life already knew that, but everyone across the internet was about to find that out,” he said. In one of Olear’s comedy videos, he was riding up an escalator in a shopping mall when a girl riding down the opposite escalator reached out and took a French fry out of his hand. The video went viral, getting millions of reshares, and even appearing on Fox News under the headline “Influencers are stealing fries.” Seeing its popularity, Olear began creating more videos like this, staged scenes of stealing things from other content creators.

It took over TikTok at the time. I was getting around 40 million views a week. I went from having 10,000 followers to over a million in just three months.

Unfortunately, TikTok doesn’t pay content creators commensurate with the amount of views they rack up, so Olear was still living off of his earnings as a substitute teacher. He remained faithful, knowing God would provide a way to earn a living if he just kept at it, so he continued making videos and landed his first brand deal in 2021. “I took a huge leap of faith and decided to go into content creation full time. As soon as I decided that, I got six more brand deals within a month. Since then, I’ve done songs, ads, and videos for Mountain Dew, Chipotle, Tostitos, Levi’s, Universal Studios, PacSun, UberEats, Blue Diamond Almonds, 2k Golf, WalMart, and Volkswagen.” That month, Olear made more money than he had in all of his time substitute teaching. 

However, he quickly learned that brand deals wouldn’t come in so consistently. “I launched into entrepreneurialism and had to learn how to be my own CEO,” he said. Over the following years, Olear built a team, collaborating with videographers, a social media manager, a music manager, and other professionals to help him stay organized and produce more content. While he had achieved high levels of success as a content creator, Olear still wanted to prove to himself that he could make it as a musician. Olear became friends with singer Bryce Vine, and after helping Vine out with his social media, Vine returned the favor by letting Olear open for four of his concerts in Atlanta, Seattle, Santa Cruz, and San Francisco. After getting a taste of performing in front of thousands of fans, Olear wanted more, but he hadn’t made it yet. Then in February 2024, Olear dropped a song called worst case scenario and began using it as background music in his comedy videos on TikTok. The song blew up, bringing in millions of views on each video he posted. “When that happened, Bryce’s team told me, ‘It’s time,’” he said. “I opened for every show on his next tour. I also opened for Anees and Crash Adams on their tours. Now I’m trying to plan my own tour as a headliner. I booked those tours off of my relationships, not because of previous ticket sales. I want to prove that I can make it on my own, and it would mean the world to me if my followers came out to support me at my shows. Selling tickets doesn’t really matter to me as much as connecting with my fans and having a night filled with joy and good music together.” 

While Olear has amassed a massive following on social media and as a musician, he stays grounded knowing his identity is in Christ. It helps to stay humble that he grew up in LA, surrounded by celebrity culture. In high school, Olear competed in track against Jamie Foxx’s daughter and Will Smith’s son. After school, he worked at a trampoline park where he taught Kevin Hart and Demi Lovato how to backflip. “Sure, they’re famous, but you quickly realize they’re just normal people too,” he said. “I’m not chasing fame. Fame is a byproduct of my career and the work I put into it. I love making music and performing. God has given me a passion and heart for that. Through His gifts and the education I’ve gotten, I’ve been equipped to steward a large audience."

I’m not called to be famous; I’m called to be a son of God. As people discover my music and watch my videos, they’ll see the joy in me that emanates from God. I’m a storyteller at heart, and through my story, I hope they can find that joy too.

Olear will perform his first show as a headliner at The Regent Theater in LA on March 11. This show marks the beginning of something bold. A former teacher stepping into a headlining spotlight, independently, in a city where even major artists struggle to fill rooms. What started in a classroom has grown into a movement built on belief and work ethic. This show is his mission to prove that an artist with no label and no financial backing can create waves in the industry.

Olear aims to utilize this show as a launchpad and blueprint for the first of many in a headlining national tour as an independent artist powered in by community and ingenuity. And because so many students supported him when this was just a dream scribbled on a whiteboard, he wants to do whatever he can to give back through musical programming and student outreach. (If any students wish to attend, they can use code STUDENT for 20% off tickets to the LA Show.)

Full circle, same mission, just a bigger stage.