Yankee Taps Cypriot Director Loukas Costi for the Visual Direction of “C’est La Vie”

Tolulope Oke

Sierra Leonean Afrobeats artist Jomapel Yankee continues to push his artistry beyond music, stepping deeper into visual storytelling with the rollout of his latest single, C’est La Vie. For the visual direction of C’est La Vie, Loukas Costi, a Cyprus-based video director and hybrid shooter whose work sits comfortably between live music documentation, performance visuals, and high-energy cultural storytelling. Costi has publicly shared visual work connected to major Afrobeats moments, including content around Davido’s 5ive Alive Tour across multiple European cities and a director’s cut for Afrobeats Roma / Rema’s Milan concert, positioning him as a creative already tapped into Afrobeats’ live-performance energy in Europe.

While Yankee has steadily built his reputation as a cross-continental artist, C’est La Vie marks a more intentional step into creative direction, with the artist playing a hands-on role in shaping the visual identity of the release. Inspired by themes of movement, lifestyle, and indulgence, the visuals reflect a borderless narrative—mirroring the song’s “Mali to Bali” ethos and its celebration of ambition and freedom.

Rather than treating the visuals as a simple performance add-on, Yankee approached the release as a full creative statement. The direction captures him in his element: charismatic, stylish, and self-assured, embodying the same “we balling even on a Sunday” energy that runs through the song. It is a continuation of his mission to carry Sierra Leone into wider Afrobeats conversations while shaping a global image around his sound.

In one of the campaign’s content pieces, Yankee and Costi also collaborated with Peter Kypri, widely known as Cypriot Smurf — a Cyprus-based comedian and content creator known for his humorous cultural sketches and online personality. The collaboration adds a local Cypriot cultural touch to the rollout, connecting Yankee’s Afropop world with the personality and humour of the environment he is currently creating in.

Produced by Egar Boi, C’est La Vie is built as a confident Afropop anthem — polished, rhythmic, and made for both lifestyle content and dancefloor replay. With Loukas Costi shaping the visuals and Cypriot Smurf appearing in the campaign’s content universe, Yankee is not only releasing a song; he is building a moment around it.

As he continues to move between Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Cyprus, and the wider European scene, Yankee is proving that his music is borderless — and that every release is another chance to put his country, his story, and his creative vision on the map.