Category: Music

Music

African stars Wizkid, Tiwa Savage, Burna Boy to feature in Beyoncés ‘Lion King: The Gift’ Album

The superstar’s new album will feature a number of African stars who rarely get exposure in the U.S.

By Elias Leight

Beyoncé has announced The Lion King: The Gift, an album that will accompany the remake of the famous Disney animated film will have a track list that includes stars from Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa, artists who rarely get exposure in the American mainstream. 

Continue reading “African stars Wizkid, Tiwa Savage, Burna Boy to feature in Beyoncés ‘Lion King: The Gift’ Album” →
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Music

Soweto Gospel Choir: Three Heavy Grammys And A World Singing Their Praise

Songs of the struggle and music steeped in South Africa’s apartheid past. The story of how the Soweto Gospel Choir captivated the world

By Motlabana Monnakgotla

Three Grammys in 12 years. And more global awards in their 17 years of existence. In February this year, at the 61st annual Grammy awards in Los Angeles, South Africa’s child and Africa’s pride, the Soweto Gospel Choir (SGC) walked up to the stage to a rousing ovation.

Continue reading “Soweto Gospel Choir: Three Heavy Grammys And A World Singing Their Praise” →
Music

Burna Boy’s Mother Accepts “Best International Act” At BET Awards 2019

By Desire Thompson

Burna’s Boy’s mother delivered a special message while accepting the honor for “Best International Act” at the BET Awards. Bose Ogulu, the manager and mother of the Afro-fusion musician accepted the award on her son’s behalf.

Continue reading “Burna Boy’s Mother Accepts “Best International Act” At BET Awards 2019″ →
Music

Burna Boy wins 2019 BET Best International Act Award

By Jayne Augoye

Nigerian afro-fusion artiste, Damini Ogulu, popularly known as Burna Boy, has won the 2019 BET best international act award. The talented singer floored Teni Makanaki and Mr Eazi to win the coveted category in the award.

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Entertainment, Music

Nigeria’s Burna Boy, Teni, Mr Eazi Nominated for BET Awards

By Urowayino Warami

Nigerian music stars Burna Boy, Teni and Mr Eazi have been nominated in different categories for the Black Entertainment Television (BET) awards.

The BET Awards were established in 2001 to celebrate yearly African-Americans and other American minorities in music, acting, sports, and other fields of entertainment.

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Music, People

TOBi Is The Nigerian-Canadian Musician Taking North America By Storm

By Adewojumi Aderemi

Growing up in Nigeria, there is a clearly prescribed mode in which genders must be performed: women are the caretakers; men are the financial providers. Men must also be the emotionless defenders of everyone, particularly the women, around them. 

Coupled with his time spent watching American films of valiant men, such as Rockyand Commando, it was this image of machismo that Oluwatobi Ajibolade ascribed to being a man. It is this image that the Nigerian-Canadian artist hopes to redefine with his debut album, STILL.

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Entertainment, Music

Nigerian superstar, Tiwa Savage, signs with Universal Music Group

One of the biggest African female acts, Tiwa Savage, has signed a record deal with Universal Music Group.

Some of the facilitators present at the signing of the deal at UMG office in California wereJoel Katz, Efe Ogbeni, Vanessa Amadi (Stealth Management), Sipho Dlamini, Managing Director of Universal Music South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa (English-speaking), Adam Granite, Executive Vice President, Market Development at Universal Worldwide and Sir Lucian Grainge, Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group Worldwide.

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Festivals, Music

Mr. Eazi and Burna Boy highlight the rise of afrobeats at Coachella

By Makeda Easter

This has been a particularly global year for the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. The lineup also includes Nigerian stars Mr. Eazi and Burna Boy, two artists representing afrobeats, a genre that’s steadily gaining traction in the U.S. and beyond.

It’s not the first year that Coachella has hosted Nigerian artists. The 2012 performance of Seun Kuti & Egypt 80, featuring Fela Kuti’s youngest son and band, is just one example of the handful of the country’s artists who have played the Indio festival. And 2018 was expected to be a big moment for afrobeats at Coachella when Wizkid was booked, but he missed the gig due to visa issues.

Continue reading “Mr. Eazi and Burna Boy highlight the rise of afrobeats at Coachella” →
Music

Discover Sons Of Sonix, the British-Nigerian duo looking to spread Afropop to the world

By Adewojumi Aderemi

Just last week, Kida Kudz released another infectious single, “Jiggy Bop”, which saw him unveil even more of his rap range than we had heard on his previous hits, “Issa Vibe” and “Again”.

While Kid Kudz’s melodic delivery certainly made the song extra catchy, it’s the fantastic production work, particularly its mystical beat, that pushed the track over the edge, and that’s all thanks to British-Nigerian production duo, Sons of Sonix.

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Music

Nigerian-Born musician Alex Boyé releases two singles for Mental Health Awareness Month

By Socrates Mbamalu
Alex Boyé has become known for his uplifting music. Now his support of mental health campaigns has seen him being honoured for adding his voice to suicide prevention efforts.

Three years ago, Nigerian-born Alex Boyé appeared on one of America’s best-known talent shows, America’s Got Talent. He was 44 years old at the time and had been singing for 25 years. With his signature white mark under his right eye, a boisterous spirit and great charisma, he took to the stage and blew away the judges with his energy and music. Boyé has gone on to become an important voice in music.

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Music

Thutmose experiments with genres while honoring his Nigerian roots

By Christina Cala

Thutmose is the name of an ancient Egyptian pharaoh, but it’s also the stage name of Nigerian-born rapper and songwriter Umar Ibrahim. After immigrating with his family to Brooklyn, N.Y. at the age of 8, Thutmose grew up caught between the America he was experiencing and the America he imagined.

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Communities, Music

Afrigo band set for Uganda Festival in New York

Wasula said their wide collection of songs allows the band to be versatile, noting that they have many songs they didn’t perform last year.

When Afrigo band ascended to the stage at the magnificent Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Washington DC last year, the audience went gaga.

On their feet were thousands of Ugandans living in the diaspora and well-wishers who had gathered for the Uganda Festival and Business Expo 2018.

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Music

Drake Brings Out Wizkid To Perform ‘Come Closer’ With Him At The O2 Arena
By Clement Akubude
Nigerian Afropop artiste, and StarBoy Boss Wizkid was brought on stage at the O2 Arena in London Monday night 8th of April by American singer, Drake to perform their hit single, Come Close during his Assassination Vacation Tour where he’ll be spending seven days performing at the O2.

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Music

Massive crowd at Medikal’s show in USA

By Lizbeth Brown

Ghanaian hip hop musician Samuel Adu Frimpong popularly known as Medikal pulled a massive crowd when he performed in the United States of America.

The ‘Omo Ada’ hitmaker delivered a stupendous and amazing performance to a fully-packed auditorium.

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Music

Nigerian music label, Chocolate City, signs new deal with Warner Music Group

By Inemesit Udodiong
Afrobeat, a fusion of African pop, dance, and hip hop, is having a great moment right now. All over the world, people are listening, dancing and buying tickets to sold-out shows by Nigerian artists.

It is also topping streaming and airplay charts across the US and Europe. Earlier this year, Davido‘s 2017 hit single, ‘Fall’, became the longest charting Nigerian song on American Billboard chart. It was the most Shazamed song by New York radio listeners in 2018.

Now, New York-based Warner Music Groupjoins the likes of Universal Music Group andSony Music, who have already boarded the Afrobeat train. The world’s third largest record label has a new partnership with Nigerian music label Chocolate City.

Continue reading “Nigerian music label, Chocolate City, signs new deal with Warner Music Group” →