It was a night of thrills and soulful presentations when fast-rising Afro-beat singer, Ola with the stage name Tolani, hosted her first Nigerian musical showcase.
(Premium Times) – Held on Sunday, at the Terra Kulture Arena, Victoria Island, Lagos, Tolani was joined on stage by top Nigerian music artistes like Tiwa Savage, Skales, Dr Sid, Don Jazzy, Ikon and Funbi. Hosted by media personality, Folu Storms, the event was kicked off by the R&B star, Funbi, who performed a new song and his official debut single ‘Hallelujah’.
The purpose of the showcase, according to Folu, was to introduce Tolani’s music artistry to the Nigerian music audience.
Tolani, who has a diploma in Music & Master Performance from Tech Music Schools in London, said she hopes to captivate young Nigerian music lovers with her unique style of music. She revealed to the audience at the event that she has teamed up some of the music industry’s most accomplished songwriters and producers on her yet-to-be-released album. They include Ali Tennant (Jessie J, David Guetta, Westlife) Afrobeat hit maker E-Kelly and Anthony Marshall who is famous for producing for the likes of Britney Spears, J-Lo, Craig David, Nelly Furtado, to name a few.
Tolani, daughter of oil mogul, Femi Otedola reportedly told PREMIUM TIMES that, “My first sets of releases are a blend of infectious African rhythms and soulful harmonies that offer its listeners a summer time feel good-factor. I was born into music; I love music even as a kid in school, church and any opportunity to sing. My family is very musical, a household where there is always music playing namely Fela and Patra. My parents love music, my father especially.”
Asked what makes her music brand unique, the aspiring music star said, “The technical name of my musical genre is afrobeat but I delve deeper into the afrobeat sounds. The people I have worked with are broad range of producers who are not necessarily Nigerians. I worked with Grammy award winning ‘King of the Dancehall’ Beenie Man, from Kingston Jamaica on one of my singles. That way I am able to create afrobeat tracks with some western influence. I have also worked with some afrobeat Nigerian producers as well.”
Comparing the Nigerian music scene with that of the United Kingdom where she is based, she noted that piracy thrives in Nigeria because the perpetrators get away with the criminal act. according to the singer, “the industry is still pretty young in Nigeria, and so that creates rooms for a lot of excitement. I want to make my name, join the race and this is the starting point for me. The loopholes that exist in Nigerian music have nothing to do with the talents or the art itself, it probably has to do with the industry being so young. Some of the issues affecting Nigerian artistes include how they can earn a living from the proceeds of their music and how to curb piracy to enable artistes benefit from their intellectual property.”
A version of this story first appeared on the PREMIUM TIMES website.
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Rich people kids now going to music. Time when music was considered the career of the “ne’er do well” Good luck Tolani