Tiwa Savage, Davido and Mr Eazi Take on the Billboard Magazine
“This isn’t a fad!”, Tiwa Savage stated explicitly.
In its 114th year, Billboard remains the world’s premier weekly music publication and a diverse digital, events, brand, content and data licensing platform. Billboard publishes the most trusted charts and offers unrivalled reporting about the latest music, video, gaming, media, digital and mobile entertainment issues and trends.
Read also: Mr Eazi
It is well known that Nigerian beats and rhythms across the different musical genres draw you in and ignite your soul. We are inspired by the representation and recognition that the Nigerian music industry is getting for the country and Africa as a whole.
It was a purely Nigerian affair as the pictures for the issue were taken by Lakin Ogunbanwo. Lakin Ogunbanwo is a Nigerian born and based photographer. His work features bold and provocative portraits, and fashion, often set against bright colours and Lagos cityscapes. In 2013 he was profiled by CNN as one of “Africa’s Most Exciting New Photographers”.
Extracts from the Interview:
Davido: That’s the most important thing: The music is amazing. The feeling you get from Afrobeats and African music is just different. People have always loved African music, but we didn’t have the avenues to go worldwide. Back then, you actually had to have an African friend or come to Africa to experience it.
Mr Eazi: There’s also a general wind of appreciation now for what being African is about: “Hey, I’m African, it’s great to be African, and we’re flaunting it. When Davido is singing, he’s talking about things that are very particular to his culture. It’s also the same when Tiwa sings. Back in the day, even in the villages, you’d hear people singing Céline Dion. But now, people are playing 99% Nigerian music because that’s what’s hip.”
Tiwa Savage: “People just need to get on the train. This isn’t a fad. With 1.2 billion people, we’re not going anywhere anytime soon. We’re here to stay.”
We totally agree with Tiwa, the Nigerian music glory days will continue forever.