As part of its efforts to help push more Nigerian artistes for recognition, as well as promote Afrobeat music, YouTube in the coming year will be working with four major artistes in the Nigeria music industry.
Announcing the initiative in Lagos at an event tagged, A celebration of Afrobeats, YouTube said it will work with Reekado Banks and promote his music throughout 2020. Also on the line is Oluwatobiloba Anidugbe known as Kizz Daniel, Simisola Bolatito Ogunleye known as Simi and Teni Apata, who will enjoy more promotion and publicity on the YouTube platform. YouTube has a long-standing commitment to and African artistes, content creators and other players in the creative sector. From Burna Boy’s Artiste on the Rise in November 2018 and the Artist Spotlight Stories series in February 2019 to Mr Eazi, whose career has led him from Lagos to London, and most recently, Rema, who is part of YouTube Music’s international artiste development program, Foundry, the platform has not just played an essential role in the discovery and development of African sound, but also in exporting African music to listeners worldwide.
Through the initiative, YouTube will be providing the artistes with the tools to propel their music, grow their presence on the channel and accelerate the growth of their audience globally.
The initiative follows a YouTube commitment to Nigerian Afrobeats talent that was made at the Google for Nigeria event in July, when the initiative to support 10 emerging Nigerian artistes through Mr. Eazi’s emPawa programme was announced. These four selected artists will be engaged in a series of workshops and content creation sessions, experimenting with content formats on YouTube.
The artistes will develop their music and visual content, becoming experts at building deep connections with their fans. In addition, they will receive marketing promotion and education on the best practices for growing and engaging their audience on an international scale. The artistes will also serve as models for other African artists on utilising the global power of the YouTube platform to expand and build a global audience. Leanings from their experience will be gathered as feedback to be shared with the entire artistes’ community.
Speaking at the event, YouTube Content Partnership Manager for Sub-Saharan Africa, Addy Awofisayo, said, “We are very excited to partner with these amazing artists to support their journey as their music travels across borders and they expand their audience globally.”
“YouTube has been mainline for African artists to connect all over the world, from Yemi Alade’s “Johnny” hitting over 100 million views on YouTube, Davido’s “Fall” at over 150 million views, there is no doubt that global audiences are dancing to African beat,”.
On his part, Communications & Public Affairs Manager, West Africa, Google, Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, said, “we are looking at the entire class of people in the industry. Top, middle, Bottom, and even people who want to learn music will also benefit from YouTube so, no one is left out
Teni, who was at the event said she was particularly excited because her fans will now get to see her beyond the music videos. “YouTube has no borders and it’s exciting to see my music resonate with not just people in my home country, but fans across the world.” Kizz Daniel said he was excited about the opportunity to work closely with YouTube, to expose his music and culture to a global audience. “YouTube is a crucial platform that allows my music to travel globally and connects to a new audience.
Also Speaking with The Guardian, Reekado Banks said, “it is exciting for me. I really can’t wait for what will unfold with this partnership. I know what a good deal is and this is good.Speaking on the effect Burna Boy nomination for Grammy award will have on his career, he said, “Burna Boy has inspired me so much in the past few years and I am excited to learn from him. “I’m currently working on an album called Daddy to Many and I am dropping it in March, 2020. Teni, Wizkid, Tiwa savage are going to be on it.”
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