After D’banj made head way with a flamboyant style of Afropop inspired by his inherently larger-than-life personality, Nigerian music saw the rise of uber-confident artists whose style was a direct reflection of their innate charisma. Durella falls into this time and category, for obvious reasons. The singer came into limelight in 2008 guns-blazing with the same bashful self-validation D’banj brought to the game. Direct comparisons with D’banj would later cause Durella to diversify his sound, but only after the singer charted with three solid hits; “My Life”, “Zanga” and the all time turn-up favourite, “Shayo” based off the same style.
You don’t need to look too closely to understand the M.O for strong”Shayo”. Durella chants with an alcoholic’s conviction about how much his life is improved because of his ability to keep the drinks coming. The bass-heavy instrumental produced by I.D Cabasa is a bit of a wonder work. Pianos and violins set tone for riotus baseline peppered with back-up vocals, and a single note guitar riff thrown in the mix for pizzazz.
“Shayo” is reminiscent of the early years of self-absorbed pop celebrity, a testament to an era where the artist’s swag and hardest brags came off the portrayal of an extraordinary lifestyle. There have been great turn-up songs ever since Durella’s “Shayo”, but none of will have the same delivery or focus on subject matter. Because for Durella the art of “Shayo” is more than just a song, it is reflection of his life.
Listen to Durella’s “Shayo” below
Does it get any more ambitious that opening your debut EP with a cover of an impossibly successful Nigerian’s best loved song? Well that’s exactly what Toronto based Nigerian singer/songwriter Tadé does on his debut EP ‘Omo‘. He opens the album with a stretched out acoustic reinterpretation of Asa’s dearly beloved “So Beautiful”, and does it moderate justice, though his version nary holds a candle to Asa’s. But it does set the tone for the rest of the album which has a surprising amount of self awareness and little inside jokes and asides. This is how Tadé describes the album.
Unless you don’t have access to the internet and you’re living under a metaphorical rock, you’ve probably heard about the TED Events and know of at least one TED talk. Technology Entertainment and Design (TED) was founded in 1984 as way to discuss change and innovation from all kinds of perspectives by inviting innovators and changemakers from different fields to come network and give talks about their insights, achievements and research.
