Lets face it, 2017 has been a good year for quality music videos in Nigeria. The medium has been operating at top speed for a while but this year has seen a notable improvement in the visual art form. Simi has a reputation for going the extra mile with her music videos and her latest video release for “Owanbe” off Simisola brings casts from Nollywood to help capture the festive mood of the song.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BbPLnDhHWPW/?hl=en&taken-by=symplysimi

Coming at the 9th track, Simi narrates over preppy drums, highlife guitar riffs, horns and call-and-response backup vocals for “Owanbe”. Her lyrics against the backdrop of the groovy beats reflect the atmosphere surrounding western Nigerian party culture and the video goes even further with the festive Freedom Park set where Simi plays herself as a live band performer.

Directed by Ani James Etkins’ AJE Films, the video for “Owanbe” starts with a scene detailing the struggle to meet up with societal expectations of dressing in new and fancy attires. Shots of Simi ditching her band and their faulty vehicle and scenes of well-dressed partygoers cramped up in a yellow bus also capture the chaos that sometimes come with these celebrations. But her performance, the smiling faces, the food, dancing and cameos present—Poe, Dremo Odunlade Adekola and Jide Kosoko—make it all worth the stress.

Watch Simi’s video for “Owanbe” below.

Featured Image Credits: YouTube/X3M Music

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