Love In The Air! ADEOLUWA Releases New Love Anthem Ahead of Valentine’s Day!
Nigerian singer, ADEOLUWA, has released his latest single “Dey Forever” featuring On Air Personality, Koreey, and alternative musician, CHR!S. The song was released on February 7 after a successful campaign celebrating African and Black love. The Canadian based musician featured iconic couples like Yeye H.I.D. and Pa Obafemi Awolowo, Rainbow “Bow” and Andre “Dre” Johnson Sr. (from black~ish) and Michelle and Barack Obama .
Tagged #DF2020, the campaign celebrated these couples and more by sharing lyrics from the upcoming single as well why these couples have come to become so beloved. Here’s what ADEOLUWA had to say about the song’s rollout:
“Everyone knows that February is Black History month and also the month of love. It is important to celebrate the stories of African and Black couples whose love have inspired generations of people with this song. Black love is truly magical and any opportunity to remind others of that must be used.”
Lyrically, Dey Forever, follows a relationship fighting against odds but reveling in the wonders of love. The upbeat Afro fusion track, produced by BrayneZee, is now available on all music platforms.
Listen to the new song here: https://fanlink.to/DeyForever
Don donates €5,000 books to Fountain varsity
From Toba Adedeji, Osogbo
Nigerian professor of History and African Studies at the University of Texas, Toyin Falola, has donated books worth €5,000 to the Fountain University, Osogbo, Osun State.
The books were presented to the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Amidu Sanni, and other principal officers at the Senate chamber of the university by Falola’s representative, Michael Oladejo, a professor of Linguistics and Education, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, United States.
Falola said a passion for humanity and academics moved him to make such donation worth €5000.”
“I visited many campuses to make huge donations for the betterment of learning. In Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, I donated E-library to the school and made other donations at Redeemers University, McPherson University, and many others.
“I will do anything to improve the potentials in African countries. I cherish knowledge so much and I am moved when I come across anybody who loves knowledge. I am moved to do this because the VC is also a lover of knowledge,” he said.
He added: “I love knowledge but the dissemination of knowledge is very important. Dissemination of knowledge without acquisition is a waste of time. I want people to read, study and take knowledge seriously.
Responding, Prof. Sanni expressed gratitude to Falola, recommending him for national honour.
“The books we received today worth millions of naira. Falola has been committed to giving books and scholarships in Africa and the world. Last month he established scholarships in Gambia. He deserves to be honoured in Nigeria while he is still around. The idea of celebrating people after they are gone in this country is not worthy enough.They should be acknowledged and serve as a source of inspiration to others while they are still alive in terms of celebrating their legacy,” he said.
The Librarian, Dr. Salman Abdulsalam, promised to make the books accessible to students and staff.
Cynthia Erivo to turn her podcast ‘Carrier’ to a Movie
Tony, Grammy and Emmy winner Cynthia Erivo is bringing her podcast “Carrier” to the big screen.
The Oscar nominee will star in and produce the sci-fi thriller for Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Partners. The movie is based on the podcast “Carrier,” created by audio studio QCode and Dan Blank, who will also write and direct the film.
Erivo will reprise her role from the podcast as Raylene, a truck driver who accepts an off-the-books long-haul trucking assignment to cover for her ill father. She soon realizes that her mysterious cargo is a threat to the world and various forces begin targeting her to control or destroy it. She starred in and co-produced the seven-episode season of “Carrier.”
“It’s an absolute pleasure to be able to bring this podcast to the screen and marks the beginning of a new adventure in creativity for me as a producer,” Erivo said.
Erivo was nominated for a best actress Oscar for her role in “Harriet.”
In addition to Erivo, Automatik’s Brian Kavanaugh-Jones and QCode partner Rob Herting are producing. Fred Berger and David Henning will executive produce.
Amblin Partners’ president of production Jeb Brody and creative executive John Buderwitz will oversee production for the studio.
“A great story can transcend its medium to find new forms and new audiences,” Brody said. “Cynthia, Dan and QCode created a gripping and entertaining podcast that deserved all the praise and attention it garnered. We can’t wait to work with them to tell this story in its next evolution.”
Erivo is repped by UTA, Authentic Talent and Literary Management, and Peikoff Mahan Law Office. The news was first reported by Deadline Hollywood.
International motion picture studio MicInGrace launches in SA
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Established in 2011 by Michael ‘Micl Snr’ Norman (a South African film director, actor, writer musician and businessman) and Grace Norman (a South African filmmaker and businesswoman), MicInGrace Studios got its start as EWH, a music-recording studio and entertainment company in Los Angeles, California. To this day, MicInGrace Studios is the only South African fully black-owned studio in Hollywood, CA.
Boasting an award-winning team of creatives and filmmakers, MicInGrace Studios has a combined experience of an in-house team that consists of three departments including film production, post-production and entertainment. MicInGrace Studios offers world-class production offices, comprehensive artist support with warehouses, make-up, star rooms, green rooms, wardrobe and all aspects of sound post-production.
“We’re a 100 percent black-owned company and we are excited to bring a world-class one-stop-shop facility to South Africa. We want to create timeless and authentic African stories that will be relevant for generations to come. Our core focus is on action feature films, action comedy, suspense thriller drama and for entertainment we will focus on reality shows and TV series… We welcome co-productions with production houses which share a similar vision and we want to open doors to local creatives. We have brought our staff from our LA headquarters to South Africa to transfer skills to the local team. We will be launching another MiclnGrace Studios branch in Dubai later in the year,” says MicInGrace CEO Grace Norman who owns a 50 percent stake in the company.
Micl Snr says MicInGrace Studios wants to bring more creative concepts and high-quality productions in the South African film space. He says there is a huge appetite for international action movie content in South Africa and therefore it’s time for South African filmmakers to produce it themselves.
“I find no reason why producing action movies ourselves should be any different. I understand that there is a lack of support and adequate resources including knowledge, skills and finances. Our SA action movies have not changed from the political past narrative, including bank robberies and hijackings that stereotype the black African child as a criminal in the effort to succeed. It’s time to see a different narrative in order to pioneer and grow our own market and film industry and appeal to the younger market that enjoys such content. South Africa has the potential, we need to learn to admire our own good guys, instead of admiring the famous action men and women from Hollywood.”
Egyptian megastar Amr Diab releases new album ‘Sahran’
Egyptian megastar Amr Diab released on Wednesday a new album titled “Sahran”, according to his official website.
The album includes 12 songs appealing to the different tastes of Diab’s many fans.
Famous music composers like Nader Hamdy, Osama al-Hindy, Tarik Madkour and Ramy Samir all had a role in writing and arranging the tracks on the album, with poet Shady Nour and composer Bilal Srour also taking part.
“Sahran” also features Diab’s daughter, for the first time, singing in English a part of the song “Gamela we bas,” which was written by Shady Nour and composed by Bilal Srour and Jana.
Diab has built a multi-decade career that began with his musical debut in 1983. He is now known as one of the most famous pop stars of Egypt and the Middle East and has been nicknamed “al-Hadaba” (the Plateau) as a reference to his greatness.
His musical style is referred to as “Mediterranean music,” which features a blend of Western and Egyptian rhythms.
“Finally, after a long wait, Amr Diab’s latest album “Sahran” is released exclusively by Nay for Media company,” Diab announced on Facebook.
Meanwhile, Diab is set to celebrate the album’s release at a concert in New Cairo’s Al-Manara International Conference Center on Friday, February 28.
Over the past three and a half decades, Diab has successfully remained one of Egypt’s and the Middle East’s most acclaimed international stars, winning numerous awards.
The Egyptian pop star is the first in the Arab world to produce high tech music videos, and in 1996, Diab released the album “Nour El Ain,” which was celebrated worldwide and helped to gain the pop star recognition beyond the Middle East.
In 2009, Diab won four African Music Awards for Song of the Year, Artist of the Year, Video of the Year, and Best Male Act. He won two additional African Music Awards in 2010.
He is also the only Middle Eastern artist to have received seven World Music Awards, and set the Guinness Record for winning Best Selling Middle East Artist the most times.
Photo credit: Amr Diab’s official Instagram account.
The National Museum of African American Music opens this summer.
Scheduled to open in downtown Nashville in Summer 2020, the National Museum of African American Music will encourage visitors to discover the many connections and influences that composers have had on all genres of music. H. Beecher Hicks, III, the president and CEO of the museum, and Dr. Dina Bennett, the senior curator, joins Amanda Salinas in the Good Day Austin studio to talk more about the untold story of more than 50 music genres and subgenres.
