Nigerian creatives dominate Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 list.
The 30 visionaries ply their trade in the business, technology, arts and sports industries. Whereas Forbes selected 120 names last year, with 30 names per industry, this year’s list comprises only 30 names in total, making a mention ever so elusive. The publication said it had received 3 000 nominations since the start of the year, before it could whittle the list down to 30 names.
“These are the men and women forging ahead with credible, creative and profound strategies to shape our tomorrow,” Forbes Africa said. “Celebrating six years of the Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 list, they are the continent’s revolutionary thinkers revitalising ideas and industries with fresh business models and innovative leadership.”
Nigeria dominates the list with four creatives working in or closely with the music industry, while South Africa, Ghana, and Uganda are represented by one each.
Nigeria’s DJ Cuppy, who has performed around the globe, is one Nigerian artist on the list. Among her accomplishments listed by Forbes is winning the Best Female DJ accolade at the Beatz Awards in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. She is also the mastermind of the Cuppy Foundation, an NGO aimed at uplifting women, children and people living with disabilities while tackling issues such as education, malnourishment and poverty.
Nigeria banku pioneer Mr Eazi is also on the list. “Mr Eazi’s ascent to global stardom has seen him clock over 280 million YouTube views and more than 4.1 million Spotify streams per month, making him one of the most streamed African artists worldwide,” Forbes Africa said about the founder of emPawa, a pan-African initiative that mentors and funds African musicians.
Swanky Jerry, born Jeremiah Ogbodo Ike, represents Nigeria’s fashion industry on this year’s list. He has dressed the likes of Pearl Thusi, Davido, Nyanda, Yemi Alade, Tiwa Savage, AKA, Sarkodie and African presidents and first ladies, and has been featured internationally by CNN.
Completing the Nigerian chapter is reggae-dancehall artist Patoranking who is “recognisable both on the continent and the global music scene,” Forbes Africa writes. Among his accomplishments is being nominated for more than 40 awards.
Director Kit, real name Keitumetse Qhali, who was listed as one of the Mail & Guardian’s 200 Young South Africans in 2018, is the only creative from her country on the 30 Under 30 list. The 29 year old has directed and shot 29 films and videos, among other accomplishments.
Sasha Vybz, a video director and founder of Savy Filmz in Uganda, is the sole representative of East Africa’s arts sector on the list. He is currently one of the most sought-after music video directors for artists in Nigeria, South Africa and Burundi. CNN referred to him as a director “making music videos as an art form”.
Flying Ghana’s flag high is video director, producer, screenwriter Scilla Owusu. Apart from working with artists such as Nigeria’s Davido and Burna Boy as well as Ghana’s M.anifest, Stonebwoy and Sarkodie, she is the founder of Youngtrepreneurs, which seeks “to help young Ghanaian creatives improve their business knowledge, gain work skills and provide career opportunities,” Forbes Africa said.
Source: Music In Africa
Lota Chukwu’s Short Film For April is called “Small Bant”
Lota Chukwu and Zebra Stripes Networks have made it a monthly duty to release one short film.
The short film for the month of April is titled “Small Bant“. It focuses on Olutomi Adedeji, a hard-working 29 years old wakes up to see her entire world crashing down because of a seemingly harmless bant on social media
Written and directed by Lota Chukwu.
Watch the film below.
Global Citizen To Feature Burna Boy, Billie Eilish, Lizzo, Others in One World: Together At Home Concert
Global Citizen, the organization behind the recent ‘Together At Home’ virtual concert featuring John Legend, Shawn Mendes, Camila Cabello, Chris Martin, Niall Horan, Miguel and more, has teamed up with the World Health Organization (WHO) to announce a special concert just for you.
The event tagged One World: Together At Home will kick off on Saturday, April 18, with the aim of celebrating and supporting healthcare workers, and will feature real experiences from doctors, nurses and families around the world.
It also features a thrilling lineup of artists curated by Lady Gaga, including, Burna Boy the only African, and other stars like Alanis Morissette, Andrea Bocelli, Billie Eilish, Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day, Chris Martin, David Beckham, Eddie Vedder, Elton John, FINNEAS, Idris and Sabrina Elba, J Balvin, John Legend, Kacey Musgraves, Keith Urban, Kerry Washington, Lang Lang, Lizzo, Maluma, Paul McCartney, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Shah Rukh Khan and Stevie Wonder.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, DG of WHO said “The World Health Organization is committed to defeating the coronavirus pandemic with science and public health measures, and supporting the health workers who are on the frontlines of the response. We may have to be apart physically for a while, but we can still come together virtually to enjoy great music. The ‘One World: Together At Home’ concert represents a powerful show of solidarity against a common threat.”
One World: Together At Home is ‘powered by commitments from supporters and corporate partners in benefit of the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund, Broadcast special to also benefit local and regional charities that provide food, shelter and healthcare to those that need help most’.
The one-night special event will be hosted by Jimmy Fallon of ‘The Tonight Show,’ Jimmy Kimmel of ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ and Stephen Colbert of ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’.
You can also watch it on digital platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Tidal, Twitter, Twitch, YouTube, and more.
Harry & Meghan To Kickstart New Charity Foundation, “Archewell”
Harry and Meghan Markle are finally moving on from one of their final attachments to the royal life, by announcing their plan to launch a new charitable foundation named “Archewell.”
According to reports from The Guardian, Harry and Meghan who recently moved to Los Angeles to start a new life, after relinquishing their roles as working members of the royal family, said they “look forward” to setting up the foundation.
Details about the project were reported in the Daily Telegraph, which obtained paperwork the couple filed in the US last month showing they were looking to create their own charity, volunteering service, and wide-ranging website.
In response to the news, the two said they were focusing their efforts on the coronavirus pandemic for now.
They said:
Like you, our focus is on supporting efforts to tackle the global Covid-19 pandemic but faced with this information coming to light, we felt compelled to share the story of how this came to be.
Before SussexRoyal, came the idea of Arche the Greek word meaning source of action. We connected to this concept for the charitable organisation we hoped to build one day, and it became the inspiration for our son’s name. To do something of meaning, to do something that matters. Archewell is a name that combines an ancient word for strength and action, and another that evokes the deep resources we each must draw upon. We look forward to launching Archewell when the time is right.
Harry, Meghan, and baby Archie are now living in Los Angeles where they are beginning their new life away from the royal family.
Season 4 of “Insecure” Returns This April.
Returning for its fourth season, on Sunday, April 12, “Insecure” follows the main characters in the aftermath of the decisions they made in the last season. Issa Rae pursues a passion project she actually cares about, Molly navigates a real relationship for the first time, Lawrence figures out what levelling-up means for him, and we see the effect of Tiffany’s new baby on the dynamic of the friend group.
Along the way, we’ll see these characters evaluating relationships, both new and old, in an effort to figure out who and what comes with them in this next phase of their lives.
Starring Issa Rae, featuring other series regulars including Yvonne Orji, Jay Ellis, Natasha Rothwell, Amanda Seales, Kendrick Sampson and Alexander Hodge, the fourth season promises to be a wild ride.
Kenyan Music group ‘Wanavokali’ Wins Big in South Africa.
Kenyan Music Group Wanavokali are the winners of the first season of Old Mutual’s Amazing Voices singing competition that went down in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The group that comprises six members, emerged top of the continental competition on Sunday, taking home Sh10 million ($100,000).
Taking to social media, the group thanked their fans across the globe for their overwhelming support and votes that helped them secure the win.
Congratulations Wanavokali
“Guys WE WON!!!!! Thank you so much for the votes and support, 100,000 USD is coming hoooome!!! 🇰🇪 #wanavokali #amazingvoicesafrica” shared Wanavokali.
Band Member Ythera added “I don’t even know where to begin yani. Amidst all this uncertainty right now, all the struggle… comes a win. And not just for @wanavokali but for Kenya 🇰🇪 The fact that Africa and the world gets to hear what Kenya has to offer means alot to us, to me! This, for me, is a culmination of 5 years in this industry and I’m damn proud of the journey! Of where the road is leading me even though it can be a path clouded with doubt and solitude . But these guys here are my team! They have my back! Even when I want to give in @wanavokali make me want to push further and harder and do better . I’m so happy manze. So happy!! My heart is full leo. I can’t even begin to say thank you enough to everyone who has supported us. Mmetushika mkono in a way we never expected. THANK YOU Kenya, thank you AFRICA ♥ #wanavokali #amazingvoicesafrica”
Acapella group
The talented Acapella group comprises of; Chep, Lena, Mella, Riki, Sam and Ythera. The six who started off their musical Journey as background vocalists for various artistes in Kenya, officially came together in 2018 at Safaricom Twaweza Live to form a group.
“Hello everyone!! We are @wanavokali, a group of artists who pursue music and met at 2018’s Safaricom Twaweza Live as background vocalists. We share a passion of expressing their art and stories through singing. Why not share our talent with the world” reads one of thee post put up on July 2ns, 2019.
The Old Mutual’s Amazing Voices is a pan-African signing reality competition show in which 12 unsigned groups from 3 genres take to the stage to captivate audiences and judges and claim their $100K prize money and be crowned Africa’s Amazing Voices.
Spotify is Testing a New Interface for Lyrics
Sourced from Android Police
Spotify, the music streaming giant, is preparing to improve on the real-time lyrics it is offering in-app as it tests a new user interface, writes Tech Weez.
The company has confirmed that it began testing the lyrics feature last year. Android Police suggest testing actually began in November, but further rollouts across apps started last week, and are still spreading fast.
A few users around the world have commented positively on the lyrics feature.
oh? i just realized that spotify has lyrics feature now 😯 pic.twitter.com/JbxqwEiH48
— todayis_wendy 💙 (@eternalsummer9) February 19, 2020
In-app lyrics can be accessed when users see a Lyrics Indicator in playlists before the artist’s name to identify supported songs. When users swipe up, the lyrics are expanded to the full screen.
Apple Music Lyrics
Users of Apple Music have enjoyed lyrics support for some time now, though in-app lyrics require an Internet connection to view. Albums bought on the service also have lyrics support for desktop and Apple TV.
The official Apple support site wants to remind users of the service that not all songs will have lyrics support, or they might have incorrect lyrics, but users who enjoy popular music from the huge artists like Taylor Swift or Drake shouldn’t have any trouble with lyrics.
However, even with Apple beating Spotify to the punch when it comes to in-app lyrics, Spotify is still regarded as the best music streaming service, according to The Verge.
The main reason for this, writes the publication, is that Spotify has the most consistent iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows experience.
“Competing music services sometimes have issues with certain platforms, like the clunky Android version of Apple Music or the Windows app for Tidal that sometimes won’t load,” The Verge writes.
