Category: Entertainment

Famous gospel singer Dunsin Oyekan and veteran actor, Muyiwa Ademola on Thursday paid tributes to the late Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) cleric, Prophet Michael Olowere aka Baba Olowere.

The cleric died on Wednesday evening at his residence in Ibadan.

Before his death, Baba Olowere was one of the CAC’s most respected ministers.

Taking to his Instagram page, Muyiwa recounted his one-time meeting with the cleric, revealing that Olowere gave him a prophecy that came to pass.

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The actor also described his life as one well spent.

“Baba Olowere has gone to rest. A life well spent. I met Baba once and what he told me then actually came to pass. It is a life well spent. Sunre o Baba oninure,” the actor wrote.

Oyekan also paid tribute to the late prophet via his Instagram page by sharing the late clergyman’s photo.

The singer shared the photo with the caption: “LAST MAN STANDING!!! This is truly ‘Rest in POWER’.

“You took me not only as a son but also as a friend. Very concerned about every detail of my Life, family and ministry. I will really miss you.
“JESUS!!! POWER!!!Lived a full life of over 100 years in vitality, strength and Grace!!! I honour you Prophet Olowere,” he said.

Nigerian singer, songwriter and music maker, Oluwole Michael aka Mayolee is carving a niche for himself in the music industry.

 Mayolee’s career in music began as early as five years when he was granted a fully funded scholarship by the Nigerian Airforce Primary School, Ikeja for his drumming skills. As he progressed to secondary school, his singing abilities began to manifest.

 Professionally, his first track ‘I Hear The Heavens’ was released in 2013 under the name Oluwole. In 2014, he followed it up with ‘Gloria’ as Mayo, and in 2019 he put out ‘Goke’ as Mayo MuziQ.

However, in 2020, he got signed to Universal Music, South Africa through VMG where he released the songs, ‘Make A Difference’ (2020), ‘Pretty Caramelo’ (2021), and ‘My Race’ (2021).

 “My first paying music job was as a drummer in a church. I was 15 at the time. I played in the church and every time I was observing the music director while he was playing the keyboard and singing. Before every rehearsal, I would come early and start practising on the keyboard and singing.

 “Besides practising the keyboard, I also learnt to make beats on the Yamaha PSR 550. One day, I played the beats I had sequenced, played the keyboard and sang. From that day onward, I began playing and singing in church,” he said.

 His journey as a musician has seen him play the role of a music teacher, helping others hone their skills. He has also produced songs for gospel artistes like Sinach, Joe Praize, Ada Ehi, Mi and Solomon Lange.

EeZee Conceptz Global’s signee, Minister GUC has released the visuals to his transformative song, ‘Ikechi.’

 Minister GUC, a Nigerian anointed worship leader and recording artist explained that the song was inspired by God.

 “It was inspired by the power of God. It’s about God’s power and how it can do and undo, able to cause a change in the lives of people. It’s a powerful song that talks about the efficacy of God’s power.”

 On the unique musical style, GUC said, “We tried something different in this song but we maintained our soulful approach. It’s a genre that is very rich, soulful, and captivating from start to finish.”

Minister GUC acknowledged that EeZee Conceptz Global has played a pivotal role in nurturing his talent and providing the platform for his artistic growth.

 Through the song, the singer conveys a powerful message that resonates with listeners, emphasising the limitless capabilities of the almighty and the accompanying visuals tells a compelling story.  

One of Nigeria’s talented vocalists Wande Coal has joined Big Brother Naija’s star Erica Nlewedim as ambassadors of Legend Extra Stout.  Wande Coal was unveiled by the stout brand in a ceremony on 1 July.

 During the event, Maria Shadeko, Portfolio Manager, Flavoured, Non-Lager, and Craft, Nigerian Breweries Plc, took the stage to share insights into selecting Wande Coal as the brand ambassador. She emphasised Wande Coal’s exceptional musical talent, authenticity, and ability to connect profoundly with fans. These qualities make him the perfect representative for Legend Extra Stout.

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 Expressing his gratitude for the partnership, Wande Coal conveyed his admiration for the stout brand and its commitment to delivering an unparalleled stout experience. He expressed his excitement for the collaboration, highlighting his dedication to bringing his unique blend of talent and passion to the brand.

 Wande Coal, a celebrated artist known for his exceptional talent and soulful melodies, has garnered a loyal following with his blend of Afrobeat and R&B. His musical journey and commitment to excellence remains his trade success.

Former video vixen and actress Sandra Thomas aka Nicki Coppola has launched her podcast, ‘The Hallowed Conversation.’

 The podcast, according to Coppola, is positioned as a safe space for life-based, wholesome conversations, where people can express themselves without fear of judgement.

 The Sierra Leone-born Nigerian said guests would be invited to share their personal life experiences and testimonies. She said the podcast would impact people’s life positively as guidelines on how to live well would be shared often.

  “I’m not judging anyone, I’m not perfect, neither am I a saint. I have been a victim of drug abuse and I did so many things that should have taken my life. However, I found God and I am now in a better position and want to reach out to younger people who feel lost and need hope,” said Coppola.

  “I got exposed to so many vices including drugs and it affected me negatively, I thought I was going to die. I would be addressing some of those things in my podcast. For example, I would love to interview Banky W as I greatly admire his transformation from music to politics and being a pastor.”

 The entrepreneur further explained that she intends to help young industry players stay on the right path as they journey to stardom.  

Victony, one of Afrobeats brightest stars leading its globetrotting quest, left fans asking for more with an infectious performance at Afronation in Portugal.

 This is coming after the release of two brand new hit singles, ‘My Darling’ and ‘Angelus.’

 Victony was ushered on stage by DMW’s recent signee, Musa Keys and he was greeted by an ovation from the fans. The singer’s performance was taken a notch higher as he performed his smash hit ‘Soweto.’

Spectators further expressed delight, as the self acclaimed ‘Ebelebe’ also performed his addictive feature on the song ‘Selema (po po) remix’, a collaboration with Musa Keys.

 Incapable of hiding his happiness after a successful display, a proud Victony shared a short clip of his performance on Instagram with the caption “look at Mrs. Uchenna’s last born.”

 Victony is billed to share the same stage with Rema in July when he joins the Mavins music star for his  ‘Rave and Roses North American Tour.”

The Creative Arts Theatre Hall of the University of Lagos recently came alive when the final year students of the Department of Theatre Arts of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) staged the Queens of Kalakuta stage play.

 The play which was inspired by the life of the late foremost Afrobeat singer, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, and his many wives, was written by Onyekaba Cornel-Best.

 The organisers said “the play follows the lives of the oft-overlooked women, who served as creators, inspiration and activists with, for and side-by-side the legendary Fela in the 70s.

 Directed by Coker Olúwátìmíl?´hìn Michael, the play features Ajanlekoko Emmanuel as Fela; Adekanmbi Olaoluwa as Obatala; Esther Omotosho as Yemoja and Whesu Opeoluwa as Kalakuta Boy.

Others are: Gabriel Chisom Jessica as Queen Chinyere; Gabriel-Ogah Abigael Eshomonu as Queen Kevwe; Aggrey Omodunni Favour as Queen Naa and Oyinkansola Joseph as Queen Sewa, among others.

 The supervisor in charge of the project, Dr. Oluwatoyin Olokodana said the play was part of the final academic assessment of the students adding that the event would enable the students to express themselves better and put up performances that could further improve their craft in future.

Streaming platform, Spotify has launched a dedicated website for Afrobeats genre of music, Afrobeats: Journey of a Billion Streams.

 According to the streaming platform, the dedicated website will track all things related to the genre.

 It was further noted that the site will act as a repository for Afrobeats housing text, infographics and visual elements, including Spotify streaming data and results from the Spotify commissioned April 2023 Afrobeats survey. The survey, conducted by research firm Kuvora, tracks the rise of Afrobeats and its cultural impact over decades.

 The website will be updated on a biweekly basis for the next 8 weeks, but will remain active beyond this as an always-on resource, with frequent updates on new Afrobeats moments. It will also include an interactive experience for fans to discover and connect with new knowledge on Afrobeats.

 “There is no doubt that Afrobeats as a genre is here to stay, and will only continue to shatter more ceilings. In 2023 alone, the genre has been played for more than 223 million hours with streams exceeding 7.1 billion on Spotify. We created this site for both new and longtime fans of the genre, who would like to have a better understanding of how and where this explosive sound came to be,” says Jocelyne Muhutu-Remy, Spotify’s Managing Director for Sub-Saharan Africa.

Popular rapper and entertainment executive Michael Ugochukwu Stephen aka Ruggedman has said that the high cost of music promotion will reduce the possibility of having real talents who may become legends in the near future.

 He said this during an exclusive chat with The Nation.

 Ruggedy Baba, as he’s fondly called, noted that the cost of promoting music lately has catapulted into millions which isn’t very healthy for the industry as the raw talents, who cannot afford huge sums to promote their music may end up giving up on their dream.

 “You might not have the next Ruggedman, the next 2baba or D’banj and other legends especially if they don’t have much funds. It would reduce the number of talented artistes that would come out because most people who have money just want to promote artistes they feel have something popular whether it’s deep or not, whether he has lyrics or not they just wanna promote whoever they think they can get money off quickly, so promotion being on the high side will affect number of talents,” said Ruggedman.

 “Unless major people and media houses start promoting talents instead of noise. If DJs and OAPs start supporting talents without taking too much.”

 On his longevity in the music industry, he said, “I have been able to adapt and find other ways to plug myself in. At some point when I didn’t drop music I was everywhere for the fact that I was touching lives and I wasn’t getting paid for it, I can’t count the thousands of Nigerians I’ve helped out and I have never met, it’s either on social media or somebody sends a text.”

 “Being relevant is not just in one that you’re known for, you can be relevant in so many other ways. I’ve had a radio show for two years on Naija FM called ‘Wetin Dey with Ruggedman’ where I let people call in and tell me whatever problems they have and whatever assistance they need would be connected to them.”

Heavily pregnant former BBNaija Season 6 housemate, Maria Chike has thrilled fans with an alluring maternity photo shoot in the company of her lover and soon-to-be baby daddy, Kelvin Anene.

The show host, who has kept her pregnancy away from the public eye, shared photos via her Instagram page to announce the expected arrival of their bundle of love.

She shared four pictures, the first three displayed her standing all by herself while the fourth captured her man too, standing behind her with his face visibly concealed.

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She captioned her post: “Amore”, (an Italian word that loosely translates as love).

Last month, Maria stunned many when she announced that she and her lover were expecting a baby.

In the captivating video, Maria prayed her unborn child possesses a heart like the father’s, informing the baby of being the resulting outcome of the boundless love shared with the dad.

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The video elicited reactions with many asking to know her unborn child’s dad though some others guessed it was Kelvin.

To put paid to their guesses, Maria shared a video with her lover, walking hand-in-hand out of an event venue in the cool of the night.