Rita Osakwe
As Nigeria celebrates the 60th anniversary of its independence on October 1, the THISDAY ARISE Group is hosting a virtual event which promises to be an evening of exciting events filled with heavyweights from the music and fashion industry.
To commemorate Nigeria’s diamond jubilee, the virtual celebration will be produced and broadcast from Lagos, Abuja, and London, and staged in various cities around the world.
It will be streamed to a global audience on ARISE Play, ARISE NEWS CHANNEL, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
A-list acts including Wizkid, Tiwa Savage, , 2baba, Davido and Burna Boy will thrill an audience drawn from across the world.
Fashion trendsetters Demola Sagoe, Lanre da Silva, Lisa Folawiyo, Kenneth Ize and Tania Omotayo are also set to wow the global audience with their creativity.
Nigerian superstar musician Wizkid, popularly referred to as ‘Starboy’, will be the opening musical act of an event that will include goodwill messages by iconic Nigerians and world leaders.
Wizkid’s debut album Superstar made him a star at home, but it was “One Dance”- the number one single with Drake, that catapulted him to international status.
His next highly-anticipated album, ‘Made in Lagos’ is set for release in October. Expect live performances of hits Ojuelegba, Joro, Come Closer and his latest single, Smile.
Collaborator Tiwa Savage will also perform at the virtual event. Hailed as the ‘Queen of Afrobeats’, Savage released her fourth full-length Nigerian album, ‘Celia’ on August 28, which also served as her debut American album under Universal Music Group and Motown Records.
Like Wizkid, she was featured on the song “Keys to the Kingdom” on Beyoncé’s album, “The Lion King: The Gift” and its visual counterpart, “Black is King.”
Stalwart Davido, whose recent single FEM broke Youtube records, will be bringing his unique blend of Afrobeats and modern production to an event already packed with stars. His most recent album, last November’s “A Good Time” featured guests such as Chris Brown, Summer Walker and Popcaan. He is currently working on an EP that will showcase the acts he has signed to his label, Davido Music Worldwide.
Popstar Yemi Alade recently released her groovy single, “True Love”, and its accompanying video, a clip infused with culture and retro vibes. Last week, she joined a list of celebrities as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme to raise awareness about poverty, inequality and climate change.
And fresh from the release of his record-breaking album, “Twice As Tall”, Burna Boy will also be performing on Independence Day.
The self-styled African Giant recently became the first Nigerian artist with a certified silver album in the UK, after last year’s “African Giant” sold the equivalent of 60 000 copies.
It comes after “Own It,” his collaboration with UK artists Stormzy and Ed Sheeran was certified two-times platinum. This year’s “Twice As Tall” album featured a plethora of talent including Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Stormzy and Sauti Sol.
Executive produced by Sean “Diddy” Combs and Mama Burna, the 15-track album saw the artist firmly cementing his place as an Afro-fusion artist, a genre he says he created. Other big names performing are Dare Art Alade, Flavour, Sani Danja and 2baba.
And from music, to the world of fashion, several internationally recognized designers, such as Kenneth Ize, Lanre Da Silva, Tania Omotayo, Tiffany Amber and Lisa Folawiyo will be showcasing their creations at the event.
Kenneth Ize recently made history as the first black designer to partner with Karl Lagerfeld to co-create the spring 2021 capsule collection. Ize was a finalist for the LVMH Prize 2019 and a joint winner of the Arise Fashion Week Award for “Designer of the Year.”
Earlier this year, the designer debuted his brand at Paris Fashion Week S/S20 to critical acclaim.
Lagos-based designer Lanre Da Silva is considered to be one of Nigeria’s leading couturiers. Silva incorporates traditional African prints and motifs into her elegant, modern and timeless designs.
Equally adept at marrying prints with modern tailoring techniques in Lisa Folawiyo whose eponymous label is best known for its colorful, innovative Ankara pieces. Lupita Nyong’o, Thandie Newton and Solange Knowles are just some of the big names to have rocked her designs, and her pieces have appeared on the pages of some of the world’s leading publications.
Deola Sagoe has been at the cutting edge of high fashion since 1989 and gained international fame for her colorful designs. She became the first black woman to present a collection at AltaRoma, Rome’s celebrated fashion week, back in 2004. Her style has earned her an enviable clientèle that includes top model Alek Wek, Oprah Winfrey and Will Smith.
Odio Mimonet’s brand delivers haute couture made from a uniquely African perspective; Folake Coker made history as the first African-based fashion designer to stage a show twice at the New York Fashion Week with her label, Tiffany Amber and Tania Omotayo founded the affordable, ready-to-wear fashion label Ziva Lagos in 2016.
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