MERCY JOHNSON'S WEDDING PIX

So you have all heard of the controversial Mercy Johnson wedding, well then here are the pix.

SAX APPEAL IN NIGERIA

Sax appeal 3 concert featured world renowned saxophonist Kenny G, Mike Aremu, Kunle Ayo and Judith Sephuma. Other performers included Nigerian R n' B queen, Waje and American jazziest Yolanda Brown.

ARA ANNOUNCES SEPARATION FROM HUSBAND

Respected entertainer and one of Africa's leading talking drummers, Ara, has issued a statement, saying she's parting with her husband Prince Nurudeen Olalekan Saliu.
The couple exchanged wedding vows on June 4, 2009. The pair will remain friends, Ara says. And they will continue to jointly support their child.
"We've been separated since January', the musician says. 'But because I do not want rumours to start flying, and I think, out of respect, all my friends and fans need to know what's happening to me, I think it's right to set the records straight once and for all on this. We're no longer together and we're both happy. We've both moved on'.
'I'm single again. But I will not be searching for now'.



'I've taken this decision very painfully; and it's particularly a tough and sensitive time for me and my son. And I plead with my friends and fans to put us in their prayers at this period'.
The musician who is working to release her new materials, while also dedicating her time to helping disadvantaged women and children, says she will 'not be granting any interviews for now. I want to give my son all the attention he needs; and when I do have to talk, it'll be about my current love : My music'.
'I pray my friends in the media understand this. They've been very supportive since my early days. And I believe they'll stand by me at this trying period also...'

Aralola and Nurudeen got married at the Oshodi/Isolo registry on June 4, 2009. The marriage is presently in the process of annulment.

BANKY, WIZKID AND SKALES ANOUNCE FIRST-EVER EME AMERICAN TOUR!

US-based fans of ‘superstar’ Wizkid, R&B powerhouse Banky W, and critically acclaimed rapper Skales who have been longing to see them perform live, can now heave a sigh of relief.
The EME acts announced, today, that they’re staging a North America tour that’ll roll out in a matter of months. “Actually, the tour was earlier scheduled to begin in Washington DC on June 24," comments Banky W. "But due to certain circumstances, we have had to step back to work on a couple of elements necessary to deliver the best experience for our fans
"We know our fans in the US are waiting. And we apologise profusely, with a promise that this tour will be worth the wait. Our promoters have put in a lot of hard work, and we’re working with so many professionals in different cities to ensure everything goes well. I want to assure all those who have bought tickets already that we’re on; we’re coming for real; and it’s only a matter of weeks before we hit ‘God’s own Country."
Banky, who runs EME with partners in Nigeria and the United States, spoke from Lagos, Nigeria, where he has been living since relocating from the US in 2007.
The tour, according to a statement by EME, is in conjunction with the top Nigerian and African promoters in each city and will include big venue concerts, select club gigs, road stops, TV and radio performances as well as extended media visits.
The tour promotional partners are Afrique Events, Afrobeat Productions, Big A Entertainment, Camp Green, Club Nationale, De Eminentz, Mr. Déjà vu and The F.I.V.E Company. Others are Freshwaves, Incognito, Janda Entertainment, Jesse Poche (TakeoverDJs), Qrious
Media Group, Royal Entertainment, Shekpe Knights, So So Selective and Townkrier.com Says Segun Demuren, EME CEO: ‘‘Coming on the heels on a successful album launch concert for Wizkid, we’re moving on to the next step which is to ensure we deliver the best concert experience for our fans all over the world. We’re starting with the US with dates for Europe
and Asia to follow’’.
It’s the first-ever EME tour and an excited Banky adds, “Thanks for waiting this long guys. We’ll wait just a little bit longer, and then we can have all the fun in the world. We’re taking Lagos party to America!’’
Cities to be covered, according to an official guide released by EME, include Washington DC, New York City, Atlanta GA, Houston TX, Detroit MI, Chicago IL, Minneapolis MN, Boston MA, Dallas TX, Detroit MI and San Jose CA.

IYANYA READY FOR SECOND ALBUM

The past months have been rough and hard; with the loss of Iyanya's mother, and his only brother.
Now alone and in the cold, the singer is holding tight to his music – his only source of warmth and hope.
And after months of working hard to find his voice again, the ladies’ man is back in full circulation, getting ready for his second body of work.
With two singles already rocking radioland, and a video for I’m The One already on the way, the first-ever PFWA winner says he’s grabbing 2011 with both arms, putting his best foot forward to make sure he records a spectacular outing this year.
‘I’ve practically been living in the studios for months now’, says Iyanya, who recently signed up with Lagos-based label Buzz Avenue. ‘It’s been a period of mixed blessings for me – on one hand I’m getting such amazing support for my career, and I’m humbled by the growth I’ve recorded since I won Project Fame in 2008. But on the other hand, I’ve had to deal with the loss of my entire family: My dad, my brother, and my mom. It’s really more than I can handle, but I thank my friends, fans and the media for standing firm by me’.



Now putting all that behind, and working to make his departed ones proud, Iyanya has teamed up with Wazbeats, TY Mix and other producers to develop an album that he says ‘everyone will be proud of’.
As a sign of some of the stuff to come, he paired up with Rita Isokhen (of Koko Mansion fame) last December, to deliver a dramatic performance during the Rick Ross concert in Lagos.
‘We’re thinking outside the boss’, he says. ‘And that will reflect in everything you see on this new album; from my style, to the music, the videos and performances…’The singer’s yet-to-be-titled second album is expected in a matter of months.

NIGERIAN BRODA A KING OF CUSOMISED MERCHANDISE

Alexander Amosu, the young UK-based Nigerian entrepreneur who just made the Guinness Book of World records for designing the World's most expensive visiting Lagos next week.
The 34-year-old will be introducing his Luxury Line on his tour.
Just so you know he is also responsible for the world's most expensive phones.
Ask music Goliaths like Akon, Fiddy – or if you so wish 50 Cent – and Ne Yo.
Amosu pictured with Ne Yo Alex has been lauded by the world's biggest media organisations as one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the UK.
Amosu pictured with Kelly Roland


For more on this young broda click here and here.

NIGERIAN T.W.O DENY QUITTING MUSIC

Showbiz couple Tunde and Wunmi Obe have materialized from the shadow of speculations of a shift from Music to TV to announce that they are actually still working the notes and tones and hoping to release a new album before the year runs out.

“We have not left music, Music is our first love, we have been recording new songs, and in fact we are ready to roll” Wunmi Obe who clocked 40 last week told Journalists in Lagos this week. Her partner Tunde Obe continues “We are too legit to quit, we won’t do that to our fans, we owe it to them, we can’t leave them hanging”.

And as if to show to the world that they are still in the game for real, the couple whose singles “Adupe” and “Mogbomaya” remain regulars on TV and Radio nationwide unleashed a new single titled “Zombie” this week.

Coined from Bantu language (a family of Niger- Congo languages predominantly spoken in Central and Southern Africa), the word Zombie has over the years come to mean a walking dead, But not to worry, T.W.O is not sliding in that direction. Instead Tunde Obe explains “Zombie in our own context does not have anything to do with military men or a dead man walking, our song tells a story of two love birds, who are stuck on one other, and cannot do without each other” Tunde Obe explains.

The single which was produced by Sean Keyz is the first from the duo after their monstrous hit “Mogbomaya” which established them as “a bridge between the old and the new school”.

A glance at the successes of their past albums, tells that the pair will definitely make a larger than life impression as is their tradition “We are definitely in this for good, and as we keep saying, we are too legit to quit”.Wunmi Obe says on a final note

The title of the forthcoming album has not been announced yet. According to their publicist Ayeni Adekunle, “All those other details will be known soon. All we just want to do now is let people know that contrary to widespread speculations, this couple we all love so much, are not quitting music. Not now, not tomorrow, not ever”

T.W.O started as lead singers in a campus band ‘Turning point’ in the 80s, and got popular Nationwide with their popular weekly television performance on the Charly boy show and Zoom time.

Etcetera's Glitzy Night...The Photos

ETCETERA CELEBRATES WITH CLASS

Moving on after he was named winner of the Recording Of the Year Category at Hip hop World Awards in May 2009, Soft Rock Act, Etcetera shocked fans and the Entertainment industry as a whole when he teamed up with his record label X3M Music to throw the first ever black tie gig in the Nigerian Music scene last Sunday.

As usual, a black tie invitation calls for formal attire. Men wear tuxedos, women wear cocktail, long dresses or dressy evening separates. The event gave room for trendy interpretations of formal wears and the guests didn’t fall below expectation as they appeared in different hues of tuxedos and dresses.

With a cocktail of drinks, spoken word, beautiful poetry and soft music, guests lounged and networked; spending the entire evening hob-nobbing, back slapping and exchanging banters.

The high octane black tie gig which was well attended by the crème de la crème of the Nigerian music industry, media practitioners and artistes held at Black Pearl Restaurant, 10A, Akin Adesola Street, VI.

‘I feel so happy that people responded well to my gathering. It was just three hours of networking and banter but the impact it has on me is everlasting, and it is going to linger for a long time’. Etcetera told news men in Lagos this week

Hosted by Singer, Writer and OAP Tosyn Bucknor, the event recorded the presence of X3M boss Steve Babaeko, Kiss event’s Howie T, CEO of Hip hop world awards Ayo Animashaun, Singer Tosin Martins, GT the Guitar man, Weird MC, Rapper Terry tha Rapman, OD and Mode9.

Others include Talent Manager Joice Ize-Iyamu, Rapper Kel, Singer H man, Big brother Nigeria alumnus Ebuka Obi- Uchendu, Writer cum publicist Ayeni Adekunle, Poet Sage Hasson, Ade Bantu, OAP Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi, and many others.

Pascal Ejikeme popularly known as Etcetera is a singer-song writer signed on X3M Music, a record label founded by Steve Babaeko. His self titled album ‘Etcetera’ was released in May, 2008 from which further singles like ‘This is not a song’, ‘Michelle’ and ‘Biafra’ were released.

‘The journey continues, this is just my starting point, and I am so glad that people now appreciate good music’ he says on a final note.

Etcetera is presently in the studio working on his yet-to-be- titled second album.’

JIMMY JATT’S BATTLE FIELD KICKS OFF

Its April already, the month DJ Jimmy Jatt’s battle field is expected to commence, and there is no how he is not staying true to his word.

‘‘The preliminary for Battlefield is kicking off this month, at the end of which we hope to discover new rappers, dancers and DJs’. He says

Remember how he hit our TV screens with Jimmy’s Jump Off, and how he released ‘The Definition’- a mix tape which featured a number of up and coming acts ‘I just want to do what I love to do the most which is give a lot of gifted and talented people a platform to express themselves, and that is exactly what battle field is all about’ he explains

Expected to debut in a matter of days, Battlefield will take a whole new dimension from the usual reality shows on TV. Jimmy Jatt says- ‘It is not really a reality show; it is more like a contest. It is called Battlefield. It is my own way of trying to discover new sets of DJs. We should be grooming DJs, rappers and dancers regularly. I have been around for a while and I have moved around a lot. I have realized that most talent hunt shows here are all about singers, but we should understand that just the same way we have a whole lot of young people who want to sing; we also have a whole lot of young people who want to rap and dance and become DJs’

The auditions kicks off in Lagos on April 15, 2009 at The place, GRA, Ikeja.and it starts with the DJ battle, while in May, it will be ‘rap battle’, and then in June, it will be the ‘Dance battle’. ‘We do different competitions every month and a winner emerges to qualify for the grand finale at the end of the year. Anybody that wins in each month gets between N200, 000 and N400, 000. For the grand finale, we have for the winner one million naira, a brand new car and a state-of-the-art DJ equipment’ he says

LAGBAJA TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM BY MONTH-END!

We’ve been waiting for long. We’ve been wondering un-end. We’ve worried till we’re weary – when will we lay our hands on another Lagbaja album? When will the masked musician and his band bless fans with another body of work? This year? Next year? Or the year after the next?

Well, we can all now heave a sigh of relief, because Lagbaja has confirmed that a new album – the first since his 2005 release Africano – is ready, and about to hit the streets.

According to a statement released by his publicist Ayeni Adekunle on Monday April 6, the new album, which comes in two CDs, will be officially released in Nigeria before the end of April.

‘‘I’m glad to tell you, brothers and sisters, that our new album is ready’’, Lagbaja said in Lagos this week. ‘‘The world is going through different challenges right now, but the journey continues. We’ll continue to make good music and preach the gospel of Africa to the rest of the world’’.

Lagbaja’s eponymous debut album was released to national acclaim in 1993. He followed with Cest Un African Thing in 1996, and in 2000 he did what was hitherto thought impossible when he dropped a three-in-one album titled ME, WE and ABAMI respectively. The simultaneous three-part release further enriched his repertoire of hits and timeless pieces, endeared him to even more critics, and won him a million-and-one converts. His most recent album – Africano… the mother of groove- was released to critical acclaim in 2005.

Once again, Lagbaja is releasing more than once album simultaneously. ‘‘We have two CDs coming out this time. Our fans deserve it, especially having waited for this long’’, He said. A third, the long-anticipated Africano Party (now remixed) will follow later in the year.

Further details concerning the upcoming album, including dates and track listings, will be communicated within the next 72 hours.

ETCETERA RELEASES NEW VIDEO

The X3m records’ prized act is not your regular singer, and with an uncommon style that combines rock, r ‘n’ b and soul, He has made a fusion which he calls “soft rock”. And as fans and critics thirst and hunger for good music, Paschal Uche Ejikeme effortlessly brings it to the table.

His singles Mitchell, Love should last and lie for you, enjoyed massive airplay on radio in 2006 and won him the most played artiste in Rhythm and Cool FM. His genre of music he has established is basically soft rock, but he makes use of constant elements from his environment which he spices with catchy and diverse atoms. This is why most of the time; Etcetera is often mistaken by many to be a foreign artist when they hear his music.

And now, the act has done it again as he released a video titled ‘Hello’ on April 1, 2009

The video for ‘Hello’ which was shot in Cape Town, South Africa by David Wacklin shows Etcetera trying to encourage everyone that they can be what they want to be if they put their mind to it. ‘I am trying as hard as I can to make the best out of rock music and out of myself. I don’t want to be referred to as a local artiste, as a musician, I wouldn’t mind if I am being compared with what we have out there’ Etcetera says

He is presently in the studios working on a yet to be titled second album.

The singer-songwriter is currently signed onto X3m music, a record label managed by Steve Babaeko. The record label was responsible for the release of his debut self titled album ‘Etcetera’ which rolled out hit tracks such as Biafra, Life for you, Michelle, love should last and Miss H’s IV