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It is not often you see a lawyer rise to the music industry’s top. But Omawumi is not your average Joe. From marginally losing a coveted first prize at a music competition to dominating the charts with anthemic hits a few years after, the singer embodies the resilience synonymous with Niger Delta natives. The determination to complement her gifted voice with hard work is about to culminate in a milestone that would perhaps rival the moment she shed her first tears upon winning her first major music award. Omawumi has a story to tell, and nowhere better than at an iconic venue…
History beckons as Omawumi is set to become one of the select few indigenous Nigerian female singers to perform at The Apollo in Harlem. The award-winning singer will bring her infectious energy to the famous venue as a performer at the ‘Naija To The World’ exhibition concert on September 16.
Omawumi, according to organisers, will join a star-studded line-up of performers from Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta region to immerse concertgoers into the lived experiences of Niger Deltans through previously untold stories.
The multi-talented Delta State native has surmounted various challenges since emerging runner-up in 2007’s Idols West Africa, winning her first Headies award for ‘Best Vocal Performance’ in 2009. In a career spanning almost two decades, Omawumi has released six critically acclaimed albums and scored hits with ‘In The Music’, ‘Bottom Belle’, ‘If You Ask Me’, ‘Thank God’, and many more.
With a voice that leaves listeners dead in their tracks and a bubbly persona, Omawumi is expected to deliver a stage performance that will live long in the memories of concertgoers at The Apollo.
The singer said, “Climbing the stage at the Apollo is every musician’s dream. The venue represents greatness and I am honoured to be only the second woman in Nigerian music history to mount the stage to show her artistry to the world. And there is no better way to achieve this career milestone than having the opportunity to bring music lovers into my world through the celebration of a region that has shaped me.”
Omawumi will be joined by other Niger Delta natives such as Timi Dakolo, Timaya, KCee and the pantomimic dance group Seki Dance Drama in showing the south-south region’s prevalent creative culture. Organisers assure attendees that the performances will offer a window into the talent and creativity prevalent in a region that has produced international music sensations such as Burna Boy and Rema.
BHM Founder, Ayeni Adekunle said, “We couldn’t be more excited about the lineup of stars that will grace the concert at The Apollo. From the journeys of these creative talents in a peculiar region like the Niger Delta, we believe that the world has a lot more to learn from Nigerian culture beyond just marvelling at the beautiful sound of our music.”
Corroborating Ayeni, Chief Executive Officer of Buckwyld Media Network, Efe Omorogbe, said ‘Naija To The World – the Niger Delta Experience’ “will serve as a testament to the incredible reservoir of artistic brilliance present in the Niger Delta region.”
With the appearance, Omawumi will join an elite group of Nigerian musicians such as Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Afrobeat artiste and Fela’s son Seun Kuti, Grammy-winning singer Burna Boy, and Adekunle Gold to perform at the historic venue. She will become the second female singer to achieve the feat only a few weeks after Tiwa Savage.
‘Naija To The World’ is described by organisers as an attempt to provide an alternative narrative to ‘the stories out there about Nigeria and Nigerians’.
Burna Boy sold out The Apollo’s 1,538-seat capacity for his ‘African Giant’ concert in 2019. At least 1,500 attendees are expected to also witness the ‘Naija To The World – the Niger Delta Experience’ event live at the music hall. Over 10 million more viewers worldwide are expected to partake in the spectacle through broadcast partners across North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.
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