Nigerian singer and entrepreneur Mr Eazi is in the country! The singer who has earned a reputation for infusing Afrobeats with global sounds revealed how he struggled to shoot his first music videos.
While speaking this afternoon at Skyz Hotel, Mr. Eazi revealed that he shot his first music video only three years ago!
“I shot my first music videos in 2015. Shooting my first two music videos changed my life. These videos launched my career. I don’t think I would be here if I did not shoot those videos. I now employ about 100 people either directly or indirectly Since I have been growing in the music world, I have been randomly shooting music videos for other artistes on the low key”, he revealed.
Mr Eazi revealed that the music videos cost him $8000 (About Shs30m). After his 2015 song ‘Skin Tight’ propelled him to international audience, Mr Eazi stated that he had his first concert in London even before holding one in his own native country and like they say, the rest is now history.
Music is big business
Mr. Eazi re-echoed the financial value of music stating that African musicians have ‘no reason’ to fail in music business. While reflecting on the visit of Kanye West to Uganda, he stated that African artistes too should be playing along a similar standard.
“If Kanye West could come to Uganda just to record….it’s not the first time…I remember meeting Ed Sheeran in Ghana where he had gone to record. If a superstar can come to Africa to record, there is no reason why an African musician should not be able to sell their music to the world”, he stated.
Giving back
Mr Eazi stated that he is rolling out a campaign to promote artistes in Africa by offering free music video shoots. To participate, the artistes will be required to upload a video showcasing their talent to their Instagram account under the hashtag #Empawa100. From the entries, 100 winners will be selected to share $3000,000 (About Shs1.1bn) fund with each artiste receiving $3000 (Shs11m) .
Also the artistes will undergo a mentorship incubation program with industry experts. Mr Eazi wil be performing at an invite only listerners’ party for his new album ‘Lagos to London‘ at Cayenne.