Eugene Nyavor
At the crux of creativity is the free exchange of ideas. In line with this notion, SONY Music in conjunction with RCA Records, Amazon Music, SONY Music West Africa, Melanin Unscripted and Columbia UK have put together the SONY and Friends event with the aim of driving authentic relationships in the African music industry through necessary conversations and connection.
This marked the first-ever Sony Music event in West Africa.
The event took place one the 31st of December in Accra, Ghana and included a series of activations such as; a panel featuring industry leaders, influencers, & artistes, a Performance and Q&A session with Afrobeat super star Davido led by Ghanaian MC and host Kojo Manuel and an after party with sounds provided by both local and global DJs like Juls, Vyrusky and Mercedes Benson.
The event also hosted Ghanaian streetwear label Free The Youth whom created exclusive SONY and Friends merch for the event which attendees were able to customize. The main goal of the event was to engage both the local and international community to make music a connecting point.
About The “Africa To The World” Panel:
As the title of the panel suggests, “Africa to the world: A Conversation About Breaking African Music Globally” sought to foster dialogues centered on the future of African music’s global presence .
The panel focused on conversations surrounding the music industry in the digital age, the next frontier of African music and how labels can integrate the unique African market and genuinely support the growth of the afrobeats/african music movement.
The panel was moderated by Ghanaian Afro-fusion artist Amaarae and featured some of the
music industry’s most impactful voices in Africa and the diaspora like RCA VP of A&R and Cofounder of Keep Cool, Tunji Balogun, TRACE West Africa’s Lanre Masha, Ghanaian-American Music and Culture editor Stephanie-Smith Strickland, Ghana based Director David Nicol-sey, Digital Marketing Specialist Dimplez and Artist Manager and PR specialist Danai Mavunga.
About Davido + Q&A:
For top-rated Afrobeats and SONY artiste, Davido, 2019 was the year of new heights. He went from
selling out London’s prestigious O2 Arena to having the longest charting Nigerian song in Billboard history and one of the most Shazamed songs of 2019 in America. In light of his ongoing global streak his dialogue was able to give insight to rising artists and people looking to understand the global exchange of African music in contemporary culture and the role labels play in helping facilitate this exchange.
