The rave of the moment, Mr. Eazi, has made history as the first Nigerian and indeed African musician to be named Apple Music’s ‘Up Next Artist’.
The initiative is aimed at showcasing emerging artistes to the world.
The announcement coincides with a new documentary clip, a live performance and a Beats 1 interview of the singer all to be featured exclusively on Apple Music.
Following the recognition, Apple’s streaming service will promote Mr. Eazi’s songs on its playlists and on the iTunes store.
Apple launched its monthly Up Next series in April with 6lack (aka Ricardo Valdez), a 24-year-old rapper and singer from Atlanta.
He was followed by Norwegian singer-songwriter, Sigrid, in May and rising R&B star, Khalid, in June.
Meanwhile, during his chat on Beats 1 radio, which was broadcast on Wednesday evening, Mr. Eazi spoke about his early days from moving to Kumasi at an early age, experimenting with genres of music, mixing Azonto and Ragga music, to coining Banku music after releasing ‘Bankulize.’
He also shed light on his work with Wizkid, and why they clicked.
“I wanted us to work as a family,” Mr. Eazi said on what he wanted from the Starboy affiliation.
He also talked about how ‘In the morning’, a track off his “Life is Eazi: Accra to Lagos” tape, was originally meant for Wizkid.
The ‘Short Skirt’ singer also announced that he is coming out with an acoustic version of 10 fan-favorite songs off the Mixtape, explaining how different cultures could connect to a stripped down version of his music when he performed at a New York Apple store.
Meanwhile, in line with the Apple Music’s ‘Up Next Artist’ tradition, several of Mr. Eazi’s YouTube tracks have already received multi-million views, including “Leg Over” with 15.6 million streams and “Hollup (Fun Video)” with nearly 10 million.
Additionally, the artiste has had shout-outs by prominent artists, including Rita Ora and Travis Scott. He has also had writing sessions with English drum and bass band; Rudimental, and English singer and songwriter, Ellie Goulding.
In addition, Mr. Eazi has worked with several Toronto-based artists and/or producers, including Nineteen85, Big Lean, Di Genius and Dre Skull.
Mr. Eazi, who is currently dating Temi, one of the daughters of oil mogul, Femi Otedola, attended University in Kumasi, Ghana. That had a major influence on the evolution of his Banku sound, which fuses elements of music from both Nigeria and Ghana.
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