Entertainment
Oritz Williki Set To Celebrate 30 Years On Stage
Nigeria’s Reggae leg
end, Oritz Williki is all out to celebrate his 30 years in the Reggae Arena. The anniversary celebration will hold between 9th and 16th August 2014. The event will feature night of glamour, fun and glitz with rousing performances from classic and current super stars of the entertainment clan.
These veterans of reggae revolutionaries expected to perform at the continental event include RasKimono, Daniel Wilson, Fidel Ranks, Righteousman, Omawumi and Tuface. Others include Don Jazzy, Tiwa Savage, Black Rice, Arthur Pepple Jnr, Sinclar and Jaywon among others. The event will also feature talented stand up comedians such as Klint D’Drunk, Mc Saco, Omo Baba, Basket Mouth, Bovi and others.
The event will commence with a novelty football match between the Revolutionary XI and selected industry stars on the 9th of August 2014 followed by an entertainment summit with the Theme: “The future of royalties collection in the globalised industry” on the 12th of August 2014 featuring key industry players, intellectual property experts and digital media practitioners to address all the critical issues in today’s entertainment industry.
An executive media dinner will be hosted for key entertainment media executives and practitioners on the 14th of August at a VIP Lounge in Lagos. While, the anniversary grand event and gala night will hold on August 16th with the celebrant, Pupa Oritz Williki taking the centre stage to perform live with all his best hits.
Speaking in an interview with the Press, the reggae legend stated that his anniversary celebration is unique and significant because he wants to use the event to thank God and all those who stood by him and believed in his brand Oritz Williki and more importantly to show that there is no retirement for a sound and creative mind. Born Oritsebemigho Williki, the Rastafarian lord started music at the age of 8, then he was already in the choir based on the strict discipline of his missionary father.
Although, he did not start his music career by releasing albums, he worked with notable artistes such as Ras Kimono, Mandators, Alex O, Chris Mba, Cloud 7 Etc.
His exploits in music took him to the Western world where he worked under the tutelage of Jack Solo of Jamaica later he got a record label called Alan Cheti in Paris 1988.
According to the reggae maestro back here in Nigeria, the record labels then were Polygram, Sunny Music, EMI, Tabansi Records Etc and there was sanity in the marketing section, piracy was minimal, but when these music labels left, the bad story of artistes started.
He noted that in those days there were many professional artistes and more righteousness. Those days you cannot be a successful musician if you don’t know how to play one or two musical instrumentals. He stressed that those days were inspiring.
The Raggae veteran contended that “what we have today are rhythmic and songs. The songs don’t make meaning, but the beats are okay. It is a phrase and the buying population are the youths, the contents add no value to society,” he said.
The ‘Jah Works’ crooner stressed that today’s beats are very good, over the years, the music was very complex because we had Juju, Fuji, Hi-Life.
He noted that there was no specific identification of Nigerian music, but today, it is possible to identify music from Nigeria because of beats, that is why the works of Nigerian artistes are selling at international markets now.
Spotify yesterday revealed a significant surge in heartbreak song streams in Nigeria during the Valentine’s Day season, with a 626 percent increase between 2022 and 2024.
This was disclosed in a statement issued in Lagos, Nigeria by Spotify’s Head of Music, Sub-Saharan Africa Phiona Okumu.
Okumu said, “Spotify data reveals a surprising trend, a massive surge in heartbreak song streams.
“Nigerians are turning to their playlists to express their emotions, with a staggering 626 per cent overall growth in heartbreak streams from 2022 to 2024.
“This Valentine, the sound of love is accompanied by the sound of heartbreak, and the data shows it’s louder than ever before.”
She said on Valentine’s Day, most surprisingly, male listeners streamed heartbreak songs at a significantly higher rate than female listeners, with a 362 per cent increase compared to 169 per cent among women.
“This could suggest that men resonate with the feeling of heartbreak more and turn to music as a private outlet for processing emotions.
“Whatever the reason, one thing is clear, when love is in the air, so is heartbreak and Nigerian men are pressing play on their pain more than expected.
“While Valentine’s Day is often celebrated with grand gestures, heartbreak is a common theme on Valentine’s Day -more than what’s publicly shown,” she said.
Nigerians will join their counterparts across the world to mark the 2025 Valentine’s today.
Grammy-winning Nigerian singer Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems, has joined MLS side San Diego FC’s ownership group as a club partner.
SDFC announced today that Tems joined the ownership group through her company, The Leading Vibe.
In the process, Tems became the first African woman to be involved in MLS ownership.
“We are delighted that Tems has joined San Diego FC as a club partner,” SDFC chairman Sir Mohamed Mansour said in a statement.
“Tems is a globally significant artist who will help us reach new audiences and spread the word about our unique project, which, of course, has its foundations in sub-Saharan Africa through the unique Right to Dream organisation.”
Reacting to her addition as the latest partner in SDFC’s ownership group, the singer said: “I am thrilled to join San Diego FC’s ownership group and to be part of a club that celebrates creativity, culture, and the power of community.
“Football has a unique way of bringing people together, and I am excited to help build something special in San Diego, a city that thrives on diversity and innovation.”
Fashion and beauty entrepreneur, Toyin Lawani, has claimed she is enduring back pain and that her spine is degenerating.
Lawani revealed this in a video posted on social media last Tuesday.
In the clip, she opened up about her experience with epidural anesthesia, an injection administered to pregnant women in the spine to reduce pain during childbirth.
The mother of three claimed that since receiving the injection, she has not felt like herself.
She accused doctors of not fully informing women about the long-term side effects of epidurals.
According to Lawani, she received the anesthetic injection during the birth of her last two children.
She said, “When you hear ‘epidural,’ run. Doctors tell you about the side effects but do not tell you about the long-term effects on your body. I have about three friends having the same issues that I am having.
“Like, I am just 42, how did I end up with spine issues? I have a degenerating spine. I have implants in my spine. I go paralyzed. I can’t stand for a long time. I can’t even breathe properly sometimes because it affected so many things in my body when I had the surgery.
“They will not tell you because you just want the pain to go away. I have had two epidurals. I had my first as natural birth. The last two were epidural. The last one I had epidural because I had to undergo a surgery and I had no choice.
“See, the pain does not stop. My back is killing me and my spine is degenerating.”