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Nana Pokes Wants Afrobeats Artists To Give Their Fans An Experience
On the latest episode of Swift Conversations, the guitarist and member of The Compozers got candid with Adesope Olajide about the state of live music in Afrobeats today.
Nana Pokes, guitarist and member of The Compozers, got candid with Adesope Olajide about the state of live music in Afrobeats today.
by Martell
When it comes to live music, The Compozers are one of Afrobeats' best assets. In the past five years, they’ve collaborated with some of the biggest names in the industry, including Burna Boy, Asake, Wizkid, Tiwa Savage, and others. Theirs has been a journey of accidental starts. As Nana “Pokes” Ntorinkansa explained in the new episode of Swift Conversations hosted by Adesope Olajide, “The whole concept of The Compozers wasn’t something that we set out to intentionally do,” he says.
It all began when Pokes and his manager, Brian, left university and started an entertainment company that hosted shows and sought acts to perform. “We wanted the energy of a DJ and the sophistication of a band, then we thought we don’t, we just do this ourselves, and that became the formulation of The Compozers, and we started seeing that our shows were an experience.”
Pokes, who plays the bass guitar for The Compozers, shared more about the band’s early beginning, all the band members being self-taught instrumentalists, touring around the world, bringing iconic Afrobeats moments to life, and more.
In this episode of Swift Conversations, sponsored by Martell, we took a revealing look at the live music side of Afrobeats, which has evolved since the genre officially went global. Pokes touched on the evolution of the industry’s live music production, citing instances where certain details were overlooked in favor of hype. “In order to have the longevity that we want this genre to have, on the world stage, we need to take these details very seriously,” Pokes says.
Ultimately, this episode makes a case for better live music production within the Afrobeats space. As Pokes puts it, “Give your fans an experience, take every detail into consideration.”
Pokes also touched on what’s next for The Compozers. Alongside the band, they also produce and consult with artists on their live music experiences, and their goal is to expand on that. “We’re going into products,” he says. “The Compozers is part of a lifestyle, and that’s the new angle we’re going into.”
