Audio

Mr Eazi & Simi Drop the New Single and Video For 'Doyin'

A head-nodding Afro-R&B track produced by Killertunes.

Mr Eazi seems to be in unstoppable work mode right now as he's been popping up in big singles and collaborations all over the place this summer, as well as continuing his emPawa Africa initiative.

For his latest single, "Doyin," Eazi connects with Nigerian singer Simi for a head-nodding Afro-RnB track. The new song, which is built on woozy synthesizers and mid-tempo beat work, was produced by Killertunes. Eazi and Simi trade verses in the addictive single, which comes paired with a new music video directed by Manuel Concha.

Read: The Music Business of Mr Eazi

"Doyin" is the first song released through emPawa Distribution, a digital music aggregator focused solely on distributing African music, which Eazi announced after the success of emPawa Africa. Speaking of the initiative, emPawa Africa is now reopened to submissions that will help fund the music videos of 30 up-and-coming artists and offer mentorship from big name artists.

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Mr Eazi. Photo: Emily Nkanga.

Mr Eazi's emPawa Is Reopening to Submissions

30 new artists will receive funding and mentorship from the likes of Diamond Platinumz, Sarkodie, Kwesta, Juls, Diplo and Mr Eazi himself.

Mr Eazi's emPawa initiative, a talent incubator for rising African artists, is reopening to submissions on Friday, August 15.

This time around, emPawa Africa will offer 30 artists the funds to film their music video, as well as offer mentorship and guidance from cemented names like Diamond Platinumz, Sarkodie, Kwesta, Guilty Beatz, Juls, E. Kelly, DJ Neptune, Diplo and Mr Eazi himself, who will all be participating as mentors.

To be considered, artists just have to upload a short video (up to 1 minute in length) to Instagram of themselves performing an original song, cover, or freestyle, with the hashtag #emPawa30.

Read: The Music Business of Mr Eazi

In this second phase of the program both artists based in Africa and across the African diaspora are welcomed to apply. "The #emPawa30 will include 10 artists from Nigeria, 10 artists from other countries on the African continent, and five U.K.-based African artists, with the remaining five spots open to African-born artists in countries around the world, including the U.S. and Canada," a press statement reveals.

YouTube Music will be partnering with emPawa to provide support for the 10 Nigerian artists that are chosen. "It's critical to develop the next generation of talent—and there is so much talent exploding out of Nigeria and the African continent right now," says YouTube's Global Head of Music, Lyor Cohen. "Africa is setting the tempo all around the globe."

In its initial phase last November, emPawa had some notable successes from the likes of Ghana's J. Derobie, Nigeria's Joeboy and others.

The program will close to submissions on September 15, after which each entry will each be evaluated by Mr Eazi and his team.
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Still from "Honey" music video.

Watch the Heartfelt Music Video for George Kalukusha's New Single 'Honey'

PREMIERE: Check out the latest from the Malawian singer—one of Mr Eazi's #emPawa100 artists.

"Honey" is the new single from Malawian singer-songwriter George Kalukusha—who was named one of OkayAfrica's Malawian artists to watch back in 2015.

The artist is still putting in work, releasing his latest under, Mr Eazi's #emPawa100 initiative, which helps support emerging and established artists from across the continent through funding, mentorship and digital distribution.

"Honey" is a melodic, folk-inspired ballad, that sees the artist singing about the heartache of unrequited love. "The song came about as a response of me watching a friend of mine desperately long for a lover who didn't want him back," the artist tells OkayAfrica. "I thought it to be very relatable so I wrote about it."

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Here's Mr Eazi's Quirky Music Video for 'Supernova'

Mr Eazi pairs his first single of 2019 with a music video that doesn't disappoint.

Mr Eazi has released the accompanying music video for "Supernova" shortly after he released the single and it does not disappoint.

Directed by Meji Alabi, we see the Nigerian crooner with a Godzilla head and a plaid zoot suit win over the heart of his love interest in the quirky visual. Pairing well with the song, he's surrounded by swaggy dancers serenading his vixen while having fun.

His first single of 2019, produced by E Kelly and Dre Skull, is a super obvious 2-minute tune—who wouldn't want to be toasted with Fashion Nova?

Watch "Supernova" below.

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The Music Business of Mr Eazi

Mr Eazi has independently built a music career for himself via smart business decisions. Now the Banku Music CEO wants to help others do the same through his new endeavor, emPawa.

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