Nigerian singer, Osagie Ojea makes waves in Europe

Nigerian singer and songwriter, Osagie Ojea, appears to be on a new music ride as he continues to worm his way into the hearts of music lovers in Minsk, Belarus, with his band Afrococoa.

Inspired by the work and philosophy of legendary musician Fela Kuti and other popular Highlife Afrobeat Jazz and Soul musicians, Osagie said he is on a mission to lead his legacy on a global platform.

The band has gained popularity in Minsk, playing more than 150 gigs in the past three years of its inception.

In December 2019, the band released its debut album “Champion from Africa” featuring 17 amazing songs that can make anyone groove to its beats. The band mainly plays live usually accompanied by two professional dancers that combine Dancehall and Afro dance in their performance.

For the talented songwriter and performer whose passion and energy keep him on top of his game, said making quality music accessible across Europe is his dream.

Born and raised in Nigeria, Osagie has grown up listening to Highlife music and dancing to it.

One day he walked into the kitchen and heard Fela Kuti playing on the radio so he asked his father about him. His father then gave him a CD of songs by Fela Kuti and Osagie instantly became a die-hard fan of his music.

Osagie found Fela Kuti’s music highly inspiring. He composed his first song at the age of 11, called “Sweet angel” about his mother.

Osagie’s band Afrococoa is all about mixing African traditional sounds with popular genres like Dancehall, Jazz, Rock, Reggae, etc. “We want to convey unity, love, happiness. We want people to dance on our music and catch the happiness of the moment. We promote unity not only of people but the unity of different music genres. We promote freedom in our lyrics, freedom of thinking, freedom of expressing ourselves, freedom of speech”, says Osagie.

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