LAGOS (CelebrityAccess) – YouTube’s Global Head of Music, Lyor Cohen and Nigerian music star Mr Eazi unveiled a new initiative to support emerging talent from Nigeria during the Google for Nigeria event in Lagos Wednesday (July 24).
The initial phase will see YouTube team up with Mr Eazi‘s emPawa Africa music incubator to help 10 emerging Nigerian music artists build their craft, record music, shoot videos, increase their fanbase and get access to mentoring.
Of the initiative, Cohen said: “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. Africa is setting the tempo all around the globe. We’re incredibly proud that YouTube has been a mainline for African artists to connect all over the world — and by supporting one of the leading African trailblazers like Mr Eazi and his emPawa initiative, we’re excited to see how these artists supercharge their careers and grow their fanbase on YouTube.”
Cohen also noted that of the 25 most-watched sub-Saharan African artists on the platform, more than 70% of their views are coming from outside Africa.
Eazi added: “emPawa is an initiative I created with one simple mission: Helping new artists reach their full potential musically by equipping them with the knowledge and funding to do so. It’s something I wish someone had created when I first started making music. Sometimes, all it takes is that one person to believe in you. This partnership with YouTube is very exciting as it will take emPawa and its artists to a whole new level. We’ve already achieved great success with our own resources, so there’s no telling how far these artists will go with the backing of such a global company.”
In its announcement of the emPawa partnership, YouTube also promised that it will be “working with a number of key partners locally” and plans to share more in the coming months.
