Nigerian Afrobeats artists making waves overseas, gives me pure joy – ElDee

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By Sunny Green Itodo

Veteran Nigerian singer, elDee the Don has said watching the successes of Wizkid, Davido, Burna Boy and other new generational Afrobeats artists is like a father watching his child become successful.

He said he is overwhelmed to witness the waves that the present crop of artists from Nigeria are making in foreign countries.

He stated this in a recent interview with Hip TV.

The ex-member of the disbanded Trybemen said he was excited to see Afrobeats music making waves in non-black settlements during his trips overseas.

elDee said, “You know, the father who has watched a child become very very successful. That’s how it [afrobeats artists’ growth] feels to me. Nothing gives me more joy.

“Recently, actually last year, we went on a family vacation to Europe. We went to five countries. Every single city that we were in, even in Venice where maybe there were only like, two other black people. We were the only black family in the whole of Venice. We enter the stores and they are playing Afrobeats. From Rema to Joeboy to Fireboy to Burna Boy to Wizkid to Davido to Tiwa Savage everywhere.

“We were in Paris listening to the radio, to Latin radio and they were playing Afrobeats. Some of this stuff is mind-blowing if you know what was happening in Nigeria in 1995 or 1997 to 1998. It’s mind-blowing because in Nigeria then you couldn’t hear our own music on Nigerian radio.”

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