Nigerian artist and producer Tekno inks a deal with Mr Eazi’s emPawa Africa as an investor and partner, with some new music dropping this Friday.
Tekno, renowned Nigerian producer and artist, has joined Mr Eazi’s label services company emPawa Africa as an investor and partner in a new Afrobeats alliance between emPawa and Tekno’s independent imprint, Cartel Music.
The deal is a landmark move in the Afrobeats world, where joint ventures between homegrown music companies are not common. Marking the beginning of the arrangement, Tekno is officially ready to drop “Wayo,” his latest single, on Friday, May 24. A new music video for the track, directed by Dammy Twitch and featuring Nollywood actress Uzoamaka Anuinoh, is available now.
“This strategic alliance with emPawa promises to be a gamechanger for the African music industry and a beacon of opportunity for artists,” says Tekno. “We look forward to seeing how this partnership will catalyze the growth of emPawa Africa, its artists, and the broader African music ecosystem.”
“With this deal with Tekno and Cartel Music, we are ushering in a new phase of emPawa,” adds Mr Eazi. “This phase will see us partnering with African artists at different stages of their career who want to maintain financial and creative freedom, yet move from talent for hire to equity participation. It’s a first-of-its-kind deal for Afrobeats.
Tekno will be investing as a shareholder in emPawa Africa during the company’s next capital call round, joining the likes of producer Michaël Brun among those who have invested in the label services company. Mr Eazi founded emPawa Africa in 2018.
At the forefront of discovering and nurturing emerging talent throughout Africa, emPawa aims to provide “a launch pad for these artists to shine on the global stage.” The initiative has worked with African talent like Joeboy, King Promise, Major League DJz, Fave, Minz, DJ Neptune, and many more.
Among Afrobeats producers, Tekno’s expertise and ability to nurture new talent should spell success for emPawa Africa, the African music industry, and provide a wealth of opportunity for artists in the region.
