Warner Music has partnered with Nigerian singer-songwriter Joeboy on his Young Legend label.
The major will globally distribute music from the artists on the label roster. It is set to start releasing music in the coming months.
The partnership is launching with a series of music camps to be held in Lagos, London and Los Angeles. The aim is to start releasing new music from the Young Legend roster within the next few months.
Warner Music has been increasingly active in Western Africa, working closely with independent Nigerian label Chocolate City, acquiring leading pan-African music company Africori, and enjoying international success with Nigerian artists such as Burna Boy and CKay.
Joeboy is the stage name of Joseph Akinfenwa-Donus, who has generated more than two billion streams in the last two years. He will act as the CEO of Young Legend, working with Deola Jaiyesimi, who is head of label, and Teniola Akanni, who is head of legal.
Akinfenwa-Donus launched his career in 2017 when he was signed to Mr Eazi’s emPawa Africa record label. He has scored hits including Baby, Beginning, Call, Duffel Bag and Sip (Alcohol).
Joeboy said: “I’ve been blessed in my work so far and I want to give back to the artistic community by scouting, nurturing and promoting the next generation of talent. Music today can quickly connect with fans around the world, so it makes sense to work with a global partner that can help me build my artists’ international careers.”
Temi Adeniji, MD, Warner Music Africa, said: “Joeboy is an incredible talent who has won over millions of fans. He’s also got a keen ear for talent and is well positioned to build a label that’ll take an innovative and unorthodox approach to discovering and supporting artists. There is going to be a lot of incredible music from Young Legend artists in the next couple of years.”
Alfonso Perez-Soto, president, emerging markets, Warner Music, added: “I’m delighted Joeboy has agreed to work with us and has a strong vision for taking his artists global from day one. Western Africa is pivotal to Warner Music’s emerging markets growth story. We know the right approach is to work with local partners, such as Joeboy, who have a real feel for the various music scenes and can help us find artists and music that we can export from the continent to the rest of the world.”
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