Nigerian singer Osagie Ojea is taking Afrobeat music on a global platform through his band Afrococoa
Afrococoa is an African live band formed in Belarus, Minsk by Nigerian singer, songwriter and composer Osagie Ojea. Inspired by the work and philosophy of legendary musician Fela Kuti and other popular Highlife Afrobeat Jazz and Soul musicians, Osagie is on a mission to lead his legacy on a global platform.
The band has gained amazing popularity in Minsk, playing more than 150 gigs in the past 3 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.
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 Felafels 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.
Before forming Afrococoa, Osagie used to play with his friend on a Blues band and showcased his talent as a blues and jazz singer. He started Afrococoa with an aim to create a live band that uses a variety of instruments like saxophone, and percussions in addition to the classic drums, bass, and guitar while also feature dancers on the stage.
Afrococoa is an independent band that produces music in their own studio in collaboration with young talents. They are open to partnerships if the right label comes along that doesn’t require them to make creative compromises and provides them better exposure in the music industry.
Listen to Afrococoa’s latest album “Champion from Africa” on Spotify.com and YouTube.com.
