Shina Peters, Osupa, Ayuba, others thrill Lagos fans

Frontline musicians including Shina Peters, Saheed Osupa, Adewale Ayuba and Wale Thompson were the stars of the night at the semifinal concert of Ariya Repete.

The star-studded two-day event held at the National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos, last weekend.

The event was a reunion of some sorts as the likes of Dele Abiodun, Segun Adewale, Champion Kunle Opio, Wale Thompson, Kabiru Akanni popularly known as Baby Barrister, all shared the stage.

Ariya Repete, an initiative of Goldberg, is an expanded music talent hunt platform that seeks to promote and develop indigenous Yoruba music that includes Fuji and Juju music genres.

The show kicked off with an impressive performance from last year’s winner Onimama. Popular Yoruba actor, Odunlade Adekola, anchored the event and delighted the audience with his jokes and those priceless facial expressions that have made him Nigeria’s meme king.

Adekunle Gold, who opened his performance with Orente before singing Ariwo Ko, Friend Zone, ended his outing with the widely popular Pick Up.

Sir Shina Peters, who turns 60 later this month was full of energy during his performance singing his hits like Ace and Shinamania to the delight of his fans.

The Bonsue Fuji crooner, Adewale Ayuba, then took the performance a notch higher when he sang some of his classics like Ijo Fuji, Bubble and Fuji Shuffle.

The highlight of the night was the performance of the Ibadan based Fuji sensation Taye Currency who sang about his relationship with Pasuma and Saheed Osupa. The concert ended with the thrilling performance from the latter.

There was also a display of artistry amidst percussion instruments synonymous with Yoruba music. This was evident when the 32 contestants took turns to showcase their craft within five minutes allocated to each of them.

The judges at the concert, among whom were Champion Kunle Opio, Adebayo Faleke and ace radio broadcaster, SK Sensation, all had a tough time selecting the finalists because of the plethora of talents on display.

A total of 10 musicians and six drummer groups were selected to proceed to the final stage where they will be competing for the grand prize of N2 million.

Commenting on the event, Portfolio Manager, Mainstream Lager and Stout brands, Emmanuel Agu, said, “We are deeply impressed by the performance of the artistes so far and can’t wait to reveal the latest Juju and Fuji music stars to the world.”

The grand finale of Ariya Repete 2018 is scheduled to hold at Trans Amusement Park, Ibadan, on May 11. The winners in the different categories will go home with N2 million while the winner of the drumming category will walk away with N1 million.

Check out photos from the event below.