By Ayo Onikoyi

During the previous week, the Grammys announced three new categories to the prestigious awards, deemed the number one music award show on the planet.

While arguments rage about the intent of the new category for Africans tagged “Best African Performance” with some arguing it was a ploy to undervalue African music in comparison to others, it underscores the fact that African music is making a major inroad unto the world’s stage and may soon take its pride of place in no distant time.

Regardless of differing feelings that welcomed the new category for Africa, it should be seen as a welcomed development that may bear many more fruits soon and the incursion of Nigerian Afrobeats stars into the world’s biggest music leagues might have just been the goose that laid the golden egg for the rest of Africa.

Over the years, Nigerian homebrewed genres, particularly Afrobeats, have not only won the world over, they have stood shoulder to shoulder with the rest of the Western world, which could only be seen many years back from our binoculars of imagination and awe.

Now, Afrobeats or in whatever coloration it is presented to the world, tops the charts across the world. A ready example is Rema’s “Calm Down” featuring Selena Gomez enjoying the third spot on Billboard Hot 100. It is an unprecedented feat which was orchestrated by many Nigerian artists before him.

Nigerian top superstars like Burna Boy, Davido, Tiwa Savage, Wizkid and a host of others in the last two years or so, have raised the bar, entrenching Nigerian Afrobeats trademark on the fabric of world’s music.

As blogger, Tunde Ednut pointed out on his Instagram page after the historic performance of Burna Boy at the UCL Final Kickoff Show, “ Davido performed at the world cup finals, they didn’t call American artists to perform but a Nigerian. Burna performed at the UCL final, they didn’t call any American artists. Tiwa Savage performed at the King Charles 111 coronation. We took over the NBA ALL-Star night where Burna Boy, Tems and Rema performed. Is it not obvious that we have taken over.”

Clearly, the Nigerian Afrobeats movement has pervaded all the four corners of the world, given the feats of our stars in recent years.

The Burna Boy performance at the UCL final, according to Pepsi MAX, was aired in over 200 countries and territories globally.

According to Nasser Al Khater, CEO of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, more than 200 million people worldwide watched the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 final draw. Mr. Nasser said that the event was carried live on more than 350 television networks across the world. The Peninsula of Qatar reported.

Davido shared the stage with rising US singer Trinidad Cardona and Qatari phenomenon Aisha at the Doha Exhibition & Convention Center (DECC).

According to Statistica, the German company specializing in market and consumer data, the Wizkid nominated grammy event, which featured tremendous talent in the United States, drew 8.8 million people.

Tiwa Savage’s performance alongside Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, Take That, Freya Ridings, Alexis Ffrench, Andrea Bocelli, and Sir Bryn Terfel at the coronation concert of King Charles III and Queen Camilla held at Windsor Castle on Sunday, May 7, 2023 attracted over 18 milllion people in terms of reach and viewership.

Parallex Bank Partners Dbanj’s C.R.E.A.M Platform for ‘Bid of the Week’

Parallex Bank, a rapidly growing commercial bank in Nigeria, has partnered with the Creative Reality Entertainment Arts and Music (CREAM) Platform to introduce an exciting feature called Bid of the Week. This partnership aims to provide Nigerians with a unique opportunity to win enticing prizes on both a weekly and daily basis.

During the signing ceremony, Dr. Olufemi Bakre, the Managing Director of Parallex Bank, expressed the bank’s support for this initiative, emphasizing its ability to captivate Nigerians and offer limitless opportunities. He said Parallex Bank account holders will have the privilege of accessing free bids every week, while CREAM subscribers can upgrade their wallet to a CREAM-Parallax Account via the platform to enjoy these weekly free bids as well.

Dr. Bakre highlighted that this collaboration aligns with the bank’s core value of collaboration and partnership, as they are dedicated to providing Nigerians with a banking experience without limitations. He commended Dbanj, the founder of CREAM Platform, for his commitment to giving back to society through such initiatives.

Dapo Oyebanjo (popularly known as Dbanj), the Founder of CREAM Platform, described Bid of the Week (BOW) as an innovative and captivating feature that offers users an exhilarating bidding experience and the chance to win fantastic prizes. Dbanj emphasized that interested individuals can easily participate by registering for free on the Cream Platform website.