You heard me right!
Nigerian Afrobeats queen Yemi Alade signed a global licensing deal with Universal Music Africa (UMA) – Universal Music Group’s west African affiliate – in partnership with Universal Music France (UMF).
The global licensing agreement comes days after Yemi Alade released her highly anticipated ” Woman Of Steel ” album. The licensing agreement, effective immediately, shows Universal Music Group‘s will to strengthen its position in this part of the world through Universal Music Africa and builds upon the enormous success Yemi Alade has achieved with her label Effyzzie Music Group.
Win win win 🙏🏾❤
@universalmusicafrica / @universalmusicfrance signs Licencing Deal with @EffyzzieMusic for #Nigerian superstar @yemialade#africatotheworld🌍 #Yemialade #WomanofSteel pic.twitter.com/jksvyMkL3O
— 🤜🏾 #WOMANOFSTEEL 🤛🏾 (@yemialadee) September 9, 2019
In making the announcement, Moussa Soumbounou, MD of Universal Music Africa, said:
“Yemi Alade is one of the few artists in the history of African urban pop music to reach such a high level of notoriety. We at Universal Music Africa are all huge fans of Yemi Alade and her music and with what she has already accomplished with Effyzzie Music Group, we believe that our new partnership will only further elevate her superstar status globally. We are excited and proud to support her in this new phase of her career and help her reach even greater heights.”
Olivier Nusse, Chairman and CEO of Universal Music France, said:
“It is a real opportunity for Universal Music to have the confidence of such an artist. Her talent and impact on African and even world pop music are undeniable, and it is with great humility but even more ambition that we will support his project, with the help of the other subsidiaries. Africa is more present than ever on the world music scene, and Universal Music Group through such a partnership, confirms its ambitions, but also its leadership.”
Taiye Aliyu, CEO and founder of Effyzzie Music Group, added:
“We at Effyzzie Music Group and Yemi Alade are pleased to be working in partnership with the Universal Music Group, changing the narrative of African music, one artist at a time. The Future is Africa.“
Yemi Alade gained prominence after winning the Peak Talent Show in 2009, and is best known for her hit single “Johnny”. Yemi Alade is the first African female Afropop artiste to hit over 100 million views on Youtube and VEVO with her smash hit single “Johnny”, which is now the most viewed video from any African female artiste. She is also the first female entertainer in Africa to have over a million subscribers on Youtube.