Singer Aramide opens her ‘Suitcase’

Afro-soul singer, Aramide, undoubtedly have kept her kite flying in the music firmament from her debut single Iwo Nikan release on February 4, 2015 to full album…Suitcase launch party on Sunday, November 13 at the Fuze Lounge in Victoria Island, Lagos.

With the hall packed full of enthusiasts who had waited a long while for the album, the Baseline artiste wowed guests, mainly her fans, present at the listening gig with her magnificent performance.

Anchored by Beat FM ‘Area Mama’, Tosyn Bucknor, the Afro-soul diva gave a live performance of songs on the album and sampled opinions of fans about the quality of the songs.

One of the most creative this year, the ‘Suitcase’ album is symbolic to the singer because it is a representative of her music and journey through the industry. Aramide singer stated her performance with a narrative of her sojourn into music.

She said, “Music has been a long journey; you have to work even if you are super talented. For me, it’s always been about something deep. I called my album Suitcase because I have been through a lot in my life…pain, joy, happiness, and I feel the need to express it.”

“When you are going on a journey, the first thing you think about is a suitcase, and that is why my debut album is titled Suitcase. My Suitcase is filled with emotions, love, society; appreciation, God, my journey, heartbreak and I want everyone to come with me on this journey,” she added.

Apart from performing some of the songs on the 14 track album with a bonus track, the Jos born singer also danced and plucked at her guitars, while offering back-stories about the creation of the project, its high, low, and everything in between.

“This has been some real hard work on my part and its all for my supporters. Like them, I am looking forward to the release of the album. This is my first album, so I can’t wait to see the response. It is part of the reason why we took our time to release the album because we wanted to be sure that we give out nothing but the best.”

Influenced by music icons such as Eryka Badu, Mariam Makeba, Sade Adu, and Angelique Kidjo, Aramide fuses soul and jazz with African music to depict her sound. She performs in Yoruba and English, and is known for her style, which she calls Afro-soul.

Her music quest started in 2006, when she contested on the Nigerian Breweries powered ‘Star Quest’, one of Nigeria’s most prestigious and competitive music talent hunt shows. Her band did very well in the competition as they were judged the 3rd runners up.

In 2008, she was a part of a show called ‘Divas Unplugged’ in Jos, Plateau State. The show had all the leading female artistes in the Nigerian music industry and her participation though challenging, was rewarding, as she put up an inspirational performance.

The album featuring appearances from Adekunle Gold, Ice Prince, Koker and Sound Sultan, has the production imprints of seasoned producers including Tintin, Cobhams Asuquo, Sizzle Pro and Laitan Dada. It will officially be on the music shelves in the market on November 22.

Guests at the event include Jagbanjantis teacher, Sound Sultan; Oga boss, IllBliss; Waje, Omawumi, Cobhams Asuquo, Niniola, D’ija, Saeon, and Lota Chukwu.