Joeboy steps up big

Joins Sasha, Banky W, and DJ Cuppy As Samsung Ambassador
It’s no news that fast-rising Afro-pop singer, Joseph Akinwale Akinfenwa professionally known as Joeboy is carving a niche for himself in the music industry, as he has been on a sharp upward trajectory since the release of 2019’s Love & Light EP.

The news, however, is that the singer who recently released his long-awaited debut album titled Somewhere Between Beauty & Magic, has joined the growing list of celebs enlisted by smartphone brand, Samsung Nigeria as ambassadors.

The emPawa Africa artiste joins other artistes such as Sasha, Banky W, and DJ Cuppy who have been signed by the tech giant brand. The singer who was unveiled earlier this year by the phone brand took to his Instagram to make the endorsement deal announcement and shared a photo of himself with one of the brand’s mobile phones.

Speaking with The Guardian at the recent unveiling of Samsung Galaxy A32, A52 and A72, Head of Marketing at Samsung Nigeria, Iretiogo Oke, described Joeboy’s enlisting as a means to connect with customers through music.

“We want to further connect with our customers at all touch points, especially through music, which is one of the passions of people worldwide”

According to Oke, the new Galaxy A series makes innovation accessible to all.

“The latest Samsung Galaxy A series lets you communicate and express yourself with an awesome camera, immerse yourself in a clear viewing experience with a smooth scrolling display, and enjoy greater peace of mind with innovative Galaxy foundation features including water resistance and a long-lasting battery.”

Commenting on his choice as brand ambassador by the phone brand, Joeboy said, “Everything happens for a reason. I think this was the best time actually because the reception of Somewhere Between Beauty & Magic has been beautiful. It’s the Number 1 album on Apple Music in Nigeria and like seven other countries. I’m so happy for the feedback.”

On how he put the record together the singer explained that during the lockdown he had more time to experiment with different sounds and concepts to make more music.

“I had to hold on and see how best to promote the album on a different timescale because the pandemic actually changed everything. I decided to hold on and push it to the summer of last year but then #EndSARS happened and I didn’t feel it was the right time to put out an album, so I decided to put it out early this year. ” Joeboy added.

On the global rise of Afrobeat, the singer stated that it’s just a major sound that has gained and still gaining global acceptance. He noted that the album, a 14-tracker, is a confidently slick affair that strikes a clever balance between sounding both joyously hopeful and coolly serene while nodding to the current Afrobeats superstars like Wizkid, Davido, Burna Boy, and Mr Eazi.

The singer further explained that he would love to continue taking his sound outside of Africa. “I really want to keep spreading my sound because the ambition I have is to be a worldwide known artiste, a worldwide superstar. That’s where I see myself in the next three to five years.

“I want to work with new artistes and I’m going to be collaborating a lot. I also want to be that artiste that helps a lot of young, up and coming artistes to come up on the scene. Hence, my collaboration with Spiderman in the Samsung advert song. Someone gave me a chance, so it’s only right that I use my platform to help others up too.”