Universal Music wants to build its business in Africa: that’s been clear for some time now. In July 2018 it announced an expansion in French-speaking Africa with a brief to sign up emerging artists there, as well as launching Universal Music Nigeria as a hub for its expansion in western Africa. There too, signings were a key part of the strategy. Now there’s a follow-up: a global deal with Nigerian star Tiwa Savage, who has already made waves internationally by winning the Best African Act at last year’s MTV EMA awards.
“My biggest goal is to make Africa proud. I’m so excited for this moment and I’m thankful to Sir Lucian Grainge and my new UMG family for their belief in my dreams,” said Savage in a statement.
“Tiwa is undoubtedly the most hardworking and talented female artist crossing over from Africa to the rest of the world, and UMG has demonstrated its commitment to the Continent by placing its formidable machinery behind her amazing career,” added Efe Ogbeni & Vannessa Amadi-Ogbonna from Stealth Management.
How UMG sets about building Savage’s audience further across the world will make for an important case study in the months and years ahead.
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