EMPIRE announced its first-ever African compilation album, Where We Come From (Vol. 1), on Friday (Oct. 14). It will feature Fireboy DML, BNXN fka Buju, Olamide, Wande Coal, L.A.X. and more.<\/p>\n
Kizz Daniel dropped the first single \u201cCough (Odo)\u201d from the LP, which aims to celebrate and amplify Africa\u2019s rising stars and their music. \u201cFor this song, I wanted to highlight the feeling of new love,\u201d he said in a statement. \u201cThe song itself is energetic, celebratory and really captures what it\u2019s like to impress someone new.\u201d<\/p>\n
Artists from the continent have grown more prominent in the global music scene over the last few years and gained more notoriety in the West with crossover hits such as Wizkid and Tems\u2019 \u201cEssence,\u201d Fireboy\u2019s \u201cPeru\u201d and Burna Boy\u2019s \u201cLast Last,\u201d the latter of which recently earned the Nigerian Afro-fusion superstar his first No. 1 hit on Billboard\u2018s Mainstream R&B\/Hip-Hop Airplay chart.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel blessed to have been around so much talent, drive, and creativity all in the same room. This album is about showcasing the best that Africa has to offer, and we\u2019ve done that,\u201d added BNXN.<\/p>\n
Leading independent label, publisher and distributor EMPIRE added a new division, EMPIRE Africa, in February 2022 and, just one month later, took part of its blossoming roster of Afrobeats acts \u2014 including BNXN, Fireboy DML, L.A.X., Cheque and Wande Coal \u2014 from Nigeria to Austin, Texas to perform during \u201cThe New Africa\u201d showcase at SXSW, which EMPIRE hosted with Pandora. Shortly after, those artists banded together during a writing camp at EMPIRE\u2019s San Francisco headquarters, where EMPIRE CEO\/founder Ghazi says they were \u201cfortunate enough\u201d to record Where We Come From (Vol. 1).<\/p>\n
\u201cThe artists from Africa really transcend where music is today. This is a legendary moment for EMPIRE to be able to share incredible African music with the world,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n
Added Ezegozie Eze, vp, strategy and market development for EMPIRE Africa: \u201cThis album is a collective of multi-talented, independent artists, who we\u2019ve partnered with to help create a legacy. Building this brick by brick has allowed us to develop a chemistry between this diverse catalog of African artists and we\u2019re extremely appreciative of the time and dedication it took to put this together.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
“This album is about showcasing the best that Africa has to offer, and we’ve done that,” said BNXN fka Buju.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12963,"featured_media":20302,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,31],"tags":[7,14,32],"class_list":{"0":"post-20305","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"category-music","9":"tag-apie-project","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-music"},"yoast_head":"\n