Femi Kuti and Durella to collaborate upcoming single

Afrobeat maestro and iconic musician Femi Kuti has collaborated with pop act Durella on a song titled ‘Back to sender‘.

Sources say Durella who had written the song about a month ago felt it needed someone other than himself on the track, he pitched the song to Femi Kuti who was at the time in Abuja and the saxophonist liked it.

The song which, according to Durella’s manager Milez sounds like ‘a typical Durella song’ was recorded yesterday, August 24, 2011 at Koga Studios, Oregun, Ikeja, Lagos.

Those present at the recording say Femi was happy to record the song and was heard to have said ‘It’s nice to do this, It has made me connect with the Nigerian youth again’.

Durella recently signed on with new record label Ikonic Music and plans to release his third album ‘Back, Better and Bada‘ mid September.

WHO IS FEMI KUTI?

Femi Kuti is the oldest son of the late Nigerian superstar Fela Kuti. Fela pioneered the sprawling big band sound called afrobeat. His 45-minute musical tirades against Nigeria’s power elite lead to violent confrontations, and in 1984, the government jailed him on a trumped up currency charge. Femi, who had quit school to play alto sax in his father’s band back in 1978, stepped up to lead the band for the next two years. In 1986, Fela returned and Femi split off to form his own group, Positive Force.

Continuing in the afrobeat tradition, Femi built around a solid, six-piece horn section and two strong percussionists. With guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, and four singer/dancers, his band numbered 17. Like Fela, Femi sang about power politics, but with a lighter touch, and in briefer form.

While Fela was still active and on the scene, Femi was constantly being compared to his father. Femi said in a 1995 interview, “It’s like a challenge for me. I know I have a lot to live up to. So if I find that my father works two hours a day, I will work eight hours a day.” The work paid off. After an initial period of skepticism, Fela became a fan of his son’s music, and Positive Force won a solid following in Nigeria. The band completed six European tours and recorded two albums in Nigeria between 1988 and 1994, and another in Paris in 1995. Then Femi and Positive Force debuted in the U.S. as part of the 1995 Africa Fête tour.

Femi’s biggest breaks came after his father’s death from AIDS in 1997. As the inheritor of the afrobeat mantle, Femi found himself in demand everywhere. He had honed his composing and arranging skills and was rewarded by a record deal with MCA for his excellent 1999 release, Shoki Shoki. We wish Femi the best of luck.

WHO IS DURELLA?

The boy born in the zanga, brought up in the lungu, hustled on the streets and now rightly crowned the King of The Zanga, Durella remains the enigma turning the world into his fan base.

Durella was born to Mr and Mrs Okulaja, who named him Oluwadamilare (the Lord as rewarded me). Going to secondary school in Lagos, brought the love of music out in Durella. With performances at schools events leading to a loyal following of adoring fans in and around his school, Durella knew then, as he does now, that performing as an artiste was what he wanted to do.

He was earlier influenced by the great RnB groups of the 90s and regularly sang the ballads that made girls weak at the knees. This brought to him an understanding of the power of lyrics, while developing his own unique style of writing, Durella discovered and fell in love with B.I.G. The album “ready to die” became his must play.

In February 2006, at a chanced meeting in the town of Ibadan, Durella met executives from TC Records while performing at a fashion show. Real recognized Real and a deal was signed a week later. Durella’s First Album, The King of The Zanga is already been hailed as the best debut Album that will hit Nigeria with hits like “In the Zanga”, “SHAYO”, “Gunner’s Anthem”, “Queen of My Zanga” and “Wiskolo Wiska”. All this before the album is released.

Durella’s Album “King of the Zanga” was released in November 2008 and it’s fast becoming the must have album of 2009. With the video release of Enu O se in Febuary 2009, TC Records through Durella once again has laid down a mark of quaility in the ever growing Nigerian Music Industry.

Source: Nigeria Music Network

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