allAfrica.com: Nigeria: Thisday Music & Fashion Festival (Page 1 of 3)

For the third year running, THISDAY Newspapers, one of the leading newspapers in Nigeria has brought Nigeria close to the world through its annual music festival, which is today, adjudged the best in the African Continent. And between July 11 and October 14, Nigerians and the entire world would watch international artistes, and cultural icons performing alongside their Nigerian counterparts in a musical carnival billed to take place in Lagos, Abuja, Washington DC with grand finale in London. This year's festival is designed to revolutionise global perspectives on African issues, shifting focus from the problems to the opportunities and from treating the "symptoms" to curing the "diseases" and projecting positive images of Africa by showcasing the renaissance of Africa's music, fashion and the arts. FUNKE OLAODE profiles some of these renowned artistes and coutoriers who are expected to put up a superlative performances at the events.

Usher (entertainer)

Usher Raymond IV, the son of Jonetta Patton and Usher Terry Raymond 111 was born in Dallas, Texas in October 14, 1978. Simply known as by his first name Usher, is an American R&B and pop singer and actor who rose to fame in the mid-late 1990s. To date, he has sold approximately 30 million albums worldwide and has won five Grammy Awards. He spent the majority of his young life in Chattanooga, Tennessee. As a child, he joined his local church choir where he discovered his ability to sing. As early as junior high school, Usher successfully entered local talent shows. Usher's family moved to Atlanta, Georgia, in the belief that the city would provide greater opportunities for showcasing his talent. While in Atlanta, Usher attended the North Springs Charter School of Arts and Sciences. At age thirteen, Raymond competed on Star Search, where he was spotted by an A&R representative from LaFace Records, who arranged an audition for him with L.A. Reid. A contract with the company soon followed. Usher was introduced on "Call Me A Mack," a song he recorded for the soundtrack album to the John Singleton film, Poetic Justice. On August 30, 1994, LaFace released Usher's self-titled debut album. Sean "P Diddy" Combs produced several of the tracks and co-executive produced the album. Usher peaked at number twenty-five on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and was accompanied by three singles: "Can U Get Wit It," "Think Of You," and "The Many Ways." After graduating from high school, Usher continued to hone his skills as a stage performer and laid the groundwork for his second album. In the closing months of 1997, Usher embarked on a series of tour engagements including a spot on Puffy's No Way Out tour, dates with Mary J. Blige, and the opening spot on Janet Jackson's The Velvet Rope tour. My Way was certified 6x platinum in the United States. Usher received his first Grammy Award nomination as Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for "You Make Me Wanna," which was also nominated for a Soul Train Music Award as 'Best Male R&B/Soul Single.' Since his foray into music, he has won many awards and equally featured with many international artistes. Usher is married to Tameka Foster and they are blessed with a son named Usher Raymond V.

Chris Brown (singer)

Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American R&B singer-songwriter, dancer, music video director. At thirteen, Brown was discovered by a local production team who visited his father's gas station searching for new talent. Since then, he began his recording career and moved to New York, staying there for two years. Brown's local production team organized an audition before Def Jam Vice President Tina Davis, who currently works as his manager. At the age of 15, Brown was then sent to perform for L.A. Reid and was subsequently signed in 2004 to Jive Records. By early 2005, Brown began work for his debut album, working with the likes of Scott Storch, The Underdogs, Dre & Vidal, Bryan Michael Cox, Bow Wow, and Jermaine Dupri. Brown left school in late 2004 to begin working on his self-titled debut album which was released on November 29, 2005. In late 2005, he released his first studio album, Chris Brown, which spawned the Billboard Hot 100 number-one debut single, "Run It!" which was produced by Scott Storch and featured Juelz Santana. The album also produced two other top ten singles: "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" and "Say, Goodbye." Brown's second studio album, Exclusive was released worldwide in November 2007. It has spawned his second US number one hit, "Kiss Kiss" which was produced by T-Pain, who was also featured in the song . The third single, "With You", has reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and has entered into the top ten in several countries across the world, becoming one of his most successful worldwide releases to date. Brown re-released Exclusive on June 3, 2008 as a deluxe edition, renamed Exclusive: The Forever Edition, seven months after the release of the original version. The re-release version features four brand new tracks, including "Forever", which becoming Brown's ninth top ten single, as it has reached number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 on May 2008, and a remix of "Picture Perfect" featuring will.i.am, Bow Wow, and Hurricane Chris. In support of the album, Brown embarked on his The Exclusive Holiday concert tour, visiting over thirty venues in USA. He started the tour in Cincinnati, OH on December 6, 2007 and concluded it on February 9, 2008 in Honolulu.

Mary J. Blige

Thanks to her illustrious career filled with hit albums such as My Life and Share My World, Mary J Blige has come to be known as the Queen of Hip Hop Soul at the age of five. She began singing in her church choir at the age of seven and reflects upon those church days with a smile. She grew up in the Yonkers's Slowbam projects, which were nicknamed "Slow Bomb" by the tenants for its rough reputation. Blige sought refuge in her music during these tumultuous times, and favored hip-hop sounds as well as her mother's musical influence, which included artists such as Otis Redding, Gladys Knight, Al Green, and Donny Hathaway. Her singing improved through her teens as she performed solo in several church and school talent shows. Prodded by her friends, she cut her first demo tape at seventeen in a local shopping mall. The demo was given out by her stepfather and eventually got into the hands of Uptown Records C.E.O. Andre Harrell. Harrell showed interest in Blige, but Sean "Puffy" Combs beat him to the punch.

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