If you love African music, Afrobeats, pop culture and history, then the “Afrobeats: The Backstory” documentary, which is set for release on 29th June 2022, is something you need to watch. Produced by filmmaker and culture custodian Ayo Shonaiya, the documentary explores the rise of Afrobeats, the Nigerian global music phenomenon.
Powered by Boomplay, the #1 music streaming service in Africa, “Afrobeats: The Backstory” is billed as one of the top titles to look out for in Netflix Naija’s 2022 release calendar. Developed from footages recorded over the past 20 years, Afrobeats: The Backstory is a historical collection of moments that chronicles the origin and development of Afrobeats through the perspectives of key industry players. The 12-part documentary series captures the growth, evolution and export of the Afrobeats genre and features interviews with various culture custodians, artists, and music producers.
According to Shonaiya, the documentary aims to put roots in the history of Nigerian music, with timelines, first-hand accounts and insights into the evolution of Nigerian music, especially Afrobeats, as the story of the genre has been disputed.
He opined that this generation of music enthusiasts are victims of the disconnect between the print media and the online media; as such, the history of the steaming Afrobeats movement has been subject to opinions, falsehoods and even western interpretations.
Commenting on Boomplay’s role in making the documentary, Tosin Sorinola, Director of Artiste and Media Relations, also the supervising producer of the documentary, shared this, “For the longest time, our stories have been told from a hearsay standpoint. Afrobeats as a global genre deserves a storytelling form befitting of its foundations and growth. As a platform that continues to be a medium for discovering and accessing this unique genre, Boomplay is excited to have partnered with the vision of bringing this documentary to life.”
“We strongly believe in the power of collaboration to advance the industry forward, and this project exemplifies this belief. It is also worth noting that this documentary will serve as a trans-generational resource and reference for the industry, a massive win for the African music ecosystem and us at Boomplay”. Sorinola added.
Prior to this forthcoming release, Boomplay co-hosted the exclusive premiere of the documentary at the Film House Cinema in Lagos with industry stakeholders, executives, and media in attendance. The showcase, held in 2021, was welcomed by viewers with positive reviews and a clamour for nationwide release and distribution.
The documentary has since received promotional support from Boomplay, including a specially curated Afrobeats playlist comprising a perfect blend of Nigerian classics and new generation music, from Afrobeat to Afrobeats. The playlist is available on: https://Boom.lnk.to/AfrobeatsTheBackstory
Join the conversation online with the hashtags #AfrobeatsTheBackstory #AfrobeatsxBoomplay
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