Adetayo Reveals Reason for an All-Nigerian Member Band for Tour 

Iyke Bede 

Currently on tour in Europe promoting his third studio album ‘Yoruba Odyssey,’ Nigerian-born jazz/afro-funk singer and instrumentalist has revealed the reason for curating an all-Nigerian member band for the six-week-long showcase. 

“I have always kept in touch with home, which means creating a band here and frequently stopping by for concerts and festivals when available or invited. Presently, I am here to take my 9-piece band on a short European tour to do the ‘Yoruba Odyssey’ tour, ” Adetayo disclosed.  

He added, “So after recording the album, it became imminent that the touring band needs to be Nigerians.  Also, I believe there’s great potential in the musicians in Nigeria who lack opportunities and platforms to showcase what they can do. Since my music is a fusion of Yoruba folk with a twist of everything, it was a no-brainer. Plus, This has also been my dream from the first album.”

‘Yoruba Odyssey’ is a 10-track album that explores the rich musical landscape of the Nigerian afrobeat genre through language, style, and sheer charisma, marinated in jazz and funk sounds of New Orleans.  The music graduate from Hanze University, Netherlands,  further said the tour was a deliberate attempt to register Nigerian music in the global annals.  

Having toured Europe, Africa, and the Americas for the past decade and a half, Adetayo extolled efforts of contemporary artists to push Nigerian and African music to global consciousness and consumption.  

“African music has always been on the global stage, but in the last year, there’s been a new revitalization of the Continent, thanks to the new afrobeats artists’ entrepreneurial spirit. African music has influenced some of the greatest music on the planet, so it’s not a coincidence that there’s this new hunger for fresh sounds coming from Africa.”

The last show of the tour is expected to hold on July 29, 2023, at the Sfinks Festival in Belgium.