It is no longer news that the coronavirus pandemic has taken a toll on the entertainment industry. With the current lockdown in place in Lagos, Abuja and some other states in the country, entertainers are unable to attend concerts or even movie locations.
However, entertainers are now finding solace in staging e-concerts and Instagram live performances for their fans in order to stay relevant and keep themselves in the spotlight.
Soulful singer, Asa, who has postponed her ‘Lucid’ concert which was initially billed to take place on April 11, in Lagos, held an Instagram live acoustic session with her fans recently. Artistes such as MI, Korede Bello, and Adekunle Gold virtually attended the session.
In the same vein, video sharing platform, YouTube collaborated with Asa, Broda Shaggi and Simi to organise an e-concert tagged, ‘Stay Home and Sing with Me’, which was geared at sensitising people on how to curb the spread of the coronavirus and also thrill their fans.
‘African Queen’ sensation, 2baba, has also announced an e-concert slated for April 12.
Comedians, Josh2funny and Kenny Blaq, also had an online comedy session on Instagram during the week tagged, ‘Battle of Jokes’, which attracted 10, 802 viewers.
This is even as a new trend surfaced on Instagram where entertainers ‘battled’ themselves with the number of hit songs they had. During the week, popular music producers, Sarz and Shizzi, had an online music clash called ‘Battle of the hits’. The music producers played 82 of their hit songs, with Sarz playing 42, while Shizzi played 40. Their fans on social media debated endlessly on who emerged winner between the duo.
At a point during the online music battle, they had over 22,000 viewers watching from across the world. A day after, music producers, Masterkraft and Pheelz also repeated the same feat.
Nigerian DJs are also not left out of the rise of e- concerts in Nigeria.
During the week, DJ Big N had a show called the ‘Lockdown Protocol’ where he played groovy Afropop songs for his fans who partied with him from the comfort of their homes.
Though e-concerts lack the raw palpable experience live shows offer, they are undeniably providing succour not only for artistes who seek platforms to showcase their craft amidst the COVID-19 crisis, but also for entertainment enthusiasts seeking outlets to have fun.
– Punchng
