Afrobeat has replaced Dancehall Reggae in worldwide fame - Asha Gangali

Singer, rapper and talent-hunting coach Asha Gangali says the fame Afrobeats currently enjoys around the world comes at the expense of other genres like dancehall.

While assessing the evolution of Afrobeats, Asha noted that more effort would be needed to maintain the moment.

“Everyone is screaming that Afrobeats is getting Grammy recognition, but if you don't run it from home; if you don't have a platform to continue projecting the good vibes to global audiences, it's going to fade like the dance hall genre did.

"We got on the billboard at the expense of dance hall reggae. Do you think dance hall reggae people are happy? We dominated all of their airwaves. Afrobeats has dominated but if you don't manage it, we risk losing fame in the long run. Meanwhile, we must continue to discover new talents as we see in this search for Naija stars."

Naija reality show Star Search, powered by affordable pay-TV platform StarTimes and Kennis Music, is set to hit TV screens in September.

Winners will take home ten million naira and other consolation prizes. The show's judges include Keke Ogungbe, Asha Gangali and ID Cabasa, while VJ Adams is the host.

Asha Gangali is no stranger to the Nigerian music industry having made an impact on the industry as the founder of Roc Da Mic Africa, a music talent hunt show that has discovered Wande Coal, Timaya and a multitude of current music stars. It stands like a talent discovery machine.

In a media chat with reporters over the weekend, the talent coach explained why Nigerians should see Naija reality show Star Search as leverage to bring Afrobeats to a higher level.

“You will agree with me that our music has evolved over the years. We merged so many genres, from hip hop to R&B and reggae. We have always evolved. We took over hip hop like we took over Amapiano. It's always been our thing. We took those foreign beats and rhythms and then we performed them.

"Look when African Queen came out and held the whole industry in suspense and it changed the trajectory until 9ice came along with Gongo Aso which also changed the whole scene. Then Nigga Raw and Flavor added Eastern vibes Then the hip-hop dispensation when MI came in. Naija rap hadn't gained popularity but MI came on the scene and brought it up Afrobeat has evolved over the years.

Asha has played an active role in the development of Afrobeats over the years. Besides his music releases and discovery of notable talent, he co-founded music recognition technology that gathers, monitors and records music data such as music streaming to track what is being played and where it is being played. Thus, he is proud to be in a company that merges music with technology.

"This intelligence gathering has provided me with a lot of data on Afrobeats consumption from the grassroots to the global level," said Asha, who is one of the judges for the upcoming Naija Star show. Search Reality.

"This Naija Star Search platform is very important because it focuses on Afrobeats. There has never been a reality show that mainly focuses on Afrobeats and this is what we need on the world stage.

"I'll look for the raw stars, the ones with the marketing edge. They have to have talent and character. Without these three components, a lot of them go wrong. It's too expensive promote an up-and-coming artist. And you need to have a lot of releases in a year to stay competitive.

"Nobody will invest in you if you don't have the right character. It's a risky and capital-intensive business. You need to look for a good artist who has all the balance , character, talents and marketability. And that is what we are about to instill in these budding talents on the Naija Star Search show,” he concluded.

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