By Chinenye Anuforo
World Music Day, an annual global celebration of music, is once again taking center stage in Lagos, marking a decade of bringing free musical experiences to enthusiasts across Nigeria. This year’s festivities, spearheaded by Alliance Française Lagos and Make Music Nigeria, promise an expansive program filled with performances, workshops, and opportunities for emerging artists.
Precious Naador, Marketing Executive at Alliance Française, Lagos, emphasized the organization’s long-standing commitment to the event. “The World Music Day is a day that we celebrate music and give access to music enthusiasts for free,” she stated, noting that Alliance Française has been a part of this celebration for over five years, being fully mainstream for over 5 years.
This enduring dedication paved the way for their partnership with Make Music Nigeria. “That was how our journey with Make Music started 3 years ago. It has been such a lovely journey. We are happy to be partnering again with Make Music,” Naador added.
She extended gratitude to key supporters, “As usual, with the support of the French Embassy, we will be executing this year’s World Music Day celebration.”
Naador also thanked new partners, stating, “I want to take this opportunity to thank Nestle, as well as Live Sports who have agreed to give us the space as a partner. They have become a major partner for us for this year’s concert.”
Adeola Akinyemi, Executive Director of Make Music Nigeria, recounted the organization’s remarkable journey, celebrating 10 years of bringing World Music Day to Nigeria. She highlighted the non-profit origins of Make Music in Lagos, driven by a desire to bring the World Music Day celebration to Nigeria. Akinyemi explained that the inspiration came from NAMM, a global music merchant association that sponsors World Music Day in the U.S. Upon receiving a newsletter encouraging participation, they discovered Lagos was absent from the global map of celebrating cities. “Which was a lovely thing,” Akinyemi remarked, because what is music in Africa without music in Nigeria? Or Lagos?”
Recognizing the festival’s French origins, started over 40 years ago and spread globally, Make Music, with the agreement of the Make Music Alliance in New York, brought the first Make Music in Lagos event to the city in 2016, making this year its tenth anniversary.
Akinyemi acknowledged the French Embassy and Alliance Française’s prior, smaller celebrations in Lagos. Make Music’s vision, she explained, was to replicate how it’s done in France, how French music is actually celebrated, which is music in every corner of the city. This philosophy aims to include all kinds of music events, and it’s not necessarily for the big names. It depends wherever your level is, as long as you are a music enthusiast, as Precious said, you can participate.”
The initiative has expanded significantly, growing from Make Music Lagos to Make Music Nigeria and registering as a non-profit in 2021 as other cities expressed interest. Make Music now thrives in Abuja, Imo, Ilorin, Ibadan, and Akwa Ibom.
Make Music has also served as a launchpad for talent. Akinyemi proudly shared, “Some of the artists, some top-name artists that we have now, the first time they performed at Make Music, you know, they were upcoming artists, so to speak, and now they’re big artists.”
She cited Johnny Drille as a prime example, who performed at the first Make Music event in 2017 before being signed to Mavin Records later that year. “Johnny Drille has performed at every Make Music event since that was created,” she noted, expressing happiness to “support him, because we see his vision and we’re able to support him.”
Fortunate Ezeugo, Administrative Lead for Make Music Nigeria, outlined the exciting lineup of events and projects for the year, all centered around the World Music Day celebration week in June.
The “Battle of Bands,” a relatively new initiative launched last year, spotlights talented bands in Lagos. Ezeugo explained, “We realize that most of our activities are usually around the artists and then, of course, the business conferences, but we weren’t really focusing on the bands, and we have so many great bands.” She highlighted the success of this year’s edition, featuring top three bands like Toby from Lovesick and Faith from the ARB band, whose performances will culminate in the “shutdown concert.”
Another key initiative is the “New Music Marathon,” where Make Music partners with media houses to provide free airtime for “new music, new bodies of work,” thus promoting and supporting “young and upcoming artists in the city of Lagos.” This valuable support extends to other cities where Make Music operates.
The “My Song is Your Song” project, a global initiative, fosters international collaboration. Ezeugo described it as a platform where artists from participating cities worldwide “submit their songs such that a Fortunate in Lagos, Nigeria, could be paired with an Angela in the Netherlands, and then Angela gets to recreate Fortunate’s song, and Fortunate gets to recreate Angela’s song.” This project has successfully fostered collaboration and partnerships, leading to artists creating music together.
Ezeugo also mentioned the expansion of Make Music to various Nigerian cities, including Abeokuta and Abuja, hosting diverse events from “open mic nights to music business conferences.”
The Two-Day Festival kicking off on June 20th, 2025, with the Music Business Conference exploring key themes such as streaming, publishing, branding, and music law with the aim to provide upcoming creatives and artistes with necessary tools required to build sustainable careers.
The event will feature industry leaders, top A&Rs, and cultural stakeholders in an immersive experience aimed at closing the knowledge gap within the music ecosystem.
Day two culminates in the “shutdown concert,” featuring the “Taking Flight” project, a global pop session where different countries play music for hours. Nigeria has been allocated a 6 pm to 7 pm slot, and will be one of the few African countries participating. The event will include a “global choir performance” where eight countries will sing one song, with audience participation. The top three bands from the Battle of the Bands will perform and compete in a live voting segment.
Collaboration with the French Embassy and Alliance Française continues with performances from the “Amplify Project,” which trained artists like Salah Paul and Mani, who will showcase their learned skills. A DJ will also add “a twist of French music to spice things up a little bit.”
Marianne Ournac, Cooperation officer for the French Embassy, highlighted the importance of cultural diplomacy, ‘Fête de la Musique, aka World Music Day, is a major event in France, and we are delighted to be able to support its celebration in Lagos, Nigeria. This year, we are very happy to add a Francophone touch by supporting the arrival of Ivorian female DJ ‘Baddest’, who will be performing a set combining Afrobeats influences and the sounds of Francophone West African countries.”
The concert boasts a stellar lineup of performers, including the highly anticipated Johnny Drille and headliner Emy, who enthusiastically committed to the event. Ezeugo also teased the appearance of another popular artist whose music is currently “trending.”
Akinyemi interjected to further emphasize the “Taking Flight” project, describing it as a “relay” where countries hand over musical performances, creating an incredibly exciting global event. She highlighted the unique aspect of this year’s project being a “choir event,” involving both the audience and a choir. She also reiterated the success of the Battle of the Bands, praising last year’s winners, The A’s Men, whose journey showcased immense growth and garnered numerous opportunities. “They have grown in Liksabaga. They’ve had so many opportunities,” she proudly shared. This year’s battle was even tougher, featuring a “wider genre,” including “metallic rock,” Afro, and rock.
Expanding beyond Lagos, this year Make Music activities will take place across six cities, a testament to the initiative’s steady growth and widening impact over the last decade with each city bringing its own energy, culture, and creative force to the celebration.
Speaking on this expansion, Edison Udom, Partner, Uyo organizing team remarked, ‘We are excited to be part of a nationwide movement that not only entertains but uplifts and educates. We intend to position Make Music as a tool to connect communities, nurture young talent, and reinforce the idea that music belongs to everyone.’
The plans reflect the wider vision of Make Music Nigeria, to democratize access to music and spotlight talent from every corner of the country.