A look what four days in Lagos Nigeria for Surround Sound by Spotify Africa taught us about culture, creativity and why music is Africa's best export.
Tems marks six years since For Broken Ears with a headline set at Surround Sound Lagos. Picture: Supplied, Spotify Africa
I recently attended Surround Sound Lagos, hosted by Spotify Africa, for a four-day immersive experience in Lagos, Nigeria.
As a lifelong reader, my ideas about the city were first formed through the words of some of Nigeria’s most celebrated authors. Years later, online creators added to that mental world-building. By the time I travelled, my excitement to finally see the country, flaws and all, was palpable.
I’d wondered, too, what it is about this city that forged writers as formidable as Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, Ben Okri, Nnedi Okorafor and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Before visiting, I thought of Lagos as inspired.
Culture shock, starting at the airport
The first jolt was the airport. I’d been repeatedly warned it would be loud and busy, but nothing prepared me for the reality after clearing customs and heading outside for our hotel transfer: so many people at once, all going about their business simultaneously.
We arrived in the evening, so there wasn’t much to see on the drive. I still looked eagerly out of the window for some idea of life in Lagos. That idea expanded greatly the following day.
Day one: heritage, fashion and the first taste of Lagos
The next day was a curated journey through heritage, contemporary fashion, music and visual culture, designed to give our travelling party deeper context on Lagos as the cultural source of Surround Sound.
It began at the J. Randle Centre for a guided cultural experience exploring Lagos and Yorùbá cultural foundations, sound, memory and contemporary creativity.
Then came one of my favourite parts of the day: Zinkata, where fashion stylist, consultant and former fashion editor Ezinne Chinkata hosted a curated fashion and visual culture experience. We got to peruse her envy-worthy collection of top Nigerian fashion brands, available for sale through her business.
The afternoon ended at Fired & Iced with a hosted lunch and cultural conversation with entrepreneurs Dolapo Amusat and Stephen Tayo. The venue once hosted Spotify’s Greasy Tunes activation, which also landed in Johannesburg and Nairobi, and it makes sense: it felt instantly equivalent to Braamfontein’s Kitcheners and the spot once affectionately known as Great Dane.
It was our first official taste of Lagos cuisine and I was hooked, happily stuffing myself with food people often describe as spicy. It is, but it’s also delicious. The culinary fun continued that evening at NOK by Alara.
The authors, the music, the soundtrack of my youth
My Nigerian reading list didn’t stop at the classics. At university, I became familiar with the work of photojournalist Yagazie Emezi, whom I met early in my career during one of her Johannesburg visits. Through Yagazie, I found her sister Akwaeke Emezi’s prolific work.
And then there’s the music.
Many music lovers without closer ties to Nigeria name Fela Kuti, the principal innovator of Afrobeat and a political activist, as their first taste of the country’s sound. But it’s his musical descendants who powered some of the best nights of my youth: P-Square, Mr Eazi, Yemi Alade, Davido, Wizkid, Tiwa Savage, M.I Abaga and 2Face, with Burna Boy later joining the fray.
Two nights, two headliners
Runtown and Tems, who both sit in my music library, headlined the two-night Surround Sound Lagos experience, each bringing distinct energy to their evening.
Tems celebrated the six-year anniversary of her debut EP, For Broken Ears, while Runtown marked a decade in music with a career-spanning set centred on his hit Mad Over You.
What is Surround Sound?
Launched in Sub-Saharan Africa by Spotify Africa, Surround Sound is a live format that gives fans a close-range concert experience. It takes its name from its staging: instead of a traditional rectangular stage, the artist performs in the centre of a round stage, with a carefully curated audience of top fans wrapped tightly around them.
Tickets weren’t sold to the public. Spotify invited selected Premium users based on their actual listening behaviour and streaming habits. The performances are recorded and released as full-length music films on the platform.
One can only hope the series continues in different cities because music remains one of the best export vehicles for culture, and a portal to everything tied to it.
– Kaunda Selisho attended Surround Sound Lagos in Nigeria as a guest of Spotify Africa.
