Music deals (collaborations and partnerships) between Africa and the USA continue. This time R&B Singer R.Kelly who visited South Africa June 2009 and shortly after Nigeria, is joining a line up of Africa’s best music stars for a music project called One8 aimed at elevating the image of the continent. Read the details in press release below and listen to the song. Official video coming soon!
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The all-star line-up of the supergroup ONE8 is now complete.
The ONE8 artists have been amped up, living the high life in Chicago and most importantly, recording what will no doubt be one of the world’s hottest singles this holiday season. Hands Across the World is being released today to radio stations and clubs across Africa and worldwide.
The star-studded gathering of African musical giants has continued to gather mass momentum with 8 of Africa’s rockstar legends combining their star power and talent into the continents first supergroup. Now Rockstar4000 and Sony Music Worldwide are proud to announce the last signing to the group – international mega-star R. Kelly and the release of the group’s first single.
R. Kelly, who was recently joined in the world famous Chicago studios with the members of ONE8, has been a powerful force in R&B worldwide for the past two decades and apart from global fame has also received numerous awards for some of the most important recordings of our time, as well as outstanding production, for many years, making him one of the best selling urban artists of all time. Hits like ‘I Believe I Can Fly’, ‘Bump ‘n Grind’ and ‘Gotham City’ have made him a household name around the world and his production on top artists like Michael Jackson, Toni Braxton, LL Cool J and many more have kept him at the top of the charts and on radio for the duration of his music career.
R. Kelly is excited to be involved in the ONE8 project. Speaking from his studio in Chicago as they put the final touches to the single, he stated: “I love projects like this and as I hear the music of these artists and meet them in person I can feel myself connect. Somehow I can feel the excitement and adrenaline through them and then the ideas and everything around this track just comes together. This is probably one of the greatest things I have ever done, I can just feel it in me.”
ONE8 already consists of the finest superstars on the African continent. Born from a simple idea and a small collaboration, the momentum of this project has turned it into a full-blown supergroup already dubbed by fans and media as ‘a music revolution’ and ‘history in the making’. ONE8 will release not only the hottest single of the year, but also a full album and DVD later this year. This long-term project was kicked into high gear when the artists flew into Chicago late last month to record ‘Hands Across the World’ with R. Kelly and his world class production team.
The group also recorded a video and documentary which will be released shortly.
The final ONE8 line up has been confirmed as follows:
* R Kelly – USA
* 2Face – Nigeria
* Alikiba – Tanzania
* Amani – Kenya
* Fally Ipupa – DRC
* 4X4 – Ghana
* JK – Zambia
* Movaizhalene – Gabon
* Navio – Uganda
With a scorching hot track now released and an album in the pipeline, the ONE8 crew is heading for the ride of their lives! A major focus of the ONE8 group is to provide their fans with digital All Access passes to follow their diaries and journeys as larger than life rockstars around the clock, allowing fans closer and more personal experiences than ever before. Join online at www.myone8.com, on mobile at myone8.mobi, facebook.com/myone8, twitter.com/myone8 or youtube.com/one8TV and be part of history in the making as ONE8 explodes a revolution in music from Africa across the world!
For more information: Red Flag Design & Marketing: Caroline Hillary +27 11 447 8283, [email protected]
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Founded in 2007, Ladybrille® Magazine is a California based pioneer digital publication demystifying the image of Africans in the west through contemporary African fashion and celebrating the brilliant woman in business and leadership, with an emphasis on the African woman in the diaspora. Our coverage includes stories on capital, access to markets, expertise, hiring and retention, sales, marketing, and promotions.