J MARTINS JOINS NOW-MUZIK

Pop-highlife singer-producer Martins Okey better known as JMartins has signed a management deal with power house, talent management company Now Muzik.

Martins joins the likes of 2Face Idibia, T.W.O, Sunny Neji and Timi Dakolo who are also signed to the management company.

‘Basically, JMartins needs a management team that can plan his itinerary and tours and engagements. We had a meeting and we just hit it off right away. He’s a super talented artiste’, says Tony Anifite, COO of Now Muzik.

Martins who has released two albums ‘Get Serious’ and ‘Elevated’ is set to release his third installment ‘Selah’ (which is Hebrew for ‘Pause and think’) in a few weeks. The album according to his new management will contain 12 tracks.

‘The bar has been raised. So I believe it is time for us to pause and think on ways to generally up our game’, says Martins.

The singer tied the knot with his wife fiancée Nnezi Diana Mbila in January 2012.

Exclusive: Full Story Of Timi Dakolo’s Love Child

Singer Timi Dakolo is the proud father of a beautiful baby boy, Nigerian Entertainment Today‘s investigations have revealed. The kid, named Alex Dakolo and born over a year ago, is the product of a pre-marital relationship between Timi and an ex-Zenith bank staff simply identified as Busola.

The singer has, curiously, denied several media reports about the existence of his love child. But those close to him assure us he’s Alex’s father and that his repeated denials only mean one thing : he’s desperate to keep his private life private. ‘He’s proud of his boy and his mother‘ one long time friend tells NET. ‘But he doesn’t want any drama. Plus he’s nervous about what the reaction of the Christian community would be; seeing he had the child out of wedlock‘.

If the christian community and indeed his religious mentors are upset with him; Mr Dakolo is now working to right his wrongs and do what’s right. We’re told he’s recently bought Busola – the mother of his child, an engagement ring from Dubai, and that the live-in-lovers are now warming to get married.

Timi and Busola we’re told, now live in Victoria Island in Lagos. Before moving in together, Timi lived in Oniru Estate in Lekki, while his lover lived in an apartment he rented for her in Sangotedo, in Ajah, a Lagos outskirt. She has also for some time now, been using Timi’s blue Kia Picanto which he won after coming first at West African Idol in 2007. ‘That’s the girl he wants to marry and make a family with‘ a very close Dakolo friend told us last week. Timi Dakolo, whom friends described as ‘romantic’ and ‘loverboy’ had before now dated Ojia Adamolekun (who’s now believed to be involved with 2face Idibia).

Dakolo, who recently released his long awaited debut album ‘Beautiful Noise‘ to huge critical acclaim, has not said anything about marriage plans. And his minders at Now Muzik say they’re unaware of any love child.

LOVE-STRUCK TIMI DAKOLO MAKES BEAUTIFUL NOISE

I like it when people are not presumptuous. It may not make commercial sense in our music clime but, it kind of sits the singer comfortably in any gathering. This is what Beautiful Noise will do for Timi. If you’re like me and you’re tired of auto-tuned tracks, let me introduce you to an auto-tune-free album! Ring the bell.

Since Timi Dakolo was unveiled to us in 2007 on the West African Idol stage, his vocal uniqueness has remained that uncommon husky tinge perfect for serenading the listener when applied to simple or complex love lines. Beautiful Noise shows one that the debutante is well aware of his strength as he stays in his comfort region, experimenting very little.

The 12-track album includes an intro, a re-mix and five collaborations.

Apart from his three earlier released singles, ‘Let it Shine’, ‘Heaven Please’ and ‘There’s a Cry’, every other song is themed around love and so titled. Between making promises to The woman I (he) love(s) and writing her a befitting ‘Love Song’ on Tracks three and seven respectively, Timi remains in his comfortable R&B environment. He screams ‘I Love You’ again in Track four just before asking ‘Is it Over’ on Track six where he gets a beautiful assist from newcomer Joan Ekpai who sounds almost like gospel singer Lara George.

Elvis Larri helps deliver beautiful danceable mid-tempo music in the tenth track where Ghana-born Timi speaks a bit of Yoruba. In a fashion that brings back memories of Late Jaiye Aboderin-led Synergy’s only released recording, Elvis and Timi sing ‘So beautiful’. However the track could have been better named ‘Lekeleke’ or ‘Ololufe’, words which were used repetitively throughout the track.

On Track seven, producer extraordinaire Cobhams sings and raps to Timi’s first official party anthem titled ‘Raise the roof’. With beat, sequence and production facsimile to Darey’s ‘The way you are’ (equally produced by Cobhams), the duo do a good job, creating a much-needed detour from the love overdose.

The album closes with a remix of ‘I love you’ where Jesse Jagz lends his rhyming prowess, waking up the song and bringing a fresh dimension to delivering love songs.

Beautiful Noise is a good diversion from the up-tempo saturation we have dropping on the radio every other day. It runs the risk of getting boring though unless you’re such an introvert. I’d name I love You, Raise the roof, So Beautiful and I love You remix as album-breakers without which I wouldn’t have survived listening to the entire album, but for the sake of review.

Altogether, it’s a safe album.