By Tony Nwanne
The stage is set for the 5th edition of Award winning Jazz Saxophonist Mike Aremu’s show Sax Appeal 5, billed to hold on Sunday the 26th, June 2016, 6pm at the prestigious Expo Centre Eko Hotel & Suites Victoria Island Lagos.
To headline Sax Appeal 5 alongside chart topping Nigerian musicians including Timi Dakolo and Praiz is American singer-songwriter, actress, musician, and record producer India Arie. An accomplished four time Grammy Award winner from her 21 nominations, including Best R&B Album, India has sold over 3.3 million records in the US and 10 million worldwide.
Arie was born in Denver, Colorado, USA and her musical skills were encouraged by both parents in her younger years. Her mother was a former singer and her father a former NBA basketball player. An accomplished multi-instrumentalist India attended the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah which led to a personal revelation about song writing and performing. She is quoted to have said “When I started tapping into my own sensitivity, I started to understand people better. It was a direct result of writing songs”.
Her debut album ‘Acoustic Soul’ released on March 27th, 2001 was met with positive reviews and commercial success. ‘Acoustic Soul’ debuted at number ten on the U.S. Billboard 200 and number three on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Within months ‘Acoustic Soul’ was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), selling 2,180,000 copies in the U.S. and 3,000,000 copies worldwide. The album was also certified Gold by the British Phonographic Industry and platinum by Music Canada.
Arie followed the success of her debut on September 24, 2002 with the release of Voyage to India. It debuted at number six on the Billboard 200 with first week sales of 109,000 copies and topped the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums with the RIAA certifying it Platinum. At the 2003 Grammy Awards, it won Best R&B Album, and the single ‘Little Things’ won Best Urban/Alternative Performance.
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