Many moons ago, I worked at a Broadway marketing agency and handled the marketing/promotions for the Tony Award® Winning Musical FELA! based on the life of legendary Nigerian musician Fela Kuti (one of this year’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees) and directed by the incomparable Bill T. Jones. It was an unbelievable show with boundless, electrifying energy and received some of the best press I had ever seen for a Broadway production in my nearly 20+ years in the business. Attending the Opening Night party was pure magic with lots of dancing, drinking, eating and some pure love and happiness filling the room, along with the majestic stylings of the one and only Questlove DJ’ing. Needless to say, the next morning’s ad meeting was joyous but the team had certainly felt the after effects of a night well spent for sure.
Having started my own media, marketing and promotions agency over 10 years ago (Blue Vista 725), it is with great pride that we have recently added one of Africa’s fastest-growing entertainment companies SJW Entertainment and their multi-talented Nigerian artist (rapper/singer) AcebergTM to our roster of clients. When we were initially approached by Justine to work together, I asked what the “TM” stood for and his response was “Time.” It took me a minute to grasp what that implied, to which Justine laughed and said, “you know, it’s ‘Aceberg Time.’” Immediately I was hooked and knew…it was time to party.
Hailing from Lagos, I also found out that Aceberg’s real name is Ikechukwu Okoronkwo and he began his musical career in early 2013, starting off on a bright note by working with several producers including, JFred, Fredibeat, Oshobeats, Nakmademus, Mcomms, Graydon to mention a few. His sultry voice, groove and R&B inspired beats reminded me of Drake meets Afrobeats. It’s no wonder he cites Wyclef Jean as one of his earliest inspirations.
Now ready to take on a global circuit, we started working on promoting AcebergTM’s brand new debut EP “Far From Home” which was just released on April 16th, 2021 along with his music video for one of his singles “DANCA.” “DANCA” is a perfect blend of Afropop mixed with Amapiano beats that can make you head to the dancefloor or groove while sipping on a strong drink. Our DANCA dance challenge is in full swing on TikTok/Instagram with more social media excitement on the way and his EP is being hailed by critics and tearing up the charts. While we have placed advertising campaigns in some of the major cities including, but not limited to, New York, Los Angeles and Atlanta, we have and continue to engage the music community at large, bookers for late night talk shows, music supervisors for TV/Film and beyond to share AcebergTM with more of the world.
While Fela Kuti might be a far way off from this current generation, AcebergTM’s “Far From Home” is slated to bring a new vibe to a new generation. I can’t help feel right at home working with him and his welcoming team.
Matt Sicoli, President and Founder of Blue Vista 725