Monday, 15 February 2021

Afrobeats superstar Runtown announces first livestream music experience.

 #CountdowntoRuntown Sunday April 25th 2021

The show-stopping concert is to be directed by Meji Alabi, the creative genius behind Beyonce, Burna Boy, and Wizkid music videos

Series funded by VC firm Impact X Capital



LONDON, UK - Runtown, one of the world’s biggest Afrobeats stars, with the news he is to take part in his first full-length virtual musical experience. 

The exclusive show, the first of a unique new series featuring Black music artists, will take place on Sunday, April 25th 2021 and is being produced by Live Connections, a new entertainment brand offering a hybrid of live, digital and pre-recorded music-based content, designed for multiple platforms.

Tickets for the not-to-be missed event will be available to purchase from Monday, March 1st 2021.

Nigerian singer-songwriter Runtown, 31, currently one of most influential artists in Africa, following huge hits such as the romantic serenades Mad Over You and For Life, and his philanthropic and social justice efforts, including his very public support of the Global END SARS movement in 2020, announced the incredible news on his social media on Sunday. 

The star, who has worked with the likes of Davido and DJ Khaled
and boasts nearly seven million followers on social media, said of the exciting announcement:

“This has been a long time coming. Even as the world stays uncertain, the least I can do is keep my fans positive and happy. Looking forward to the most spiritual performance I’ve ever delivered, April 2021.

“This past year has been associated with love and unity, as people have come together to support and uplift each other amid a lot of pain, and this is my contribution to my beloved fans. This is my love letter to them.”  

Live Connections have teamed up with Kiswefor Runtown’s virtual experience. A world-leading, cloud based video company, creating real-time live streams to engage digital audiences, Kiswe was responsible for the technology behind online concerts held by Justin Bieber and global K-pop sensations BTS in 2020, with the latter being broadcast to over 993,000 viewers from 191 countries over two days.

Acclaimed video director Meji Alabi is on board as the principal director for the experience. The British Nigerian’s company JM Films produced a sequence of Beyonce’s visual, musical masterpiece Black is King, and he personally co-directed the video for the US superstar’s international smash Brown Skin Girl. Alabi continues to evolve his enviable portfolio, shooting  visuals for Afrobeats biggest superstars such as Wizkid, Tiwa Savage and Burna Boy.

Live Connections Series Creator,  Producer and Diversity activist, Bunmi  Akintonwa said: “We are absolutely  delighted to be working with Runtown on the first  of our Live Connections  Series.   Runtown is an exceptional artist who shares our core values and desire for a better, fairer, more united  world.  We can’t  wait  to share  his  talent  and  energy with  a virtual  audience.”

Impact X Capital, which has provided funding for the show, expressed the importance of the timing of the event against the backdrop of the current world climate.  

Erica Motley, Creative Partner at Impact X Capital said: “We are thrilled to be at the centre of two major trends, the live streams alternative to concerts  after lockdown and the international rise of Afrobeats artists throughout the diaspora. 

“As an alternative to concerts during worldwide lockdown, live streaming is the future of concerts. There is no better time to partner with Runtown’s  unique sound as he crosses into the global cultural mainstream. Runtown presents a chance to spotlight  the  best of Africa providing a global platform for an exceptional  world-class  Afrobeats artist.”

More information on tickets and available merchandise can be found on www.liveconnections.tv

-Ends-

Follow Runtown here:

https://www.instagram.com/runtown/
https://www.twitter.com/iRuntown
https://www.facebook.com/ia...
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQupQBZdcNuE84ReiTP6pIA

Follow Live Connections here:

https://www.twitter.com/liveconnections
https://www.instagra...
http://www.liveconnections.tv

[Media Enquirieshttps://www.es-pr.co.uk]:

Eva Simpson eva.simpson@espr.co.uk +447801184016
Adenike Adenitire  adenike@espr.co.uk
Colette Machado colette@es-pr.co.uk

EDITOR’S NOTES:

About Live Connections:
Live  Connections is  a new multimedia  format, encompassing  social media, live streaming and TV platforms,  created by production and distribution company  the Little  Black  Book. It aims to highlight world class Black artists and increase  representation and support of the live event and TV production industries.

About Runtown:
The Nigeria-born artist’s real name is Douglas Jack Agu.
Driven by traditional African percussion, timeless soul, and an irresistible pop bounce, the performer, songwriter, producer, creative director, and philanthropist has quietly become one of the continent’s biggest music artists. 
In 2014, “Gallardo” [feat. Davido] turned the international spotlight on the musician, racking up 1.5 million Spotify streams and counting. 
His 2015 full-length album debut, Ghetto University boasted high-profile collaborations with DJ Khaled, Walshy Fire of Major Lazer, WizKid, Davido and numerous heavy-hitters.
The smash hit single, “Bend Down Pause” broke even further boundaries becoming the number one record in the Caribbean music charts. 
In 2016/2017, Runtown’s hit single “Mad Over You” transformed him into a worldwide superstar. Hot 97 DJ and music tastemaker and Apple Music host Ebro proclaimed it a “Beats 1Banger”, while BBC Radio 1 named it “Certified Hottest Tune.” 
Runtown became the “first Nigerian Artist to top charts in 20 countries simultaneously, as the track amassed over 75 million YouTube views and seven million Spotify streams.
Runtown is currently in a relationship with South Sudanese-Australian supermodel Adut Akech Bior.




About Impact X Capital: 

Impact X Capital is a double bottom line venture capital firm, founded to support diverse and underrepresented entrepreneurs and whose founding members include Ursula Burns, former CEO of Xerox and the first Black woman to head a Fortune 500 company; Ric Lewis, once voted the most influential Black person in the UK and British TV actor, author and diversity campaigner Sir Lenny Henry.  Impact X Capital pursues investments in digital and technology, media and entertainment, health education and lifestyle companies. 

About Kiswe:

Kiswe is a cloud-based video company that creates real-time live streams to engage digital audiences and unique communities around the world. 
Kiswe's technology unlocks ways for people to stay connected over live events through a content creation and mobile platform that bridges media companies with consumers. 
Kiswe is headquartered in New Jersey, USA and has offices in New York, Seoul, London, Hasselt and Singapore. Learn more at www.kiswe.com.