Seven dance groups and 14 singers are set to slug it out at the quarter final stage of the ongoing Life Lager Continental beer’s Igbo highlife talent hunt, HiLife Fest.
The music competition which kicked off with the first set of auditions in Aba on the 18th of March, 2018 before moving on to selected South East states will now be returning to the commercial city for the quarter finals.
Sitting along the west bank of famous Aba River and at the intersection of the roads leading to Port Harcourt, Umuahia, Ikot Ekpene and Ikot Abasi, the city of Aba is an established industrial complex. Home of the very first kingdom recognized by Queen of England in the pre-colonial times, Aba produced Bright Iromuo Chimezie and many other delectable highlife music icons.
The quarter finals will be an interesting medley of the best of highlife music and cultural dance. From the singers, the judges will be looking out for gripping renditions steeped in soulful vocals touching on social issues and moral values. Whereas the dancers will be expected to tell a story with every dance move matched with the beats of Igba, calibrated pitch of Oja, percussive tunes of Ogene and rhythmic sound of Ekwe. At the end, we will have 10 singers and 5 dance group advance to the semifinal stage.
Speaking on the expectations for the quarter final, Portfolio Manager – Mainstream Lager and Stout Brands, Nigerian Breweries, Mr. Emmanuel Agu said “We saw a fantastic display of talent by the contestants during the regional auditions. Now that we are in the quarter final stage, we expect even more intense and beautiful renditions of Igbo highlife music by the contestants and I am confident the Judges will have a hard time deciding as all the quarter finalists are super-talented. Essentially, we hope to see a sustained culture of highlife music and dance amongst our younger generation”
The quarter final of the Hi-life fest will hold at CS park, Aba on Sunday the 20th of May, and is set to feature musical performances from Obiligbo Brothers, Tipsy Kelvano, 2017 Hilife Fest King Chibest David and superstar Highlife music sensation Flavor N’abania.
The Hi-Life fest is a reflection of Life Beer’s commitment for preserving and promoting the cultural values of Igbos through traditional Igbo Highlife music.
