Singer didn’t kill his James Corden performance, but he still won

Let’s cut right through the elephant in the room. Mr Eazi’s performance at The Late Late Show with James Corden was a miss.

The singer failed to nail it down, performing a medley of two songs with a band that provided him an environment to shine, with the sole emphasis on his vocals but somehow, he failed to kill it.

Mr Eazi has been on a roll since he dropped his EP - “Life is Eazi Vol. 1: Accra to Lagos” - which came through in February 2017. After a whirlwind 2016 where he broke out in Africa, and penetrate huge crowds in the diaspora, the man has quickly moved to securing more markets for his music career.

The EP, which was released in Nigeria and other countries had Apple throw their money behind it. According to an inside source, the company had thrown in an advance for the project, and so they are pushing for it to penetrate more markets and bring in the streaming profits.

That’s why all through this year, Mr Eazi has rode a wave in the media, appearing on major platforms and chasing mainstream acceptance.

In April 2017, Apple's music streaming platform, Apple Music, launched Up Next – a series aimed at celebrating emerging artistes from all around the world.

The first artiste featured on the series was 24-year-old rapper and singer from Atlanta, 6lack ("Prblms"); followed by 20-year-old Norwegian singer-songwriter Sigrid ("Don't Kill My Vibe") in May; and 19-year-old R&B singer Khalid ("Location") in June.

Mr Eazi is the featured artist for July. He becomes the first African act to be featured on the series which would come with benefits. The streaming service will promote Mr. Eazi’s songs on its playlists and on the iTunes store. He will also have been interviewed by Julie Adenuga on their prime show, Beats 1. The singer’s appearance on the Emmy-winning American talk show, Late Late Show with James Corden, last night is also part of it, where he performed a Fela-inspired medley of two of his biggest songs, 'In The Morning' and 'Leg Over'.

But he failed to kill that performance. Choosing to do a medley of two of your biggest songs on the project might be a smart marketing move from Apple, but it effectively had him chopping and scraping through the records to fit them into his limited time slot. Add that in with his lack of energy and the quasi-Fela moves, and no dynamism in the performance, and you have a poor showing for the project and the music.

Eazi has to understand that he is an artist with a potential for growth, and based on his current hot streak, he will be called on to bigger stages for more performances. His game has to match the stage.

But regardless of that, his appearance is a personal victory for him. This young African man has graced a huge stage to showcase our music, and although he failed to convince, it is still a win for him – and depending on how patriotic you are, Nigeria and the continent.