Major Lazer gives Lagos a show

It was the band’s second appearance in Nigeria. This time, the visit was part of an African tour by the band comprising Jillionaire, Walshy Fire and Diplo.

“So good to be back in Nigeria,” they said shortly after coming onstage.

Founded as a duo a decade ago, Major Lazer morphed into a trio after founding member Switch left. Jillionaire and Walshy Fire joined later. A series of collaborations with pop acts followed, the team acting as producers for several songs by artists in the West including Justin Bieber and 2 Chainz.

More recently, they have become fans of pop music from Africa and have since incorporated the sound into their own productions as well as work directly with African acts. Before arriving in Lagos, the band released a compilation record featuring a host of African acts.

“Over the past few years we’ve had the chance to tour extensively and work with artists across Africa,” Diplo said about the Afrobeats Mix project. “These music scenes continue to inspire the music we make and sets we play. We wanted to bridge our music as Major Lazer with all these new sounds and genres coming out of Africa."

Some of the songs from the compilation record made it to the speakers on Friday, as did Skales, one of the featured acts on the project. The 'Shake Bodi' singer came on to perform a verse from the ‘Run Up Remix’. Other songs from the album played on the night include ‘Orkant/Balance Pon It’ featuring South Africa’s Babes Wodumo and ‘All My Life’ featuring Burna Boy. 

Prior to landing in Lagos, Nigeria, Major Lazer had performed in Johannesburg, South Africa, and at the Lake of Stars Festival in Malawi. The following day, 6 October, the band appeared in Nairobi, Kenya. The EDM group’s African tour ends today, 8 October, in Kampala, Uganda. Besides playing concerts, the band is associated with VETPAW (Veterans Empowered to Protect African Wildlife), which is invested in preventing poaching across the continent.

A selection of Nigerian artists, including Darey, Sound Sultan and Korede Bello, were present at the Lagos concert. "Thank you Lagos for partying with us," the group tweeted after the show.