SA: Mi Casa inks deal with Universal Music division Afroforce1 Records

Afroforce1 Records' headquarters are in Berlin, Germany, and the company seeks to develop and work with African artists to break them into Central Europe and the rest of the world.  

The deal follows the release of Mi Casa’s ‘Churchbells’ video in April, which is off the band's We Made It album.

“Finally, the moment we've been working so hard for," Mi Casa frontman J’Something said. "To sign a global deal with the biggest label in the world is something we dared to dream and now here it is – the fruits of 10 years of hard work and great memories around some pretty damn cool songs. We believe this is the most crucial moment of our career and we can’t wait to now elevate things onto a whole new level.”

Afroforce1 Records managing director Joe Chialo said the deal with Mi Casa would spur further business relations between Europe and Africa.

“Africa is a young and vibrant continent and a creative superpower," he said. "With our great team from Afroforce1 and UMG Africa, we will find, develop and equally establish artists whom we can offer the possibility of entering a new market in Europe and the rest of the world. This newly built bridge will also enable artists from Europe to dive deep into the unlimited font of creativity that Africa has to offer. The whole team is really excited to be a part of this adventure.”

In November last year, Chialo was at Music In Africa's ACCES trade event in Accra, Ghana, where he sat on a panel of experts that discussed the strategies involved in navigating the recording and distribution industries. The discussion was presented by Germany's Reeperbahn Festival International, and speaks of the value that European players are seeing in the African music industry. It is expected that many more deals like the one with Mi Casa will transpire in the near future.

Universal Music South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa managing director Sipho Dlamini said: “Mi Casa have always captured the hearts of Africa. They have been on our radar for a very long time and we are extremely proud to have them as part of Universal Music/Afroforce1 family.”

J’Something added: “The work now begins and the team that is now looking after Mi Casa is unreal. Thank you to Universal for believing in us, the team at Afroforce1 in Germany and all the people involved in making this a reality. To our fans – the ones that have been there since ‘These Streets’ and to the ones that just joined the family – it’s because of your love and continuous support that we are able to achieve a milestone such as this. Lastly to our family, we hope to make you proud in this next chapter we are about to embark on.”