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Interview with
COCO BENSON X SHIZZI

(15th June, 2021)

Interviewer – Dave Bruce

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Meredine Akerele also known professionally as Coco Benson, is a West-African / European singer and songwriter. She is the granddaughter of Nigerian Highlife legend Bobby Benson.

She began her career in Nigeria in 2013 with hits such as “They Call Me Coco”, “Oga Cornelius” including a remix of her grandfather most popular song “Taxi Driver.”

After 2015, she took a long hiatus to raise her family and now Coco Benson is back for the new decade showcasing her wide rage of talent.

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Have you always wanted to be a musician? When did you get the song writing bug?
At the end of the day, doesn’t it always start and end with music!? I’ve always been into music – I love it, it just makes me feel good and it makes me feel happy.  Once I found my voice, I definitely wanted to be a musician. I got the songwriting bug when I knew I had things to say and I knew that people would listen to what I had to say with my voice.

How would you describe your sound? Why do you think people resonate with your music?
My sound is very worldly in the sense that because of my background I can come from a European angle but I can also come from a rhythm background which would come from my west African side. My sound is very smooth it’s very smoky and it’s very passionate and meaningful. I think people resonate with my sound because they can believe what I’m singing to them.

Which artist’s music and/or performance, past or present, inspires you today?
I’ve always been inspired by Tina Turner, Sade, Whitney Houston, and Toni Braxton and even my big sister Geraldine who by the way is also a singer. I love the stage presence of Beyoncé, she knows how to captivate a crowd and going back to Sade, I’ve seen her live and it’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. The way she goes on the stage with her live band and grabs the crowd. Let me know that there’s no rules to what you can do when it comes to performing.

Your new single ‘Majesty’ has just been released/! Describe its origin and evolution.
It all started with my husband and I at home going through beats. We knew we wanted to create a song together and eventually he found the perfect sound that we started developing it was such an amazing experience! We’ve been working on this track for a very long time. We didn’t want to rush anything, we made sure we had the right team around us and we made sure everything was right from the sound to the way I performed it to the pictures and all the creativity behind it it was very special.

Is there an EP or Album on the drawing board?
There absolutely is! It will be my first EP called ‘Here We Go Again’

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Any tours or events coming up soon? What are you looking forward to, and what can the fans expect?At the moment I don’t have any tours lined up, but with my new EP dropping I’m absolutely going to try and be in as many end-of-the-year festivals as I can. What I know is my fans can expect a “Coco Benson experience” so stay tuned.

If you could perform with any music artist, Alive or Dead, who would you choose? And why?
I would love to perform with Black Coffee one day because I believe we would have a magical connection, and I would also love to create a track with major league DJz, they are a South African group and I know we also would create something special. The origin home of Amapiano house is South Africa and that’s why I chose these particular artists.

Do you have any long-term aspirations as a music artist?
I just want to perform on a big stage, I always have this vision of my own show and that’s one of my big goals. I also just want to make sure I keep on making music that I love and hopefully some amazing collaborations. I do a lot of things outside of music, so the goal is really have everything come together as one.

What is the best thing about performing to a live audience? What’s been the career highlight so far?The best thing about performing live as I can do it my way, I absolutely love working with bands because people get to see the raw you and not the view from the studio. My biggest highlight, wow! I’m not really sure Majesty is quite a big highlight of mine just because it shows how far I’ve come after such a long time and there’s so much more to uncover so just stay tuned, Coco Benson is not done yet…

Finally, a few questions for some quick answers –
FAVOURITE:
Album – I have so many, but B’day is pretty high up there (classic jams – Freakum dress whaaaaat) haha! 
Artist – Coco Benson ;) Sade, Beyoncé 
Movie – The Color Purple, Shawshank Redemption, A League of their own 
Place to visit – Ghana, Bali 
Venue to play – Anywhere where there is love 
Food – I just love to eat lol 
Drink – Soda Water
Person in History – Dead or alive? Stay tuned LOL
Tattoo – (If you don’t have one, what would you get?)  I have two tattoos, butterfly fairy and my mother’s name. More to come, hmm maybe.

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Follow COCO BENSON
Facebook – Instagram – Spotify – Twitter

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Press Release below

COCO BENSON & SHIZZI 
grace the airwaves with empowering
new single
‘MAJESTY’

OUT NOW

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“Women do it all, we are capable of doing many great things. Women are “Majesty.” Not only to ourselves, but to someone and it’s something to embrace.” – Coco Benson.

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Blending a wide range of musical elements, Coco and Shizzi set the tone with delicate instrumentals, tribal-infused rhythms and an infectious house bassline. Introducing Coco’s soulful vocals, ‘Majesty’ features uplifting melodies and rich sound design, resulting in an addictive and powerful cut. Providing a stunning visual accompaniment, the official music video is a regal feast for the eyes, transporting the viewer into Her Majesty’s dazzling dimension.

Stream/purchase: Coco Benson x Shizzi ‘Majesty’

Born in Michigan, USA, and growing up in Zürich, Switzerland, Coco Benson was exposed to a wide variety of music from a young age and discovered her voice at the age of 7. Granddaughter to Highlife icon Bobby Benson, music has always been at the core of her being. Blending elements of afrobeats, house and pop, Coco made her musical debut with ‘They Call Me Coco’ in 2014, which was produced by IKON. Showcasing her West African and European roots, Benson strives to deliver high quality productions that strike a chord with audiences from all around the globe. With her debut extended play on the horizon, Coco Benson and Shizzi demonstrate their undeniable synergy as they ready the world for her ‘Here We Go Again’ EP.

Celebrated as one of Nigeria’s most talented and unstoppable hit makers, producer extraordinaire Shizzi (Magic Fingers) has produced for global superstars including Beyoncé, Chris Brown, Davido, Meek Mill and Wizkid. With humble beginnings as a drummer in a church, Shizzi has worked relentlessly to gain worldwide recognition, signing to Sony Music and founding his own record label Magic Fingers. Championing up-and-coming talent, as well as working with major producers, Shizzi continues to make his indelible mark on the global music scene

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AMNPLIFY – DB