In the spirit of awareness against the spread of COVID-19, Lagos-based up-and-coming musician, Simi Olaiya, with stage name ‘Simioly’, is contributing a new song titled ‘Breathe’.
Simioly, a grandson of the late highlife music icon, Dr Victor Olaiya, says ‘Breathe’ is being released to support the fight of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control against coronavirus spread in Nigeria. As part of the campaign, Simioly discloses, he has a ‘Mask Up Challenge’, to reward winners with financial gifts while encouraging them to comply with all the directives and guidelines.
Featuring the songstress, Aboki Chic, ‘Breathe’, according to Simioly, lyrically creates more awareness for Nigerians and the rest of the world about the coronavirus pandemic, especially the inability of infected patients to breathe properly. He explains that ‘Breathe’ has a message which helps people understand that the war against the pandemic is about “all of us’ and not just one person. He assured that, “we will beat up our chest, beat Coronavirus and Breathe easily at the end of it all.”
The ‘challenge’, which is expected to trend as #MaskUpNigeria on Instagram and Twitter, ending July 1, 2020, is a good way to stop the pandemic from spreading even more, said Aboki Chic. Both artistes stated that “we have decided to support NCDC by coming up with this message to share with everyone as we try to make this serious issue lighter using music as a medium which cuts across all divides.”
The artistes’ official handles @officialsimioly and @abokichic
provide regular updates on #MaskUpNigeria such as the process of participation.
