Africa Oyé have added two more international female solo artists to the line-up of this year’s Sefton Park festival.
Cape Verde’s Lura and Senegalese singer-songwriter Marema join the already announced Sona Jobarteh from the Gambia and Liverpool’s own Remée in a line-up now packed full of female talent. Also appearing at this year’s event are reggae legends, Inner Circle, Guinea-Bissau’s Binhan and young Merseyside MC, Nelson.
On 16th & 17th June 2018, Sefton Park will once again be taken over by the music and culture of Africa and the Caribbean for two free days of fantastic live music, DJs, dance, workshops, food stalls and a range of traders in the Oyé Village.
Lura was studying sports education in Lisbon, when Juka, a successful singer originally from São Tome and Principe, asked her to appear on his new album. It was then that she realized she had a voice, with a deep, sensual tone and turned her attention to a life in music. “My career has been a continual surprise to me since I discovered my voice in my teenage years up until now.” says Lura. “I take it one day at a time, but I’ll be a singer for the rest of my life. I’m positive about it. I don’t know why.”
Senegalese singer-songwriter, Marema was born in the suburbs of Dakar to a Maurianian father and Senegalese mother. Strongly influenced from a young age by Tracy Chapman, Marema released her first single “Businesswoman” in 2014 and her music has since won her awards across the world, including the RFI Discoveries Award, SIMA Jury Prize (International Exhibition of African Music) and the Star Africa Sound Jury Prize.
Africa Oyé’s Artistic Director, Paul Duhaney said “It was fantastic to have so many applications from female artists and female-led groups this year and both Lura and Marema were right at the top of our list when we were putting the programme together. The final artist reveal will come in May and I can’t wait to get the full line-up out there and then start counting down the days til the festival with everyone else”.
The 2018 Africa Oyé festival will take place on 16th and 17th June, 2018 in Liverpool’s Sefton Park from 12:30pm til 9:30pm both days and entrance is FREE. For more information on the festival and other events held across the country by Africa Oyé please visit africaoye.com.