Soul fiesta at Shalamar Reunion! Nigerian Idol’s Jeffrey Daniels joins group at London’s O2 Arena

On 29 October, Jeffrey Daniel led one of Soul’s biggest groups of all time Shalamar in a reunion concert to a large audience of fans at the O2 arena in London. Joining him were original member Howard Hewett and new member Carolyn Griffey who is also the daughter of Shalamar’s creator Richard Griffey. “We had a wonderful time,” says Jeffrey Daniel, “I enjoy doing my thing on stage and it is always an honour to perform as part of Shalamar."

 

At 17, Daniel, the smooth talking Nigerian Idol judge, was already lighting up the dance floor with his brilliant moves on American TV’s Soul Train. He soon joined dance partner Jody Watley and Howard Hewett to form the hugely popular Soul group Shalamar. Shalamar went on to sell 25 million copies worldwide releasing popular hits such as, 'Night to Remember, I Can Make You Feel Good, There It Is, Take it to The Bank, Make That Move, Friends, For the Lover In You, Uptown Festival and others. Jeffrey Daniel left the group to pursue a solo career as one of the highest profile choreographers and dancers in the business and also as a creative consultant, singer, writer and producer.

Adding a distinct Nigerian flavour Yeka Onka who is the first ever Nigerian Idol, also performed at the prestigious event – wowing the audience with her new single ‘Follow You’. “It was an amazing experience I cannot forget,” she says. “Having to perform to a predominantly foreign crowd who do not know you can be very challenging, I was very humbled that they warmed up to me and my music.” Also performing was Timi Dakolo, winner of West African Idol.

Daniels explains the motivation behind featuring Nigerian musicians at a high profile, predominantly foreign audience. “Nigerian music is blowing up outside the country now, we can see major audiences in the US and Europe open up to the new sound. We need more platforms where Nigerian music can be heard, the Shalamar reunion was a good opportunity to express my support for Nigerian music and as we can see, they loved them,” He said.

Daniels has since then returned to the set of the country’s biggest music reality show, Nigerian Idol where he reprises as the judge focused on technique.