There’s a new rhythm pulsing through Lagos this August, and it sounds like progress. On a balmy evening in the city’s vibrant creative district, two-time Grammy winner Tems leans against a studio console, watching a group of young female artists lay down vocals. The energy is electric — the kind that comes not just from raw talent, but from the rare feeling of being truly seen. This is the Leading Vibe Initiative in action, and it might just rewrite the future of African music.
Hennessy’s partnership with the Nigerian superstar feels less like a corporate collaboration and more like a cultural moment. Over two days in Tems’ hometown, the initiative unfolds as something between a masterclass and a movement, where producers break down beats in sun-drenched studios, songwriters trade verses over bottles of VSOP, and industry veterans share hard-won wisdom in sessions that stretch late into the Lagos night.
“When I started out, there were so many moments I had to figure out alone,” Tems tells Vogue, her gold-hoop earrings catching the light as she speaks.
The 29-year-old, whose seismic rise from Lagos underground sessions to her album Born in the Wild’s global acclaim has made her the perfect architect for this project, moves through the space with the easy confidence of someone who’s walked the path these women are just beginning.
“This isn’t about giving handouts. It’s about showing what’s possible when we actually get access to the rooms where decisions are made.”
The statistics underscore the urgency: while Afrobeats dominates global charts, women remain drastically underrepresented behind the scenes. Only 2 per cent of music producers in Nigeria are female, a disparity the Leading Vibe Initiative aims to shatter through its intensive mentorship model. Hennessy’s involvement — building on their 50-year legacy of cultural patronage — brings both prestige and pragmatism.
“We’re not just funding talent shows,” says global CMO Vincent Montalescot. “We’re investing in infrastructure — studio time, legal workshops, Artists and Repertoire connections — the unglamorous essentials that make careers sustainable.”
In one corner, 22-year-old producer Feyisara “FxR” Adegoke adjusts her headphones as Tems listens to her percussive arrangement.
“She told me my hi-hats were too safe,” FxR laughs later. “That’s what I needed — someone who wouldn’t patronise me.”
Nearby, British-Ghanaian songwriter Amaarae leads a lyric-writing session where metaphors about heartbreak sit alongside verses about publishing rights. The cross-generational exchange is palpable: when veteran engineer Lola “Mama Lowla” Williams demonstrates vocal compression techniques, even the most avant-garde artists lean in.
What emerges is less a traditional mentorship programme than a living ecosystem. The closing night’s showcase at a repurposed warehouse sees jazz-inflected soul bump against Amapiano hybrids, each performer backed by an all-female production team cultivated through the initiative. As the bass vibrates through the concrete floors, Hennessy’s brand ambassadors circulate with notepads, scouting for potential collaborators — proof that corporate partnerships can avoid tokenism when the execution is this authentic.
With plans to expand to Accra, Johannesburg, and Nairobi within 18 months, the initiative’s Lagos debut sets a compelling precedent.
“This isn’t charity,” Tems emphasises as the final act takes the stage. “It’s about proving our voices aren’t trends — they’re the foundation.”
As the DJ cues up a remix blending traditional Igbo flute with 808s, the room erupts. Some revolutions, it seems, sound absolutely glorious.
