"Eminado" (meaning "Good Luck Charm") is a song by Nigerian singer

Tiwa Savage Tiwatope Omolara Savage (born 5 February 1980), known professionally as Tiwa Savage (), is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and actress. Savage sings in English, Nigerian Pidgin and Yoruba; her music is a blend of afrobeats, R&B, afropop, p ...

. It features vocals by

Don Jazzy Michael Collins Ajereh (born 26 November 1982), known professionally as Don Jazzy, is a Nigerian music executive, record producer, singer, songwriter, businessman, and philanthropist. He founded the record label Mavin Records in 2012, as a sub ...

and was released as the seventh single from her debut studio album, ''

Once Upon a Time "Once upon a time" is a stock phrase used to introduce a narrative of past events, typically in fairy tales and folk tales. It has been used in some form since at least 1380 in storytelling in the English language and has started many narrative ...

'' (2013). The song peaked at number two on MTV Base's Official Naija Top 10 chart for the week of March 7 through March 13, 2014. "Eminado" was ranked tenth on ''

Vanguard The vanguard (sometimes abbreviated to van and also called the advance guard) is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force. ...

''s list of the top ten hit songs that made 2013. The song received generally positive reviews from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...

and consumers. Conversely, its music video was criticized for bearing a striking similarity to Tumi and the Volume's video for "Asinamali". "Eminado" was nominated for Hottest Single of the Year at the

2014 Nigeria Entertainment Awards The 2014 Nigeria Entertainment Awards took place on 31 August 2014, at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. The eligibility period was from March 2013 to March 2014. In April 2014, the NEA reviewing committee began collec ...

and for World's Best Song at the

2014 World Music Awards The 2014 World Music Awards was a music awards ceremony that was held on May 27, 2014, at the Salle des Etoiles in Monte Carlo, Monaco. It was the 22nd edition of the show since its start in 1989, and the first ceremony since 2010, after which i ...

Background and controversy

"Eminado" was recorded in 2013 and translates to "Good Luck Charm". In an interview with ''Vanguard'' newspaper, Savage said the song's idea was developed during studio rehearsals and that Don Jazzy created the sound and derived its name. Savage kept her fans waiting almost two months for the video after "Eminado" was serviced to radio stations. The accompanying music video for "Eminado" was filmed by

Clarence Peters Clarence Abiodun Peters (born 20 December 1983) is a Nigerian music video director, filmmaker and cinematographer. He is the founder and CEO of Capital Dream Pictures, a production company that specializes in performing arts, film and video. H ...

and uploaded to YouTube on November 4, 2013. Jim Donnett complimented the video's fashion styling, coordination and color theme. In January 2014, a

copyright infringement Copyright infringement (at times referred to as piracy) is the use of Copyright#Scope, works protected by copyright without permission for a usage where such permission is required, thereby infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the c ...

lawsuit was filed against Peters after the video's release. He allegedly stole the vintage nature of the "Asinamali" video, which was released by Tumi and the Volume to honor the artistic works of

Seydou Keïta Seydou Keïta (1921/23 – 21 November 2001) was a Malian photographer known for his portraits of people and families he took at his portrait photography studio in Mali's capital, Bamako, in the 1950s. His photographs are widely acknowledged not ...

Tumi Tumi ( ''Quechua'' for 'Knife', ''variants'': 'Tome', 'Tume'), is a generic term encompassing the many kinds of sharp tools utilized in pre- and post-colonial eras of the Central Andes region, Tumis were employed for a diverse set of purposes ...

slandered Peters on Twitter and urged his fans to shine a light on the issue. Tunji "Tee Billz" Balogun, Savage's former manager and ex-husband, said they were shocked to discover that the video's idea was lifted from another video.

Live performances

Savage performed "Eminado" at a farewell concert for

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela ( , ; born Rolihlahla Mandela; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist and politician who served as the first president of South Africa f ...

in January 2014. She also performed the song during the 2014 Star Music Trek tour, which commenced on March 29 and ended on May 31, 2014. On March 7, 2014, Savage sang at a music festival organized by Golden Tullip Festac Lagos Hotel and Five Stars Music Ltd. She joined Sarkodie and

Mafikizolo Mafikizolo is a South African Afro-pop music group formed in 1996, consisting of composer Theo Kgosinkwe, lead singer Nhlanhla Mafu and Composer Tebogo Madingoane, who was shot and killed 14 February 2004. The group rose to fame after they relea ...

for a performance of "Eminado" at BET's "Music Around the Globe" event on June 28, 2014. Savage performed the song at the 2014 edition of Africa Unplugged, alongside

Davido David Adedeji Adeleke (born November 21, 1992), known professionally as Davido, is a Nigerian American, Nigerian-American singer, songwriter and record producer. Davido was born in Atlanta, U.S, and raised in Lagos, Nigeria. He made his mus ...

and

Diamond Platnumz Naseeb Abdul Juma Issack, professionally known as Diamond Platnumz, is a Tanzanian bongo flava recording artist, dancer, philanthropist and businessman. He is the founder and CEO of WCB Wasafi Record Label, Wasafi Bet and Wasafi Media. Diamo ...

. Moreover, she performed "Eminado" at the Nigeria Independence Day event in

Warri The city of Warri is an oil hub within South-South Nigeria and houses an annex of the Delta State Government House. Warri City is one of the major hubs of the petroleum industry in Nigeria. Warri, Udu, Okpe and Uvwie are the commercial ...

with a number of other artists, including as

Ja Rule Jeffrey Bruce Atkins (born February 29, 1976), better known by his stage name Ja Rule (), is an American rapper, singer, and actor. Born and raised in New York City, Ja Rule became known for blending gangsta rap with pop rap, pop and contempo ...

and Ashanti.

Accolades

References

External links

* {{authority control 2013 songs 2013 singles Tiwa Savage songs Don Jazzy songs Song recordings produced by Don Jazzy Songs written by Tiwa Savage Mavin Records singles Music videos directed by Clarence Peters