Asa’s Encore concert is coming up this weekend and all eyes are already on the look out for who the artists on the line up will be. There is no need to re-enforce all we have probably assumed about the importance of an opening set for Asa in a young career. And so, it came as no surprise that the internet went wild after Tay Iwar confirmed on a radio show earlier today that he would be opening for Nigeria’s most celebrated female artist of her generation.

For those who don’t know, Tay Iwar is a 19 year old Abuja-based singer who is touted as the future of Nigerian music. It’s not like there is anything better than jollof music right now, but if its exists its the fresh crop of DIY artists coming out of SoundCloud. Tay first made his mark with the release of Passport, a download only project released in 2014, welcomed with a wave of good reviews. Last year he made an streaming only album debut with Renascentia to the same effect, amassing a cult level of following considered important for features with millennial counterparts, Odunsi, Santi.

The singer had sent out a tweet simply saying:’So I’m In Lagos’ with no further details until his time at Rhythm FM, Lagos. This vagueness is one of the biggest draws of Tay Iwar’s music, thanks to an out of Lagos presence that has largely kept him away from media stares but sadly visuals and stage presence too. An opening set for Asa’s concert is the perfect contact point for the slightly older audience he wants to appeal to, a much needed in addition to his already vibrant internet fan base. This may seem like a small step now, but it could turn out to be a giant leap in the grand scheme of things for Tay Iwar if he puts his heart to it.

musicblog