On Sunday, legendary US singer, Beyoncé became the talking point for many Nigerians online. It was not only because of her enthralling and energetic performance at the Coachella Music Festival, but also for her performing a rendition of Fela’s “Zombie”.
Beyoncé and her 200-person band did a short performance of the tune in honour of the late Afrobeat king. The overall theme of Beyoncé’s Coachella performance was recreating the historically black college experience with the help of a marching band. It was this marching band who played a glorious rendition of Fela’s classic, “Zombie”. The performance makes Beyoncé one of the many foreign artists who have honoured the musical legacy of Fela. Other artistes who have done so include: Nas, Erykah Badu, Wyclef Jean etc.
Beyoncé has been trending since her performance, which also included bringing her defunct group Destiny Child on stage, as well as her husband music power-weight JAY-Z.