Sprite Limelight: One Hook, Three Songs

Sprite brand joins forces with African sensation Omah Lay alongside James Blake, Coi Leray, and Hua Chenyu in an all-new music format

Sprite's new music program, Sprite Limelight, is landing in Africa. Sprite Limelight is a musical campaign based on an exclusive partnership with some of the world's most talented musicians. It aims to unite music fans from diverse cultures and influences by introducing a new approach of generating music that celebrates the individual's unique creativity. The new music program supports Sprite's new global marketing narrative, “Heat Happens”, which frames the brand as a beverage that cools you down during everyday heated moments.

Afro-fusion star Omah Lay is redefining afrobeats for the new age. As the second most streamed Nigerian artist on Boomplay in 2021 and with the recent release of his Warner Records debut album Boy Alone, he is quickly establishing himself as a rising global star.

Anchoring the song is a memorable hook produced by Grammy winning producer, Mercury Prize Winner, and BRIT Award nominee, James Blake.  James Blake will provide a central hook and lyric narrative, rooted in the core Limelight philosophy of keeping life’s heat at bay. Three distinctive global artists have, in turn, taken that hook and used it to inspire and create their own completely original songs. One musical starting point reinterpreted through different creative and cultural lenses.

Joining Omah Lay with their signature unique and authentic styles, are American rapper Coi Leray, who has previously worked with some well-known rappers and singers, and prolific singer Hua Chenyu, hailing from China, whose unique fusion of C-Pop and rock has sold out shows in big-sized stadiums in minutes.  

“It means a lot to me to be part of the Sprite Limelight program, an incredible opportunity for me to share my culture with the world. I feel blessed to stand among these other amazing artists to bring something refreshing and positive to the world; big Shout out to James Blake for masterminding the music, absolute Legend!” says Omah Lay.

The program will debut with a teaser on YouTube, Programmatic, Video, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter on July 26. The one-of-a-kind tune by Omah Lay is scheduled to be released on July 29 and will be available on the same platforms locally.

"Through Sprite Limelight, we are offering our fans a unique opportunity to discover new music, through one hook reimagined in three different ways. It also provides a glimpse into how they create music, as well as their personal experiences which is tied to our core brand philosophy of staying cool when life's heat feels intense. It connects music listeners across countries and boundaries by bringing together diverse musicians from around the world to create a musical expression based on a common life experience,” Michelle Cloete, Frontline Marketing Director, Coca‑Cola Africa.

Sprite Limelight was created in partnership with Universal Music Group for Brands as the key content creator and the new OpenX agency partnership with WPP for amplification. “Our partnership with Sprite around Limelight demonstrates how UMGB continues to connect brands with some of the world’s most notable talent and produce culturally relevant content that resonates with consumers on a global level”, says Richard Yaffa, EVP, Global Brands, Universal Music Group.

Joshua Burke, Senior Director, Global Music, and Culture at The Coca‑Cola Company added: “The  collaborations fostered through Sprite Limelight have produced music that feels exciting and fresh.  Working with the right talent has been critical – each of the artists needed to bring authenticity,  strong individuality, and openness to the process, as well as their talent, to make it work.  It’s been an amazing journey to get to launch – and now we’re just excited to be able to introduce  the music, as well as the broader program, to the wider world. And of course, to seeing where  Sprite Limelight goes next…” 

Where To Enjoy the Beats

Sprite Limelight content will be available on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/Sprite , Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/user/sprite2015 and Sprite social media platforms.

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