MÁDÉ KUTI

Made Kuti’s early years were spent growing up in The New Afrika Shrine. The son of Femi and grandson of Fela, he was surrounded by music early on and took to the alto sax at five years old. As a child, he toured the world with his father’s Positive Force band, playing legendary venues like Glastonbury and the Hollywood Bowl at the age of eight.

He studied at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire in London – where Fela attended – and is a multi-instrumentalist composer who plays up to six instruments including the saxophone, trumpet, guitar, bass and more. Most days, he practices intensely for up to seven hours, moving seamlessly from instrument to instrument. In his downtime, he enjoys genres such as Jazz, Alternative Rock and of course, Afrobeat – all of which have helped fashion his unique musical style.

He released his debut album, ‘For(e) Ward’ in February 2021, packaged with his father’s album ‘Stop the Hate’. Both albums comprise separate sides of a double album titled, ‘Legacy+’. Made features on both projects, playing bass on ‘Stop the Hate’ and every instrument on ‘For(e)ward’.

‘For(e)ward’ is a modern manifesto, pushing the boundaries of Afrobeat, and with it, Made addresses Nigeria’s many societal ills such as poor governance, social inequality and police brutality. Continuing with the Kuti legacy of speaking up for the everyday Nigerian, Made and his father took to the streets to partake in the 2020 #ENDSARS protests, which denounced police brutality in Nigeria.

On April 4th, 2021, he made history, headlining his first show at the Shrine with his newly-formed band, The Movement. Together, they performed songs such as Made’s single, ‘Free Your Mind’ and his stellar rendition of Fela’s ‘Trouble Sleep Yanga Go Wake Am’.

He has since been nominated for a Grammy for ‘Best Global Music Album’ at the 2022 Grammy Awards for his album, Legacy+. Followed by two new singles Stand Tall and No More Wars.

Since then Made Kuti has been working on a new studio album and on February 11th, 2024, He headlined his first African performance at the Sauti Za Busara Festival in Tanzania with The Movement Band.