The acclaimed Lady of Songs, Christy Essien-Igbokwe who passed away 11 years ago, will be full of joy and pride in her grave. Reason: her grand child, Christiana Chizaramekpeleamaka Igbokwe, has stepped into the legendary musical shoes she left behind.
And wait for this, the Nigerian/American child prodigy features her grandma in the remake of the hit song, Seun Rere. Her captivating, high-energy vocals transport the listeners into a bottomless barrel of musical ear candy. Indeed, with her creativity and traditional music-making skill, 9-year-old Christiana is definitely gearing up to fill the shoes of her grandmother.
The song, Seun Rere sheds more light on the African conversation between mother and child, a mother who counsels her child to listen to her words, so that all will be well with him/her. Seun Rere also gives an insight into how one-sided traditional African parenting is. It echoes the idea that when a child is good, the African culture showers praises on the father, but if the child goes down a different path, the blame lies on the mother.
According to Igbokwe, “the song comes at a time when parents need this message the most, that our children are like mirrors, reflecting images of what happens around them, so we must be good role models to them.”
Seun Rere has been chosen as the official theme song of Rise, an American biographical sports-drama film directed by Akin Omotoso, from a script written by Arash Amel. Produced by Walt Disney Pictures and released as a Disney+ original film on June 24, 2022, Rise is based on the true story of three young Nigerian-Greek brothers, Giannis, Thanasis and Kostas Antetokounmpo, who emigrated to the United States and rose to fame and success within the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Seun Rere was used in the film to show how a mother’s love and guidance was instrumental to her children’s success. When asked about the song, young Christiana says she is excited about the project, and that her grandmother “was the greatest Afrobeats singer of all time, because of the impactful messages her songs carry.”
Seun Rere was released on June 30, 2022 in memory of Christy Essien-Igbokwe, who died exactly 11 years ago; and a week after the movie, Rise was released. The song is available on every digital streaming platform.
