Nigerian Music Executives Ikenna Nwagboso and Camillo Doregos Launch Hi-Way 89 Entertainment in Canada

There's a new music company bridging Canada and Africa.

Hi-Way 89 Entertainment is a new Canadian music company headquartered between Toronto and Calgary. It is founded by two Nigerian-Canadian music executives, Ikenna Nwagboso and Camillo Doregos, both with deep experience of breaking African artists on the international stage.

The new company will focus on providing artist development and label services, concentrating on artists from both Canada and Africa. Hi-Way 89 has just announced Canadian pop/R&B singer Chrissy Spratt as its first signing, and she will release a debut single on the label, "In Too Deep," on April 25, with distribution through Vydia/gamma.

“We are a Canadian company and, with the tremendous success we’ve had exporting African music globally, we want to do the same thing in Canada, working with Canadian artists and showing the world the gem that is Canada, and the amount of talent here,” Nwagboso says. “We understand what it takes to develop global superstars and we have the knowledge, access, resources, contacts, and partnerships to make that happen.”

Nwagboso and Doregos are now based in Toronto and Calgary, respectively. Nwagboso previously co-founded African music company emPawa Africa in 2018, serving as global head of label services and partnerships before stepping down in January. In that role, he oversaw the signing and development of artists including GuiltyBeatz, Joeboy, Fave, King Promise, Minz, Xenia Manasseh, Nandy, Tekno and Nezsa.

Nwagboso also led emPawa Africa’s flagship initiatives: the emPawa 100 and emPawa 30 campaigns, which developed 130 emerging artists from across Africa. Nwagboso is also a co-founder of Exodus Music Group, home to artists Geo Baddoo (U.K.), Nezsa (Canada/Nigeria) and Zubi (Nigeria).

Camillo Doregos, previously a manager for Mr Eazi, is the founder of DC Talent Agency, the management company behind Nigerian music stars Pheelz and Kah-Lo and South African amapiano duo TxC. He also operates a booking agency, DC Talent Agency, that has secured festival appearances, live shows and brand deals for artists including Rema, Wizkid, Davido, Moliy and more.

Hi-Way 89 aims to "cast a wide net with our signings," but the initial focus will be on acts from Canada and Africa. In addition to Chrissy Spratt, the first round of signings includes Nigerian artist Siraheem and South African DJ Chelsea Sloan.

The new label has high hopes for Spratt. The Ottawa artist has made a major splash on Instagram and TikTok, with an audience now numbering over 5.5 million followers between the two platforms. There, she has grabbed attention with covers of songs ranging from R&B to Latin, with her versions of Afrobeats hits like Kizz Daniel’s “Cough (Odo)” and Ckay’s “Love Nwantiti” especially connecting with listeners in Nigeria and earning endorsements from top Nigerian artists.

Spratt is now concentrating on original music, and Hi-Way 89 plans to release her debut EP this summer. "In Too Deep" was produced by Grammy Award winner Daramola (Danny Ocean, Kapo), and the EP will feature such collaborators as Nonso Amadi, Tems’ “Higher” producer Tejiri, and Canadian songwriting team Coleman Hell & La+ch.

Global music movements from Afrobeats to Latin music to the Punjabi Wave are making an impact on the Canadian scene. As well as the commercial success of international genres, Canadian-based entrepreneurs with roots in those musical cultures are forming record labels, promoting concerts and boosting Canadian artists working in those genres. Hi-Way 89 is the latest example of the industry breaking down borders.