Toronto
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When Nigerians talk about “japa” (Yoruba slang for escape), they are referring to the growing wave of young people seeking opportunities abroad. In Canada, especially Toronto, this movement has fueled a vibrant music scene connecting Lagos, Nigeria, and Toronto.
Leading this change are Nigerian-born executives Ikenna Nwagboso and Camilo Dregos. In 2025, they founded Hi-Way 89 Entertainment, a record label that aims to be a corridor between African artists and the North American music industry.
Toronto is home to a rapidly growing African diaspora, a multicultural music scene, and a natural gathering place for the creative energy of the Japanese generation. But Dregos said the infrastructure was never fully set up to support them. That’s why Hi-Way 89 Entertainment aims to provide the behind-the-scenes systems that develop artists, release music, and turn creativity into business.
“What we realized when we came to Canada is that there are a lot of Africans immigrating. There’s so much talent, but there’s not enough opportunity or knowledge to connect with them. So we built a bridge,” he says.
That bridge goes in both directions.
“We travel back and forth between Nigeria and Canada,” he added. “I just returned from Lagos three days ago. Business is on both sides.”
This continued exchange is transforming Toronto into a creative hub where African artists find new fans and Canadian-born black artists find new partners to work with.
That interaction is becoming increasingly digital. For many of the Japanese generation, migration begins online rather than at the airport. Streaming platforms TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram act as parallel infrastructures, allowing Nigerian artists in Canada to build audiences across the continent without relying on traditional gatekeepers in either market.
Music tracks recorded in Toronto can find listeners in Lagos overnight, and the fan base built in their hometown can drive Canadian streams that attract local industry attention. Online communities (fan pages, group chats, creator networks) have become unofficial street teams that maintain momentum across borders.
Recently, Nigerian songs have been rapidly rising on the Canadian charts. The song “Finesse” by Davido, Burna Boy and especially Pheelz went platinum in Canada. Dregos says this shows there is a “ready market” for African music.
According to research from ADVANCE, the Canadian Black Music Business Collective, and the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Diversity Institute, Black music accounted for over 65% of Canadian streaming on Apple Music and Spotify between 2019 and 2022, worth an estimated C$339 million in 2022.
The rise of African music in Canada is also very moving. “Japa” may mean escape, but it is fraught with contradictions – an ambition mixed with opportunity and loss, shaped by absence. Many artists are grappling with why they felt the need to leave in the first place, as well as gratitude for a new beginning.
That kind of tension is reflected in the sound itself. Afrobeats, fused with R&B, hip-hop, and pop, was a living mirror of life between different cultures, primarily in Nigeria but reshaped by Canadian realities. Lyrics often reflect nostalgia, sacrifice, and resilience, turning personal stories of migration into music with global resonance.
“Black music is big here,” Nwagboso says. “But there is still an underrepresentation. That’s the gap we want to fill.”
Entering a new music market often hinges on a strategic moment. Highway 89 executives point to Nigerian star Rema’s “Calm Down” as a now classic example of global expansion.
“‘Calm Down’ was already a huge success[in Nigeria and Europe]but when Selena Gomez jumped on it? That’s when it became a huge hit in places like Canada,” Nwagboso explains.
“Even though he was already big, a lot of people found out about Rema because of his collaboration with Selena Gomez.”
In the case of Hi-Way 89, the message is clear. By teaming up across continents, we can tap into entirely new markets.
Hi-Way 89 is a combination of artist training, strategy, and analysis.
Nwaboso says frankly: “To be successful in this business, you need a sense of delusion. You have to push yourself. People see the finished product, but they don’t see the work, the anxiety, the stress.”
“It’s not about going viral anymore. It’s about the community. Virality doesn’t sustain careers; communities sustain careers,” Dregos added.
Building audiences across borders through direct, consistent, global digital engagement is central to career longevity.
In the case of Hi-Way 89, this approach aligns with a generation that already exists in multiple worlds simultaneously: creatively rooted in Nigeria, professionally developed in Canada, and globally visible from the start.
Their strategies include cross-border writing camps that foster collaboration between new songwriters and established artists, thoughtful artist pairings, and targeted market research. Hi-Way 89 pitches its artists directly to streaming platforms to get them added to their playlists. It also focuses on building a loyal fan base rather than following short-term trends.
Dregos explains, “It takes sleepless nights, contracts, marketing, PR, radio, distribution, pitching to get an album out. There’s a lot of it.”
Nwagboso sums it up: “You’re competing with millions of people. You need a talented team that understands your vision.”
One of the clearest examples of Lagos-Toronto fusion was a recent session at the Orange Lounge recording studio, where Grammy-winning Nigerian producer Felts worked on new songs with up-and-coming Canadian artist Chrissy Spratt of Highway 89.
This session was not a one-time event. This demonstrated the label’s goal of matching Toronto singers like Spratt, Sewa, and Nessa with experienced African hitmakers.
Nwagboso uses a simple method. “Send your wish list to artists. Who would you actually like to work with?”
For many people, Japa is no longer a slang term, but a cultural movement. What’s taking shape in Canada is a generation of Nigerian artists who are using music and technology to rewrite the rules of the industry. They didn’t leave their culture behind. They carried it around, remixed it and sent it back into the world.
