Zeeno Foster | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Ewomazeeno Foster, |
| Born | April 8, 1971 Lagos State, Nigeria |
| Origin | Delta State |
| Occupation(s) | Record producer, Audio Engineer, Entrepreneur |
| Years active | 2000 - Present |
Ewomazeeno Foster (born 8 April 1971), known professionally as Zeeno Foster, is a Nigerian audio engineer, record producer and entrepreneur. He is credited with production and engineering contributions on several notable Nigerian music projects, including Game Over, the third studio album by the duo P-Square; Superstar, the debut album by Wizkid; Wizkid’s single "Jaiye Jaiye" and his second album Ayo; "Body and Soul" by Plantashun Boiz; Away & Beyond and The Ascension by 2Face Idibia; "Reggae Blues" by Harrysong; No Bad Songz by Kizz Daniel; Cupid Stories by the duo Bracket; and Thankful by Flavour. He has also worked on recordings involving artists such as Davido, Femi Kuti, Olamide, Ruggedman, Lagbaja, Mr. May D, Weird MC, 9ice, Jim Iyke, 2Baba, Kcee, Eedris Abdulkareem, ID Cabasa, Tiwa Savage, Sean Tizzle, Wande Coal, Faze, Blackface, Plantashun Boiz, and Sunny Neji, Nelson Brown and others. [1] [2] [3]
The Ascension debuted at number 12 on the Billboard World Albums Chart in 2014, making him among the first Nigerian sound engineers to be associated with a project that entered the Billboard chart. [4] In 2015, he received the award for “Best Mixing and Mastering Engineer” at the inaugural Beatz Awards. [5] [6] [7] He was also nominated in the 2016 Beatz Awards for his contributions on Kizz Daniel's New Era album. [8]
He has been described by The Sun Nigeria as a significant contributor to the development of sound engineering in Nigeria. [9]
Ewomazeeno Foster was born in Lagos State, Nigeria. he attended Igbobie Primary School in Delta State and later studied at Boys Model Grammar School (formerly Oproza Grammar School), also in Delta. He subsequently enrolled at Anajat International Computer Institute in Apapa, Lagos, where he studied computer technology. During this period, he also trained as a recording studio apprentice, gaining experience that contributed to his later career in sound engineering. [10] [11]
In 2000, he was the lead audio engineer on Body and Soul, the first studio album of the Nigerian band Plantashun Boiz, In 2007, he produced and engineered Game Over, the third studio album by the Nigerian duo P-Square, released on 1 May 2007. In 2009 he was nominated for a Headies award on the best Reggae or Dancehall album with My shine by Black Solo. [12] In 2010 he co-produced "T.W.O Legit" by Tunde and Wunmi Obe. In 2011, he mixed and mastered Superstar, the debut studio album by Nigerian singer Wizkid, released 12 June 2011. In the same year he engineered Cupid Stories by Bracket. In 2012 he mixed and mastered Away & Beyond, the fifth solo studio album by 2Face Idibia, released on 30 April 2012. In 2015 he was the audio engineer behind Wizkid and Femi Kuti's project titled "Jaiye Jaiye". He mixed and mastered Thankful , the fourth studio album by Nigerian singer Flavour, which was released on 14 November 2014. He engineered The Enterkraner , the debut studio album by Nigerian singer Dammy Krane. Released on 21 August 2014. In 2015 he mixed and mastered Expensive Shit by Wizkid. [13] He engineered "Reggae Blues" by singer-songwriter Harrysong, which was released on 4 August 2015, which earned him his first Beatz Awards nomination in 2015. [14] In 2016 he mixed and mastered "Bend Down Select" by Young John and Lil Kesh, which was released on June 25, 2016. [15] He was nominated at the 2016 Beatz Awards for his contributions on Kizz Daniel's New Era album. [8] He engineered 2Baba's "Unconditional Love" in 2017, which released on October 25, 2017. [16] He mixed and mastered "Titilailai" by D'tunes featuring olamide which released on January 19, 2018. [17] In 2018 he co-engineered No Bad Songz by Kizz Daniel, which was released on November 30, 2018. He mixed and mastered Mr P's "The Prodigal", which released on April 2, 2021. [18]
He has conducted workshops and collaborated with organizations such as the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), focusing on training and capacity-building for emerging sound engineers and musicians in Africa. [10]
| Year | Awards ceremony | Award description(s) | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | The Headies | Mix and Master Engineer for Best Reggae or Dancehall album by Black Solo [12] | Nominated |
| 2015 | Beatz Awards | Best Mixing and Mastering Engineer | Won |
| 2016 | Beatz Awards | Best Mixing and Mastering Engineer | Nominated |
Artist | Album/EP | Release date |
| Plantashun Boiz | Body and Soul | 2000 |
| P-Square | Game Over | May 1, 2007 |
| Black Solo | My Shine | 2009 |
| Tunde and Wunmi Obe | T.W.O Legit | 2010 |
| Wizkid | Superstar | June 12, 2011 |
| Bracket | Cupid Stories | 2011 |
| 2Face Idibia | Away & Beyond | April 30, 2012 |
| Flavour | Thankful | November 14, 2014 |
| Dammy Krane | The Enterkraner | August 21, 2014 |
| Wizkid & Femi Kuti | Jaiye Jaiye | 2015 |
| Wizkid | Expensive Shit | 2015 |
| Harrysong | Reggae Blues | August 4, 2015 |
| Young Jonn & Lil Kesh | Bend Down Select | June 25, 2016 |
| Kizz Daniel | New Era | 2016 |
| Tee World | Kpo Kpo Love | October 8, 2017 |
| XBusta ft. Humblesmith | Somebody | December 8, 2017 |
| 2Baba | Unconditional Love | October 25, 2017 |
| D'tunes ft. Olamide | Titilailai | January 19, 2018 |
| Kizz Daniel | No Bad Songz | November 30, 2018 |
| B Naira | Fall On Me | May 24, 2019 |
| Minister Ladi | My OfferingEP | July 6, 2020 |
| Mr P | The Prodigal | April 2, 2021 |