Tom Tom, leading candy brand from Cadbury Nigeria Plc (a part of Mondelēz International), as part of its efforts to champion and encourage youth creativity and drive, has officially announced that registration for its inaugural ‘Breathe for It’ Summit is now open.

The event, which has been tagged, “Music: Africa’s New Export”, is scheduled to hold at 1pm on Thursday, 24th of March, 2022, as a virtual gathering, during which industry experts will share professional advice and tips for succeeding in the music industry. Individuals looking to participate are expected to register for the free event at www.tomtombreathesummit.eventbrite.com.

According to Mrs. Yimika Adeboye, Managing Director, Cadbury West Africa, “This is part of our efforts to fulfil our commitment to grow the future of the Nigerian economy and give to our society. We have identified music as a key export from Nigeria and seek to help the youth thrive in their identified passion-points. The public should expect a lot of more fun and excitement, as we’ve only just begun. We encourage everyone to register and participate in this event.”

The event, which is expected to run as a panel session, will be moderated by Motolani Alake, Editor, Strategic Partnerships and Lead, Pulse Podcast Network at Pulse Nigeria, and will witness key players in the entertainment industry, including Reminisce Alaga, Rapper, Song writer and Performing artist; Osagie Alonge, Director, Integrated Marketing Communications, TeamApt; Foza Fawehinmi, Entertainment Lawyer; Excel Joab, A&R Consultant; Focus Ramon, Music Producer and Sound Engineer, draw from their wealth of knowledge and experience to inspire, connect with and educate participants.

Morolake Emokpaire, the Category Lead (Gum and Candy) in West Africa, expanded further on the decision to champion this engagement, “Prior to zeroing on music as a passion point, Tom Tom noted the versatility and greatness of the Nigerian youth in other key areas which are tech, sports, dance, etc. – areas that we explored when we initially commenced the ‘Breathe for it’ challenge. But in taking our learnings, music came out more strongly and we decided to focus squarely on music and thus the ‘Breathe for it’ campaign was launched. The journey began when we signed Rema on. We want the youth to remember that no matter the challenge, they can breathe deeply, see their way through and come out on top. Everyone looking to enhance their knowledge of the entertainment industry should visit www.tomtombreathesummit.eventbrite.com to register.”

The announcement of the summit comes after Tom Tom signed upcoming artiste and winner of the “Breathe for It” Verse Challenge, Mani Lapussh, as its Tom Tom Boy in February. The announcement, which was made at an unveiling ceremony held in Lagos, guarantees Mani Lapussh a feature song with popular Nigerian musical artiste, Rema; a one-million Naira cash prize; and a year’s supply of Tom Tom candy. His role as ‘Tom Tom Boy’ will see him play an integral role in the brand’s activities.

Mani Lapussh, who joins the pantheon of famous faces and takes his place among a diverse and accomplished group of artists, including current brand ambassador Rema, sheds more light on the path to becoming the Tom Tom Boy, “I was initially reluctant to join the competition and only did because some of my close friends advised that I did. I didn’t think I would make it to the next stage. I was very surprised when I was shortlisted as one of the 25 major contestants. Making it to the finals ignited my zeal to win and now, on this stage, as the ‘Tom Tom Boy’, I am both deeply humbled and excited to begin this new journey. I hope I can inspire a new generation of youth to not give up on anything they do. Trust yourself, it will all work out in the end.”

The Breathe for It Summit will also serve as the premiere for Mani Lapussh’s and Rema’s new song collaboration. Participants at the summit will enjoy an exclusive listening session before the song is released across all music streaming platforms.

The “Breathe for It” campaign was introduced in 2021 to help the younger generation build capacity in a key passion area – music. The campaign, through which Cadbury has signed two artistes – Rema and Mani Lapussh – as Brand Ambassador and Tom Tom Boy, respectively, promises to deliver more exciting activities for Nigeria’s youth.

Cadbury’s powerhouse of candies comprise the nation’s beloved No.1 candy brand, Tom Tom, its sub variant Tom Tom Freshlime and the fun-filled and exciting Buttermint, as well as  Cadbury coffee and caramel-flavoured candies, two recently launched variants of candy, which were introduced after listening to the yearnings of its consumers.