Banky W, Eldee, Jesse Jagz Visit France With Hennessy Cognac

By Osagie Alonge

Just a week after the release of the Hennessy Artistry 2011 theme song, Nigerian music acts eLDee da Don and Banky W, Jesse Jagz along with  rapper M.I travelled to Cognac, France on September 5, 2011.

The artistes were treated to ‘The Hennessy Heritage Experience’ where they made their way down to ‘Chateau de Bagnolet, a private chateau in Cognac belonging to the Hennessy Family. The acts joined the likes of Common, The Roots and Alexander Burke on the list of prestigious guests at the exclusive Hennessy chateau.

‘This is really our way of giving these artistes a unique one on one experience with Hennessy Cognac’, Tokini Peterside, communications manager told journalists.

Apart from visiting Hennessy’s vineyards, the artistes also paid a visit to the Founder’s Cellar. Hennessy has over 42 kilometres of Cellars in Cognac.

They then returned to Nigeria on Thursday, September 8, 2011.

‘We were welcomed at the Chateau de Bagnolet by the Hennessy Ambassador, Cyrille Gautier Auriol. It was a big one for me knowing that noteworthy guests like Joe Cocker, Ray Charles and others have also been hosted there before’, Banky W says.

‘My favourite part of the trip was when we returned to Paris on September 7. We went to Galleries Lafayette, the Eiffel Tower and L’arc de triomphe, and then we finished the evening at the top of the stunning Centre Pompidou. We were blown away by the city’s beauty’, Jesse Jagz relives his experience.

On Thursday September 1, the 2011 Hennessy Artistry theme song was released on the Beat 99.9 FM and progressively became viral online within minutes of release. Titled ‘Toast to the Good Life’, after hundreds of audience suggestions, the track blends together the talents of Banky W, eLDee the Don and Tiwa Savage and was produced by Jesse Jagz with support from Banky W and Master Kraft.