Top 5 Nigerian Musicians Working Today
In recent years, the Nigerian music scene has been making waves all around the world. Some truly great artists have emerged from Nigeria, and have produced some of the best albums and singles of the past few years. It doesn’t come as much of a surprise that Nigeria’s music scene is as successful as it is. After all, the country is one of the most diverse and culturally rich countries in Africa, meaning that artists can draw influence from over 200 different ethnic backgrounds.
In this article, we are going to take a look at a few of Nigeria’s top musical artists, and discuss their contributions to the world of music in general.
Davido
Born in America to Nigerian immigrant parents, David Adedeji Adeleke, known by his stage name, Davido, had the chance to immerse himself in both the popular culture of the United States, and the diverse music and culture of Nigeria. It was precisely this opportunity, that made it possible for Davido to become one of the most popular and beloved Nigerian artists working today.
In March of 2022, Davido was included on the single “Hayya Hayya (Better Together)”, along with Trinidad Cardona and AISHA. The song is the first single off of the official FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Soundtrack, which will accompany the 2022 World Cup. Football is one of Nigeria’s favorite sports and the FIFA World Cup is one of the most popular events in the realm of football. According to various online sports websites, football is the most prominent sport, not just in Nigeria, but in all of Africa, with sports like cricket, boxing, and basketball making a run for the top spot as well. Cricket especially is making quite a bit of headway, especially with many betting sites introducing a section for simulated reality league livescore for the sport.
Dabbling in a number of genres, Davido is most successful in the realm of Afrobeats and pop, though he has produced songs that could be qualified as rap, dance, and R&B. Thus far, Davido has produced three studio albums: Omo Baba Olowo, A Good Time and A Better Time, all of which have been met with positive reviews and great financial success.
Tems
Temilade Openiyi is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and producer, who was met with international fame in 2021, when she appeared on a number of hits, collaborating with quite a few successful pop stars, including Drake on the song “Fountains” and fellow Nigerian Wizkid (whom we will discuss a bit further), on his hit single “Essence”.
Known by her stage name Tems, Ms. Openiyi made it to the fifth spot on the Billboard Emerging Artist chart, was awarded two NAACP Image Awards, and the Soul Train Music Award. Though her career is still in its infancy, her fame has grown immensely, making her success all the more impressive. Thus far, she has only produced two Extended plays, titled For Broken Ears and If Orange Was a Place, both of which have been met with quite a positive critical reception.
Wizkid
By far, Nigeria’s most successful musician working today, Ayodeji Balogun, better known by his stage name Wizkid, is a rapper, singer and songwriter, who has produced music in a variety of different genres, including Afrobeats, reggae, hip hop, and of course pop.
Mr. Balogun has seen major success, not just in his native country of Nigeria, but also internationally. His debut album Superstar was a critical and financial success, with the two singles “Tease Me/Bad Guys” and “Don’t Dull” seeing major radio play. However, it was his sophomore album, the 2014 Ayo that earned him the popularity he enjoys today. It was this album, and the song “Jaiye Jaiye” which put him in the eye of the public, and got him a feature on one of rap’s biggest stars today, Drake. The two collaborated on the song “One Dance”, which launched Wizkid headfirst into the mainstream.
In 2021, Wizkid became the most streamed Nigerian music artists of all time on Spotify, garnering close to 3.5 billion streams. Additionally, the song “One Dance” broke a number of records, making Wizkid the first, and to date only, Afrobeats artist to be featured in the Guinness Book of World Records.