The music business is not a science. You may not be able to accurately predict the artistes that will hug the limelight, which one will sell out shows, or go platinum
There have been several cases of talented artistes who seemed to have all it takes to shine, but who never made it beyond their family house. There have also been instances of artistes who were thought to be without talent, but eventually ruled the music industry like emperors.
However, beyond the uncertainty that is a regular feature of the music business, it is still possible, with the help of some time-tested indices, to determine artistes who will ‘blow,’ and those whose careers may not fly.
Sunday Punch takes a critical look at the career of the top Nigerian artistes that will most likely straddle the music world, and the ones who are not doing so well right now, but could still make their way back to relevance in 2017.
Wizkid
Ayodeji Balogun is truly gifted with the Midas touch, as everything he touches turns to music gold. Even though, this lanky artiste didn’t do much musically in 2016, he still came out tops of the industry. His collaborations with international artistes such as Drake, Chris Brown, and Tinie Tempah ensured that he remained relevant. In the twilight of 2016, Wizzy carted home many of the major national, continental and international awards, and he is still a fan favourite. Though the singer was dropped as a Glo brand ambassador in 2016, he is still associated with Pepsi.
Meanwhile, he is likely to release a new body of work in 2017, as his last album, Ayo (Joy), was released in 2014.
Olamide
Ever since Bariga-born and bred Olamide, released his debut hit song, Eni Duro, in 2010, he hasn’t taken a break; he has constantly been on a roll.
In 2016, he shone like a thousand stars with hits such as Konkobility, Orobo, Owo Blow etc, and he capped the year with his sold-out concert, OLIC 3. Even though there is no official statistics to prove this, Olamide is probably the artiste with the highest number of collaborations in 2016. Several artistes wanted to work with him as his voice on their songs is almost guaranteed to make their songs hits.
It is almost certain that Olamide will continue to shine in 2017.
Davido
When Omo Baba Olowo, Davido, came into the industry in 2011, not many people gave him a fighting chance. He was seen as a rich kid who was just living off his father’s glory. However, the braggadocios fellow has shown that he indeed has what it takes to stand on his own. With countless hits in his repertoire, Davido made it quickly to A-list status in the music industry. It goes without saying that the artiste was one of the most talked about singers in 2016 as he started the year with a scandal, when he was embroiled in custody issues with his baby mama, Sophie Momodu and her family. In the early part of 2016, he also signed an international deal with Sony BMG. He was dropped as a MTN brand ambassador, but it may not have much effect on his bank balance, as the singer claimed his deal with Pepsi, which he signed earlier in the year, is worth over N100m.
In the latter part of the year, he released an Extended Play (EP) album which contained songs like Gbagbe Oshi, and was met with mixed reviews. He is still very prominent in the industry as many artistes are on the waiting list to collaborate with him.
Kiss Daniel
Kiss Daniel came into the industry with the speed of a moving train, and the Woju singer is still in motion years after.
He released his debut album, New Era, in 2016, and virtually all the songs in it made it to the top of the charts. Tracks such as Jombo, Mama and Sin City have become national anthems of sort. In 2016, Kiss Daniel performed at majority of the high-profile concerts in the country, and other parts of Africa.
The singer once revealed that his record contract with G-Worldwide precludes him from collaborating with other artistes, and that explains why he hasn’t been featured by many singers. However, he worked with Davido and Tiwa Savage for the remix of his hit song, Woju.
2017 will definitely see Kiss Daniel grow bigger as his fan base keeps increasing, and it doesn’t seem like the world is tired of hearing his songs yet.
Falz
Lawyer-turned-singer, Folarin Falana aka Falz really hit the jackpot in 2016. His songs such as Soldier and Soft Work became the favourite of many, and his comedy skits on social media were viewed by millions of people all over the world.
Last year, he was also courted by companies such as Merry Bet, Blackberry Messenger, and MTN that signed him as brand ambassador. This is even as he was named the Best Actor in a Comedy at the African Magic Viewers Choice Awards (AMVCA) in the early part of 2016, which arguably makes him the most successful crossover artiste-actor in the country.
Apart from being a big winner at award shows like Headies, and BET, the Jenifa’s Diaries actor also notched a couple of collaborations in 2016.
It is apparent that Falz is currently one of the biggest acts in the Nigerian music space, and 2017 can only see him grow even bigger.
Phyno
As far as most people in the Eastern part of Nigeria are concerned, there are only two rappers in the country, Phyno and others.
But even beyond the Igbo-speaking parts of the country, Phyno, who raps majorly in Igbo, has re-enforced the age-long belief that music is a universal language because his fan base cuts across several tribes and races.
He was one of the biggest artistes of 2016, and with the release of his sophomore album, The Playmaker, the only direction he can go is up, as fans across the world are still lapping up his hit songs with glee.
As if to confirm his legendary status, he staged a mega-concert, Phyno Fest, in November at the Nnamdi Azikwe Stadium, Enugu, which was reportedly attended by over 25,000 people, and which was one of the biggest events of the year.
2017 will definitely be a year that the light-skinned lyricist will consolidate his reign as the King of the East, and may well extend his territory to other parts of the country. And lest we forget, he is indeed giving Flavour a run for his money.
Tekno
As far as the music industry is concerned, Tekno may well be the patient dog that gets the fattest bone. He came into the industry at roughly the same time with Wizkid and Davido, but while the latter were signing endorsement deals worth millions, travelling round the world and hanging out with international celebs, he was content tagging behind Iyanya and Ubi Franklin.
However, in all those years, Tekno was resilient and he kept dishing out hits such as Holiday, Dance, Duro, Wash, among others, and in no time, the industry noticed his efforts.
In 2016, his hustle finally paid off; he signed a lucrative endorsement deal with MTN, and released Pana, one of the biggest songs of last year. 2017 is the year that pundits speculate he will finally start ‘reaping the fruits of his labour’ in a big way.
Patoranking
‘There’s nobody that cannot make it’ is the permanent refrain on the lips of ghetto kid, Patrick Nnaemeka Okorie aka Patoranking, and he is an embodiment of that fact.
From his star-craving days of Alubarika to the moment when he is travelling first class around the world singing No Kissing, this young man has indeed come a long way.
He released his debut album, God Over Everything, to critical acclaim in 2016, and he was also selected as one of the judges of music reality show, The Voice Nigeria. This is in addition to several collaborations with other Nigerian and African artistes including Wizkid, Sarkodie and Elephant Man.
The sky looks very bright for Patoranking in 2017, and by some of his acts, he has shown that he does understand the music business to an extent. He is likely to grow bigger this year, and borrowing a leaf from our prophets, Sunday Scoop prophesies that he will score a big collaboration with either an American or Jamaican artiste this year. Can someone shout amen?!
Flavour
Contrary to what the naysayers are saying out there, babies aren’t the only things Flavour knows how to make. The brother also knows how to sing!
And he has always managed to remain on top of his game over the years. He released a couple of songs such as Obianuju, and Gbo Gan Gbom that didn’t do too well in 2016, but he performed at many of the top shows of the year. He also maintained an appreciable level of media relevance in the year, but his position is shaky. Phyno is giving him sleepless nights, and if he doesn’t belt out a major hit in the first quarter of 2017, he may soon realise that Nigerian fans don’t need more than two seconds to forget an artiste who is no longer relevant.
Tiwa Savage
Tiwa Savage had a really eventful 2016, which was turbulent, and full of drama. Just when she was still trying to ‘re-integrate’ herself into the industry after her maternity break, her husband kicked up a scandal of epic proportions. Their messy media battle left a sour taste in the mouth of fans, and to worsen things for Tiwa, MTN dropped her as a brand ambassador.
All the big songs she had this year were off her last album, R.E.D which was released in the latter half of 2015.
Tiwa still has a lot of star power, but she must work extra hard if she must not slip down the ladder of fame this year. The people need a new hit from her, and they are getting restless.
Adekunle Gold
Adekunle Gold surprised many people with the rapid growth of his career. Some felt that his brand of urban highlife was a hard sell in the Nigerian market and wouldn’t have mass appeal. But like wild fire aided by the harmattan wind, his songs became massive hits. He released his debut album, Gold, in 2016, and it was very well-received. He also won a couple of awards last year, and with the critical acclaim he’s getting right now, the wind is behind him to go forward.
Simi
Simi cuts the picture of a good girl that will soon go bad. She’s immensely talented, and she is getting critical acclaim at the moment. She ought to take advantage of all the buzz she’s been getting with her songs, and her ‘purported’ relationship with Falz. They both seem to be playing to the gallery and creating an air of mystery around that relationship which is very wise of them. Fans love mysteries and it keeps artistes relevant, Simi shouldn’t waste time in cashing in on that by dishing out multiple hits back-to-back, and taking advantage of the vacuum in the throne room of female Nigerian artistes. The odds favour her!
Yemi Alade
Yemi Eberechi Alade is an enigma, and she does have what it takes to be the queen of the music industry. Nothing much was heard from her in the latter part of 2016, and she was absent from many of the big shows in the country. However, she travelled a lot around the world performing last year, and she is still very relevant in the game.
She needs to hit the ground running in 2017, if she must displace the tight competition. However, she’s a very strong contender for the throne.
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