The Nigerian Music Industry in year 2019 experienced remarkable growth and birth of fresh talents who shook the country, Africa and the world. It would be untrue to say Nigerian musicians did not contribute to the country’s positive image abroad, also a discredit to them.
In the history of Nigerian Music Industry in the last decade, there’s always a major breakout star, but this year is different, the industry got five solid artistes, the new kids – Rema, Joeboy, Fireboy DML and the already existing artistes who got major breakthrough – Zlatan Ibile and Naira Marley.
In Nigeria, it is not an easy task to breakout and score major hit song (s), it is even more difficult to maintain stardom, that’s why musicians try their best to keep releasing songs frequently and fuel their career with controversies and other strategies they deem fit to stay in limelight.
Controversies make headlines faster than decent news, a typical example of an artiste fueling his music career with controversy is Naira Marley who also deserved to be crowned the most controversial male musician of 2019, likewise Tiwa Savage for female. These two are always on the news, making headlines and appearing on the front pages of different newspapers/magazines.
As the year is fast rounding off, different award organisers have handed diverse plaques over to their bests in different music categories. Nonetheless, here is a list of ten musicians I expected so much from this year, but they didn’t impress and left their fans wondering what could be happening.
This article is not to mock any artiste featured on the list, but to encourage them to put in more efforts and reclaim their glory. See the list from bottom to top.
1. D’Banj
Don’t be surprised to see D’Banj on this list, he’s an iconic entertainer who dominated the industry for years.
I cannot also dispute the fact that D’Banj is still very much hard at work, trying his possible best to bounce back to the top spot where he belongs.
It is however, sad that he’s not been noticed as much as he should be.
2. Mr Eazi
Mr Eazi’s dominance in the music industry in 2017 and 2018 looked like he’s never going to go out of spotlight.
Mr Eazi’s case appears like an intentional action, he released less music to focus more on the business side of music, which is working quite well for him.
Through Mr Eazi, Empawa Africa has produced quality musicians including Joe Boy, however, Eazi’s music career in 2019 experienced a drop.
3. Omawumi
Omawumi remains my most favourite Nigerian female musician, she’s energetic, enthusiastic and has astonishing stage presence.
She released new compilation of songs, titled ‘In Her Feelings’ this year and floated a media company with her friend, Waje, but her presence was not felt as it used to be.
I expected 2019 to be her major comeback year and as it stands, I’ll have to say ‘let’s see what happens next year.’
4. KCee
Just like D’Banj, KCee is another aristocrat in the music industry, he appears to have mastered the art of churning out hit songs like he’s chewing gum carelessly, however 2019 came with a new challenge for him. He struggled, but not hard enough to conquer and keep spotlight this year.
5. Maleek Berry
Maleek Berry, the super producer who doubles as a musician and loved by the ladies, his sudden drop still wows me, knowing how splendid he is.
Maleek Berry released a couple of songs, including a duet with American rapper Goldlink, but his songs didn’t enjoy much attention. The way the music industry works at times cannot be predicted.
6. Chidinma
Talented but refused to grow beyond average, Chidinma attempted a massive return with ‘40Yrs Everlasting Extended Playlist, a collaborative project with Flavour. The project suffered setback because there was no clear promotional strategy to back it up and push it forward.
Chidinma, at a time, was compared to be a better version of Yemi Alade and Tiwa Savage, unfortunately she dented her perceived ‘holy’ brand via alleged romance controversies with Flavour and Kizz Daniel. I hope to see her fly higher next year.
7. Lil Kesh
Apparently, combining the responsibilities of being an artiste and music executive is a little bit too much for Lil Kesh and have subdued his career.
Known for releasing hit songs frequently, Lil Kesh gradually went out of public eye with his inability to drop chart-topping songs.
He made efforts to return to his top spot in 2019, but his attempts were not enough to take over from reigning artistes.
8. Wande Coal
Arguably one of the top five best vocalists in Nigeria and a master in turning fewer singles to hit songs, Wande Coal’s effort this year proved abortive, a clear evidence that he needs to release more songs and promote them harder.
9. Korede Bello
Right now ‘Bellovers’ have gone into hiding because their star is not as active as he used to be.
Mavin Records singer Korede Bello put in some efforts, released three good songs, ‘Joko’, ‘Mr Vendor’ and ‘The Way You Are’, yet he didn’t peak.
Some even argued he’s no more signed to Don Jazzy’s record label due to his sudden silence in the industry. This year definitely took a different turn Korede Bello never expected.
10. Sean Tizzle
It’s gradually looking like Sean Tizzle is never going to make a comeback with how 2019 went without having any major hit from him.
With two incredible tracks released, Sean Tizzle claimed one of the songs, ‘Lotto’ is a big song, but how come we are not listening to the song everywhere? I still strongly believe in Sean Tizzle and hoping for better activities from him next year.
11. Slimcase
Slimcase’s fans surely got distracted by Naira Marley and Zlatan Ibile who took over street–hop that was dominated by Saint Sami-Ganja last year.
I projected Slimcase to solidify his reign by leading other street-hop musicians, however, he didn’t deliver as expected. We simply didn’t see Slimcase this year.
Word of advice: These artistes should engage both the traditional and new media strategically, add a little bit of controversy to their activities and collaborate more. I’ll personally be happy to see them ‘everywhere’ in 2020.
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