Entertainment

Biggest Takeaways Of Nigerian Music Landscape In 2023

Published

4 months ago

December 30, 2023

Nigerian music superstars undoubtedly solidified their enviable spots on the global music scene, during the outgoing year, 2023.

They topped music charts and broke barriers by owning all arenas as they maintained their dominance on world stage with their unique Afrobeats music.

Rema’s Calm Down

The stage was set by Afrobeats sensation Rema when his hit single, “Calm Down” topped chart as the number 1 song in India in January.

The remix featuring Selena Gomez also recorded the same feat, moving from number 8 to become the number 1 song on the Billboard Global Excl, in the United States chart song and top collaboration.

The track reached number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking in June 2023. It spent a total of 57 weeks on the chart, making Rema’s first song to crack the Hot 100, and the “Only Murders in the Building” star’s ninth top 10 hit on the tally.

Not only that, the song equally won Best Afrobeats song at the 2023 Billboard Music Awards held in November. The same month the smash hit was ranked as the most ‘shazammed’ song of 2023 globally. It made history as the first African song to top the Global Shazam Year-End list, beating Miley Cyrus’ ‘Flowers’ and Lady Gaga’s ‘Bloody Mary’ which ranked second and third respectively, to achieve the feat.

More so, the song was ranked number 12 most streamed song in the world on Apple Music in 2023 as well as number 45 most-streamed song of 2023 in the U.S. on Apple Music. It topped charts in North Africa and the Middle East, earning Rema a Guinness World Record. The song, which was released on February 11, 2022, as one of the lead singles off Rema’s debut studio album, titled, “Rave & Roses”, also reached 700 million views on You Tube.

It as well charted in multiple European countries such as Belgium, reaching Number 1 on the Belgian Ultratop 50, Dutch Top 40, and Dutch Single Top 100. In the United Kingdom, the song peaked at Number 3 and spent 27 non-consecutive weeks in the Top 10 of the UK Singles Chart. Rema crowned the year by winning the maiden “Best Afrobeats” award at this year’s MTV Europe Music Awards. He also recorded the most appearances for an African artiste on the 2023 Billboard Year-End Charts (34), including artistes’ year-end charts, airplay, albums, and song chart entries.

Burna Boy’s ‘Love Damini stadium tour’

Another Nigerian superstar who made a strong impact on the global stage is Burna Boy. Apart from his ‘Love Damini stadium tour’ that took the self-acclaimed African Giant through the length and breadth of the world, this year saw Burna Boy maintaining his dominance of the global scene. The release of his seventh studio album, titled “I Told Them” set the global music scene on fire in addition to his tour of Europe and America. For the third year, the African Giant secured four nominations for the 2024 Grammys, including “Sitting On Top of the World” (Best Melodic Rap), “I Told Them” (Best Global Music Album), “Alone” (Best Global Music Performance) and “City Boys” (Best African Music Performance). But his ‘Love Damini stadium tour ‘ was the event of the year.

The self-acclaimed African Giant kicked off the tour in London, where he shutdown the 80,000-capacity West-Ham London stadium in the United Kingdom. The sold out performance was a testimony to Burna Boy’s urge to rule the world stage.

The 3-hour nonstop concert drew an incredible crowd, completely selling out the stadium and cementing a historic moment in Burna Boy’s flourishing career. He was also at the huge Gelredome stadium, in Arnhem, The Netherlands, for the second leg of his ‘Love Damini’ Stadium tour. The first concert was sold-out, and the organizers were impressed to re-invite him for another successful outing, which he didn’t disappoint.

He also made another big feast this year, after he joined Brazilian superstar, Anitta alongside Swedish sensation, Alesso to headline the 2023 UEFA Champions League final. It was so big that the African Giant said “I know it doesn’t get any bigger than the UEFA Champions League. That’s why I’m so excited to be performing on the Pepsi stage at this year’s final.”

In addition to his success story, Burna Boy became the first African act to obtain a gold-certified record in France, and the sell out of the 21,000-capacity State Farm Arena in Atlanta, USA. He also became the first African artist to get RIAA certifications for songs from three different albums.

Tiwa Savage’s thrilling performance at coronation of King Charles III

It was a historic moment for Nigeria’s songstress, Tiwa Savage, when she mounted the stage to deliver a thrilling performance at the coronation concert of King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Windsor Castle in May this year. She wowed the audience with her rendition of “Keys to the Kingdom,” a song she recorded with Mr Eazi and featured on Beyoncé’s album “The Lion King.”

Clad in a green dress designed by Lanre Da Silva, Tiwa Savage performed on an incredibly lit stage, accompanied by an orchestra that included violinists, drummers, and backup singers who sang in the Yoruba language. The concert also featured performances from global music icons like Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, Take That, Freya Ridings, Alexis Ffrench, Andrea Bocelli, and Sir Bryn Terfel. It was indeed a big outing for Tiwa Savage and African music stars.

Davido soars with ‘Timeless ‘

Davido has released many hit songs in the past, but his latest album, “Timeless” has taken him round the world, thus becoming a global anthem. The album, which was released this year, was one of the songs that earned the Aye’ crooner three nominations for the 2024 Grammy Awards, including Best Global Album for his latest album, “Timeless.”

The other two nominations are for Best African Performance for his song “Unavailable” and Best Global Music Performance for his song “Feel”. This is the first time Davido has been nominated for Grammy Awards, and he was obviously overjoyed with the good news as he took to his Instagram page to express his excitement, saying, “3 nominations at the Grammys!! Delay is not Denial”.

Wizkid’s giant strides

Like Davido and Burna Boy, Wizkid came through on the global scene this year. His “More Love, Less Ego” concert at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London went down in history as one of the sold out shows at the London stadium.

The concert, held in July, saw the Starboy treating the crowd of fans to an electrifying performance. Starting from his iconic “Superstar” album, Wizkid serenaded the audience with tracks from “Ayo” and powered through to “Made in Lagos,” two albums that have solidified his position as a global music icon. The concert added to the growing popularity of Nigeria superstars on the global stage.

More collaboration between Nigerian superstars and their foreign counterparts

Following the recognition Nigerian music is currently enjoying on the global scene, the country’s music superstars have sustained their collaborative efforts with their foreign counterparts. This year saw more of such collaboration in full force. Rema collaborated with Selena Gomez to remix his hit single, “Calm Down,.” Burna Boy on his part featured top acts like Rapper J Cole, 21 Savage and Seyi Vibez in his 15- track album, “I Told You.” He also featured 21 Savage in his single titled “Big 7” and “Sittin’ On Top Of The World” while “Talibans II,” featured Byron Messia.

Mohbad’s controversial death

One of the biggest setbacks recorded in the country’s entertainment industry this year was the controversial demise of popular singer, Mohbad, which gained international attention. The death of the singer on September 12, opened a can of worms, leading to nationwide protests with the #justice for Mohbad,’ arrest and detention of marlian record president, Afeez Fashola, aka Naira Marley alongside Sam Larry and the Lagos State Police Command inaugurating a 13-man special investigation team to probe the mysterious death of the singer.

Ayra Starr soars higher

Mavin Records artiste, Ayra Starr made an impressive outing this outgoing year. She embarked on her first ever headline tour of North America, Africa, Australia and Europe tagged ‘21: The World Tour’ and it was an experience of a lifetime for her. “It’s my first headline tourrrrr !!! I’ve been touring around the world, opening for other artists, opening stages at festivals, Now it’s an Ayra Starr show,” she wrote on Instagram.

The Beninese born singer’s status was elevated alongside Tyla as they formed part of 10 acts who made the long list announced ahead of a ranked shortlist and the announcement of the annual winner on 5 January 2024 on Radio 1. The compilation of the list involved insights from 149 music experts, encompassing artists, DJs, radio and TV producers, journalists, streaming experts and festival bookers.

Signed to Don Jazzy-led Mavin Records, Ayra Starr is among Nigeria’s most streamed female acts across major digital platforms. Last year, she was tipped by music video network Vevo as an artist on the cusp of global breakthrough in 2023 as part of its DSCVR Artists to Watch initiative.

Best known for her global hit ‘Water’, Tyla last week became the highest-charting African female solo act of all time after securing the Number 10 spot on the Billboard Hot 100.
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Entertainment

Afrobeat Superstar, Wizkid, Sets Social Media On Fire After Slamming Davido, Don Jazzy

Published

5 days ago

April 29, 2024

Editor

Afrobeat music giant, Ayodeji Balogun, popularly known as Wizkid, on Monday, set microblogging site, X.com, on fire when he took swipes at Davido and Mavin Records boss, Michael Ajereh, popularly known as Don Jazzy.

As a result of the controversial tweet, Wizkid is now trending on X. He is number 4 on Nigeria’s X trends.

During exchanges with his followers, Wizkid dismissed the very successful music producer and label owner, Don Jazzy, as an ‘influencer’, and mocked Davido for his recently leaked viral video where he was seen on his knees crying and begging someone believed to be a female associate.

The Jaiye Jaiye crooner who hardly tweets but has a penchant for posting controversial tweets set X on fire when he tweeted, “Every day I get things to say but my mouth no good”, at exactly 4:28 am on Monday, to which a fan who tweets as @demigadd responded, “Sha release song”, prompting Wizkid to respond with “Na by force.”

This singular tweet set the pace for an avalanche of conversations, resulting in Wizkid eventually taking a sarcastic swipe at Davido and Don Jazzy.

It was like the ‘On Top Your Matter’ hitmaker’s fans had been anticipating his tweet, the comment section came alive with a barrage of comments, retweets, likes and views.

As of the time of this report, his first tweet (Every day I get things to say but my mouth no good), had garnered a whopping 3.5k comments, 8.8k retweets, 36k likes and 1.3m views, and also generated a series of conversations.

At 4:42 am, a fan who tweets as @iretomiwa03 asked if Wizkid could revert to when he used to be very active and interactive on X. The fan wrote, “Can you just go back to old Twitter wiz”, to which the ‘Holla at your Boy’ singer responded by saying “That’s a bully! Let’s leave him for now”.

When another fan who tweets as @patdafenet also pleaded with him to release a new song, Wizkid responded with a viral video of Davido on his knees begging an unseen person, with the caption “Beg me like this. Send video.”

Recall that on April 15, 2024, a leaked video of the ‘Unavailable’ crooner went viral on social media. In the video, he was seen on his knees crying and begging someone.

While speculations went viral that he was probably begging his wife, Chioma, for an offence he might have committed, some Netizens speculated that he might have been begging American model, Bonita Maria for an undisclosed offence.

The not-so-friendly fire released by Wizkid then turned in the direction of Don Jazzy when a fan who tweets as @miracledc12 posted, “Wizkid Ladipo still talk nonsense yesterday o. Abeg enter that one too.”

Like he was out for his fellow music stars, the ‘Ojuelegba’ hit singer responded at 6:03 with an innuendo describing Don Jazzy as an influencer. He wrote, “Lol, never chatting to anyone signed to an influencer. Next.”

Ladipoe is a Nigerian rap artiste signed to popular record label, Mavin Records, headed by ace music producer, singer and music executive, Don Jazzy.

This is not the first time Wizkid would be slamming of fellow celebrity or posting something very controversial on social media.

In April 2016, he took a swipe at Celebrity Blogger, Linda Ikeji, when she posted that the Afrobeat singer had received an eviction notice from his Lekki apartment which he claimed to own.

She wrote, “In 2013, Wizkid showed off his new place of abode and many people, including myself assumed he bought the house. But it’s been revealed that he only rented the place…and this is a fact. His rent at the 4-bedroom duplex at Ayinde Akinmade in Lekki Phase 1 expired in January 2016 and for reasons best known to him, he refused to renew his rent.

“He was served quit notice yesterday Friday, April 1st. (His reps collected it on his behalf) and he was given until April 11th to vacate the premises. A source close to the singer said his people had already started to gradually move his things out of the house”, to which Wizkid replied with unprintable comments on the blogger’s Instagram page.

Disappointed by their messy public war, popular filmmaker, Charles Novia, reacted. He said, “Wizkid’s reaction was true-to-type. He’s a street kid. A Surulere or Ojuelegba product and he’s not expected to have any chill. Unlike Linda, who is also from a poor background and has some understanding of the rules of the streets of Surulere. Wizkid is a supposed nouveau rich kid whose fame and fortune are grounded in the music of his streets.”

Recall that in November 2022, Wizkid surprised his fans when he made a shocking revelation about his relationship status, lamenting that he had been single for too long. He wrote, “Been single for so long! Gotta find one or two.”

Many were shocked by his remark because the singer had before then shared a rare family photo of himself, his son, Zion, and a then-pregnant Jada Pollock.

Reacting to the comment, Pollock, music executive and Wizkid’s baby mama, said, “Taking arguments to social media is never going to end well.”

She also followed up with another tweet that read, “controlling emotions,” with a padlock and key emoji. The tweets by Jada have since been deleted.

However, reacting to Wizkid’s tweets which have since gone viral, popular Nigerian journalist and afrobeat music enthusiast, Joey Akan, said, “A manufactured and enforced silence made everyone forget who Wizkid was on the come up. A troll, Linda Ikeji had to go beg the commissioner of Police for protection. The same person who gave Dammy Krane a sneak attack at Quilox.

“With Afrobeats to the world, he simply stopped talking and interacting, leading everyone to ascribe maturity to a mischievous machine on hiatus. The moment he’s started talking again, it’s back to familiar ways. “Una Papa.” “I go do giveaway.” “I make Bollywood.” “…signed to an influencer.” Just like he never left. Same old Wizkid. Same old troll.”

Entertainment

You’re Wicked Soul – Actress Okorie Slams Zubby Michael For Mourning Junior Pope On Instagram

Published

7 days ago

April 28, 2024

Editor

Actress Angela Okorie has again slammed her colleague, Zubby Michael for mourning late actor Junior Pope on Instagram.

In an Instagram post she shared, Angela alleged that Zubby took to the social media platform to mourn Junior Pope because he was called out. She also claimed that Zubby never celebrated Junior Pope when he was alive, adding that he should take his ‘’fake love” to Lucifer.

Angela further claimed that some people have planned to attend Junior Pope’s burial to ‘’pack sands from his grave to chain his spirit.”

She wrote: “Zubby onye bu Nwanne gi cos we don drag you,you Dey post JP make people think say you be better person,
You are a very wicked soul zubby everybody knows that
You have never celebrated him RIP too sweet u to post E
what de heck nigga Ina puala onye iberibe
Take your fake love elsewhere we know you Lucifer
You have never ment well for him people wey know know,
You never posted his birthdays,films,achievements, why posting him now Muderfu*cker

Zubby boli boli wey you give demonic money
Where is he, we all know anybody wey you give money,
His or her life never remains same,is either they stop growing or stop excelling,or fall sick and die, you are evil
Untie peoples destinies else you will have me to contend with for the rest of your life, I Angel of the most high God is your karma, I am the Lords battle Axe, you know say spiritually and physically all of you can’t do me shit,touch me by mistake and die by correction filthy things.
I am light and I have no business with darkness.

Note: The lord revealed that some people going to Junior pop’s burial are planing to pack sands from his grave to chain his spirit.
Y’all should put your eyes on the ground , his grave should be sealed immediately no1 apart from his family members should go close to his grave,they want to chain his spirit Ndi ala

Rest in power Bro, it’s so painful to know you are gone forever but you are in our hearts forever,we will never forget all your good deeds
While you are alive,The world will miss you, I miss you, nollywood is miss you , bro is still like a dream to me so na JP we Dey go put for ground ah I Dey
Vex.”

Entertainment

JUST IN: Nollywood Veteran Actor, Ogunjimi Is Dead

Published

1 week ago

April 26, 2024

Editor

The Nigerian movie industry has again been thrown into mourning after the news of the death of another veteran Yoruba Actor Ganiyu Oyeyemi popularly known as Ogunjimi, surfaced on social media on Friday.

Ogunjimi’s death was announced by a Yoruba actor, Kunle Afod, in a post on his Instagram page.

Mourning the actor, Afod wrote, “We tried our best but God loves you more.

“May his soul rest in peace. Baba Ogunjinmi, RIP, Sun re oooo.”

At the time of writing this report, the cause of death has not yet been ascertained.