Why Nigeria loves homecoming music stories

We love homecomings. Those stories of pride and happiness that start off many years ago as a son of the soil (or a daughter of the earth, for feminists) leaving for brighter lands, and achieving. Once that is done, and that individual begins to generate considerable buzz, and ticks some success boxes, a return to ‘his roots’ is announced and we can all be happy to welcome him back.

This pretty much formulaic. The artiste first needs to have a Nigerian backstory. This is the most essential part. You need to share that story to a globally respected media house, in an emotionally charged interview that has to go viral. That story should be shared, retweeted and made to cause backlash and all from citizens of the home country. As an alternative to this, make the story less candid and stereotypical, but pay for aggressive marketing of the resulting interview. Just generate a conversation that would make people from your home country aware that you still recall them in your prayers.

Next step is to plan a return, and make it symbolic. There has to be a homecoming story that would be more than just showing up and screaming ‘I’m back’. Be it a concert, a movie screening, some event, or anything. Be sure to plug it into a bigger picture.

Why do we love homecomings? Because we connect. Every one of us can connect on a basic and nostalgic level, the feeling of a homecoming. How many times have you returned to your place of birth, the street corners that you hung, the places that meant much growing up, and the mushy feeling you get from returning back. That’s why we celebrate the stars who do, and hold their story up in high esteem. We relate to the process of returning to your past, better than you left it.

And then there’s our collective pride in each other’s achievement. A homecoming further reminds us that we all can be better than our stations in life. The Nigerian spirit is one which sees hustle as a virtue and reality. It’s a way of life, with each one of us striving to achieve greatness in all our endeavors, while being rewarded financially for it. It’s aspirational, and we connect with it. Was Jidenna not a young kid from Enugu who moved with his father to the US? He is an Igbo boy, just like the lot of us, and now he is the ‘Classic Man’, complete with a manifesto, selling records and performing on grand stages. We appreciate that.

Collaborations are a part of it. The chance for two different musical cultures to mix and blend is a huge reason why we love homecomings. Wale has records with a number of industry stars. Jidenna already has a couple of unreleased songs with Wizkid, although that happened in a different clime, far removed from any homecoming situation. His return would enable him make records with some of the homegrown talents and further cement his place in the Nigeria music scene.

But above all, we simply love it when international artistes connect with us, and appreciate us. That’s why it’s always a big deal to have an American at the dawn or twilight of their careers visit and perform in Nigeria. Lauryn Hill, India Arie, Ginuwine and many others have received love from Lagos, by virtue of their past. Homecoming stars are special because they bring an element of national pride in it. That’s why we love them, celebrate them, and ultimately revere them.