2015 is a bad year for upcoming Nigerian musicians

Kiss Daniel is a star this year. His amazing single, ‘Woju’ propelled him into the bright lights of Nigerian music, and with a remix, and more recently, ‘Laye’, he has had to keep himself off the brink of a relapse.

He is not yet a full star, but his story is unique because he is the only shining light from the throngs of singers, rappers and musicians who have toiled this year to no avail. 2015 has been a bad year for Nigerian upcoming acts. None has tasted pop success, except Kiss Daniel.

I roll in the circle of musicians. My job puts me in their zone on a daily professional basis. Crude oil isn’t the only natural resource we have in this great and ailing nation. I believe if we check our water sources beyond the confines of empiricism, and perhaps improve our technology to test the air, we are bound to unearth a chemical component that bestows not just vocals on the inhabitants of Nigeria, but also cranks up their thinking towards the realm of singing.

But sadly, every year, only a couple of these people who dare chase their dreams and aspire to something more in music do get to taste success. I mean that literally. Only a couple.

2015 has been a drought year for the country’s upcoming acts. Last year was an anomaly. We had Runtown, Patoranking, Cynthia Morgan, Di’ja, Reekado Banks, Lil Kesh, and Simi embrace stardom. In 2013, only Sean Tizzle(‘Shoo Le’), and Kcee(‘Limpopo’) walked down the aisle, and got wedded into pop bliss. This year, Kiss Daniel. Only Kiss Daniel, and we are past the mid-point of the entire duration.

You can make a case for the newly signed Chocolate City artistes aka Choc Bois 2.0. Dice Ailes, Milli, and Koker are working their butts off, and they have media coverage courtesy of their hallowed record label, but they are yet to receive resounding success and nation-wide acceptance. They are on the, almost there.

A number of reasons have contributed to the drought of 2015. This was a year of elections, where the nation dealt with intense tension, and widespread focus on choosing leaders. The entertainment industry almost did ground to a halt, with things picking up after the gubernatorial elections.

What that meant for the industry was a mass rush to release new material. Our playlists are flooded with the major stars, with no space left to explore new talents. In June alone, over 30 major stars released singles, and they all made the trip to the media for promotion and distribution. Where is the space for the lesser powers?

Also there has been a consolidation from acts who blew last year. Korede Bello’s ‘Godwin’ has kept him winning, Di’ja’s ‘Aww’ is still a favourite, Patoranking has ‘My woman, my everything’, Reekado Banks is on fire, Simi is asking the right questions, and Lil Kesh has his indigenous mojo on point. There is simply no space.

Then there’s the element of good ol’ bad luck keeping many from hitting it big. Many acts have worked hard, and they are yet to taste success on a mainstream level. The following acts below have put in major work. You can click on their names to see their good materials.

Pepenazi

Sukanmi

Sefiya

YCEE

Sossi

These acts should keep their work on. Their hard work is turning heads in the music space, and they have to keep it up. 2015 has been a bad year for upcoming acts in the country, but they shouldn’t despair. There is still time for that to change. The jinx definitely will be broken at some point.

Only preparation and more hard work will make this curse become a blessing.