Pulse Picks: 10 Most Underwhelming Projects of 2025

Nigerian music did not slow down in 2025. If anything, the industry hit the accelerator harder as superstars released new materials to consolidate their status, while emerging stars made a move to claim a spot in the limelight. 

Yet amidst this rush of releases that kept listeners glued to streaming platforms, some projects failed to live up to the moment they promised and hit levels far below what we have come to expect from the stars behind them. 

These projects promised so much and delivered so little. Listeners eagerly awaited their releases, but ended up disappointed by the experience that offered little. Don’t get it wrong, these projects don’t take away from the talent and greatness of these stars. Rather, we consider them as unfulfilled promises, let-downs, and the misses before the eventual goal is scored. 

Pulse Nigeria Music Desk has selected the Top 10 Most Underwhelming Projects of 2025 based on the following criteria. 

• Eligibility Window: December 1, 2024, to December 1, 2025

• Album Quality: We consider the album quality in terms of the compositions, sequencing, thematic preoccupation, and overall album experience. 

• Success and Impact or the Lack Thereof: We understand that critical acclaim doesn’t directly translate to commercial success. Hence, this is not a consideration in compiling this list.  

Expectations for Lojay have always been high since he rocked the mainstream with the release of his EP LV N ATTN in 2020. Even his album ‘Gangstar Romantic’ hits high levels that underscore his genre-blending melodies and sensational penmanship. 

It’s against these high expectations that his debut LP XOXO was judged. When held against the standards of his past works, XOXO leaves more to be desired as it smooths away all the jagged edges that once made him interesting. 

When it dropped in August 2025, it sanded down everything that felt risky in favour of safe, generic R&B templates clearly chasing Western approval.

In trying to sound global, the album loses its accent. It feels like a classic case of label interference, fixing what wasn’t broken to chase an audience that actually values originality. 

But this is simply the thoughts of fans who consider him one of the finest talents in African pop music and refuse to lower that standard. Surely, he will be back to thrill us again. 9. Olamidé –  Olamide

Even when Olamide Baddo releases an album that doesn’t live up to our expectations, it’s because we are cavalier enough to ask so much from a legend that has given so much to Nigerian music. On his self-titled album, the hip hop icon appears to strip himself of expectations and curate a sound that reflects his current station. His rap flows are laid back, he boasts of his wealth, and when he sings about pleasure and luxury, it’s with the confidence of lived reality rather than aspiration. 

However, the issue with Olamide’s project is that he appears to be lost in his own house party. The album feels less like a cohesive body of work and more like a playlist curated by an artist finally ready to take his place in the Afrobeats to the world scene. 

Make no mistake, the fundamental issue is not the rapping. Olamide’s flow remains fluid, but the album lacked direction, and the sequencing limited the experience.

This year, Seyi Vibez dominated streaming charts. With Fuji Moto, the artist had big ideas, huge ambitions. 

The album title, which he revealed was birthed by a friend’s description of a car parked in his living room, reflects the spontaneity with which Seyi Vibez conceives ideas that shape his songs and albums. Expanding on his EP ‘Children of Africa’, Seyi Vibez delivered his most ambitious album yet, which showcases his desire to embrace a new global audience. He notably sings more in English and strategically recruits rappers NLE Choppa, French Montana, and Trippie Redd to enter new markets. Yet, the results pale in comparison to past projects. ‘Tortoise Mambo’ is in contention for the poorest opener of the year. ‘Ama’ was a blatant attempt to recreate ‘Pressure,’ while his belabored singing in ‘Universe’ was a far cry from the swaggering pop rap flows that define his hit. Seyi Vibez’s willingness to stretch his artistry is commendable, but the failure to strike a balance between identity and ambition makes this an album that doesn’t hit the right notes for his Nigerian audience and still lacks the quality to tweak the algorithm to attract the global audience he craves. ‘Fuji Party’ and ‘Fuji House’ will dominate the dance floor, though.

Zlatan’s rise to success is an inspiring story of a man who used talent, resilience, and hard work to defeat poverty. With his fame far and wide, he embraces his status as a star who inspires hope in a young generation of artists and listeners hoping to rise above hardship. His latest album, ‘Symbol of Hope’, is an acknowledgement of this mindset. Yet, the 16-track album that captures his desires to celebrate and motivate largely lacks the quality required to deliver the big moments it was meant to soundtrack. Good songs were paired with weaker ones, and his trademark bubbly delivery didn’t provide much gratification over its lengthy run time. 

However, the album is saved by its sheer energy. It maintains an eventful, vibrant feel from start to finish, an energy that Zlatan successfully translates into celebration, vibe, and motivation, even if he ultimately falls short of combining it into a truly compelling experience.

Tems’ surprise drop is reflective of her superstar status, but the product leaves a lot to be desired. 

This EP arrived with zero fanfare, but feels like an unused bunch of songs from Born in the Wild dusted off to compile an EP to give her a strong finish in what has been a rather quiet year. 

Tems' vocals are great and emotive, but the songwriting and melodies on 'Love Is A Kingdom' is lethargic, especially for an artist of her repute. The production is murky and airy, drowning her vocals in reverb rather than elevating them. 

It lacks the soulful, dynamic, and rhythmic experimentation that made her a global star. Tracks like ‘Hold On’ meander for three minutes without a chorus, a bridge, or a point.  We didn’t see risk; we didn’t see any surprise. Her vocals remain exceptional, but Love Is A Kingdom is thin, pale, and lacks enough Tems to keep us going. 

Young Jonn releases his sophomore album with 20 tracks. This doesn’t seem like too many songs until you experience the album and realise it’s an endless repetition. Same cadence, style, and approach that just makes Blue Disco a stamina test. 

While he has cracked the formula to score hits, the formula just doesn’t work for albums, especially when every song sounds like you’ve heard it before. But this painful monotony, while a letdown, doesn’t rob the album of gems. Songs like ‘Airdrop,’ ‘Accelerate’ with Shenseea, and ‘Jiggy Bop’ featuring P.Priiime are solid records. However, Blue Disco feels less like a body of work and more like a holding pattern. An EP would have sufficed.

Mayorkun is one of Nigeria’s most reliable hitmakers whose superlative talent has shifted across genre lines. However, with his last album, he failed to show the range and dynamism required to capture listeners' attention in a changing soundscape. 

'Still The Mayor' is a compilation of familiar songs that listeners can enjoy even if they pale in comparison to their references in this catalogue.However, it's not a compelling listen, nor does it hold the imposing quality that matches its chest-thumping title.

The song selection doesn't appear to have a core beyond its surface appeal. The album sounds half-hearted and motivated by necessity, perhaps to offset a contractual burden rather than being an intentional offering. If Mayorkun is still the mayor, it's for his past work, and not for this album.

When 'Olayemi' arrived in August 2025, it leaned heavily on the goodwill of his breakout hit single ‘Joy Is Coming’. 

The project also leans almost entirely on factors that defines that hit single as he made slight adjustments to recreate new songs. Fido deploys the same flow, cadence, and thematic structure across 8 tracks without adding any new depth. 

The EPs stumble from an unmissable overreliance of free flowing vocals that lazily imitate Wande Coal’s famous cadence while lacking lyrical depth. For the most part, Fido simply freestyles his way across an EP for no other reason than because he can, because it would be presumptuous to suggest he can’t. 

‘Olayemi’ could have been a huge moment for Fido, but it ended up being a forgettable one from an artist who clearly has talent but seems to be too distracted and unsettled to curate a decent body of work. 

When you title your eighth studio album No Sign of Weakness, you are not just stating a fact; you are inviting a challenge. Sadly, the album turns out to be his biggest sign of weakness yet. 

Released in July 2025, this album is his least impressive work in years. It is technically proficient, expensively produced, and lacks the soul that drives his past works. Having consistently, significantly, and successfully made his point as Africa’s music leading protagonist, Burna Boy appears to have run out of talking points. He has stuck it to his opps to much that there’s scarcely any angles left uncovered. It’s this lack of inspiration that shapes a project where he recruits global icons like Mick Jagger and Stromae to show his access while failing to deliver songs that refresh his artistry. From the scatterbrained sequencing to the songs that don’t hit new heights, ‘No Sign of Weakness’ is proof that Burna Boy needs a breather. Despite the obvious fact that the levels dropped, he has impacted the global music space so much that the album still managed to snag a Grammy nomination for Best Global Album, and he was still able to tour extensively with it. 

These commercial markers will surely soften the blow of the project’s obvious lack of critical and commercial acclaim, but even at that, Burna Boy must know that he stuttered on this album. 

Is Pluto Presido’s gimmick officially dead? Or is the artist just exhausted? Shallipopi’s rise was a masterclass in street relatability, but "Auracles" proves he might actually be a one-trick pony. Even his catchy slang, which still finds favour with the audience, is unable to carry the album that’s packed with monotonous flows floating lazily on Amapiano-fused productions. The album signals little growth, and with 22 songs to navigate, it offers a burdensome experience. While some songs like the smash hit ‘Laho’, ‘Pull Up’ featuring Pa Salie,u and ‘Him’ with Gunna are good songs, these fine moments are few and far between. 

Although when spun in the midnight haze of a nightclub, the songs would bounce well, a sober listening offers little more than a painful realization that Shallipopi, for all his impact and street credibility, might be incapable of making a decent album.