From Lagos to Accra, Nairobi, Dubai, Johannesburg, Cape Town, London, Toronto, Houston and Atlanta, just to name a few places, Nigerian music, sometimes branded as Naija music, has created a new culture of entertainment, excitement and enjoyment as popular dance hall music in those places.
And just recently, in an article published by ATQNews.com, Nigerian artiste, Kizz Daniel’s Buga has emerged as the shazamed song in the world. Before Kizz Daniel, another Nigerian singer-songwriter and music producer, Ckay’s ‘Love Nwantiti’ became the No. 1 song on Shazam’s global charts in the last quarter of 2021.
Nigerian music is one of the most acceptable music in the world today. Afrobeat is the most populous genre being consumed in Nigeria and outside Nigeria. This genre has given rise to so many stars like Wizkid, Davido, Burna Boy, and Tiwa Savage among other Nigerian artists rocking the world with their amazing taste in music. As much as we listen to this beat today it originated from somewhere, far distant and it has evolved to become one of the most acceptable rhythms across the globe today.
According to Vanguard, great pioneers are behind the sounds we hear today. People like Fela Sowande and T.K.E Philips are some of the great minds behind the sounds we hear today, they created that building block that has established Afrobeat. This dates back as far as the 1920s when T.K.E Philips started composing followed by Fela Sowande two decades later in the 1940s. Their compositions built the foundation of modern Nigerian music. The music reflects on fashion, culture, style, and way of life of a certain community.
The most notable genres of music in Nigeria are Jazz, highlife, juju, afrobeat, and reggae which have managed to push their audience far beyond Nigerian borders. This music originated from functional events among communities often performed to mark rituals like wedding funerals and agricultural seasons. The feel in music varied from community to community since Nigeria has diverse communities.
Just to state a few, the Yorubas used music for socio-cultural purposes where artists played music for social and formal events. Each community had a popular instrument among them. The Yorubas had kettledrums locally known as Gudugudu and hourglass tension drums known as Dundun. The Igbo people had specialized in zithers also known as Obo, Slit drums, Xylophones, Flutes, and Lyres just to name a few.
Different communities used music for different purposes like celebrations, leisure, and sports. Over time the current generation of Nigerians traveled across the globe and with them they brought a blend of western culture into their music-making it sound modern and better.
The highlife music in Nigeria was mostly influenced by Ghanaian performers. They improved it from the hard type of life to become a good feeling type of music that was played in clubs across Nigeria. Jazz music also has played a big role in the Nigerian music scene. People like Fela Kuti, the father of Afrobeat came up with a band in 1963 which played regularly at the Cool Cats Inn, a popular location for the Jazz enthusiast. Afrobeat is associated with Fela Kuti as the founder together with Tony Allen.
Afrobeat is a blend of Jazz, highlife, and other west African music. Kalakuta republic was the center of Afrobeat development established by Fela Kuti. Fela inspired young Nigerian artists who have become global sensations. People like Burna boy and Wiz kid have made their music based on the foundation that was built by Fela. The Nigerian government seeing the influence that music was bringing to the people promoted and organized events like FESTAC 77 which was a month-long event that made more than ten thousand participants across Nigeria interact musically. It showcased African culture and made it possible for different artists to interact with each other increasing the musical richness across the entire nation. As much as the event was for the people and sponsored by the government, Fela boycotted the event sighting the project should be paid for by the private sector and not the government.
Tera Kota brought the Afro-Caribbean test into the Nigerian scene. He created hotspots along the beach like Majek Fashek where people would gather and enjoy reggae music. it is not easy to ignore good music regardless of where you come from. This is exactly what the people of Nigeria know and they are continually serving the world with good music. They’re committed to ensuring that the most are played on international stages because they have mastered the art of excellence. Excellent music sets the pace for their growth and that is something to be glad and proud about. The people in Nigeria also don’t shy aware to share and market their own when good music has been released.
Most collaborations have been made by international artists like Chris Brown and Davido without lowering the quality of music. This is a message communicated to every lover of music that anyone can be great if they put in the required efforts. Those who rise to become international stars know the secret of rising because they continually give themselves targets. These are targets beyond average because they want to end up as average singers. They invest in everything to make the music superb with the understanding that competence and mastery are the best marketers. They also don’t know who could be watching them from far and that is how they succeed to penetrate international stages.
Most of the international singers in Nigeria are inspired by people who do very well in Music. Their role models are people who command international attention. They are very aware of the fact that they need role models to play their roles well. The quality of their music is never mediocre and in most cases, it is inspired by the people they emulate. This is the mystery behind their booming serious career in music. Even in interviews with the mainstream media, they always make it clear that they are not in the business of trying here and there. They are focused on high-quality music and they put in a lot of work to succeed in music.
In conclusion, international doors will continue to knock for these artists to enter. They never get the arrival mentality and every day to them is a moment of reflection. No matter how much they succeed today, they will always look for ways to enhance their careers and this is their secret card. Once a musician begins to have the arrival mentality, they will stop focusing on quality music product and their attention will go to their former wins. They believe that more wins lie ahead and that until kings start clapping for them, they don’t compromise on progress.
