In recent years several Nigerian artistes and more have picked up the mantle from Afrobeat pioneers to influence the genre within Africa and worldwide.
UK Official Chart company recently launched the first-ever UK Afrobeat singles chart. According to the announcement, the new Top 20 weekly spotlight artists making strides in the Afrobeats scene in the past 12 months in the UK.
On the list, seven Nigerian artists represented Nigeria showing how much spread the Nigerian Music industry is having on other countries.
So here are the Nigerian songs dominating the UK from these seven artists.
Naira Marley – Soapy
If “Issa Goal” was Naira Marley’s breakout song, “Soapy” was his rebirth, Released just days after his release from jail in 2019, Soapy was a massive hit and got over 3 million views on Youtube in three weeks.
Though the song came with its fair share of controversies as people saw the song as promoting masturbation with its lyrics. The song came with it own original dance that trended even beyond the borders of Nigeria.
Tekno – Skeletun
Released in 2019 and produced by Phantom, Tekno dominated the year with a club-worthy song, The song usurped every other danceable song Tekno had ever produced which is why it isn’t a surprise to see it be his best acceptable song in the UK.
Rema – Dumebi
In 2019, Don Jazzy had announced that Jonzing Records/Mavin Records was launching a new artist in the person of Rema who dropped Dumebi as his debut song.
Dumebi was a massive hit that solidified his spot in the Nigerian music industry which was rare for a new artist. The song would forever go down as Rema’s best work.
Mr Eazi ft Burna Boy – Miss you bad
Mr Eazi released “Miss you bad” in 2018 off his “Lagos to London” EP and he featured Burna Boy.
This song is a surprise addition as it didn’t perform too well in terms of radio airplay across Nigeria and in fact, is one of the most unpopular songs of the EP judging by the might of the collaboration.
People living in the UK might have a different thought to the song as it placed 13th on the UK Afrobeat Chart.
Wizkid – Joro
Released in 2019 and produced by Northboi, Joro is a song that in terms of lyrics doesn’t boast of much but heavily depends on its smooth Afrobeat beat.
The song which was criticized for its lack of abundant lyrics and heavy use of adlibs and repetition was a massive hit.
Wizkid in an interview explained that the word “Joro” meant enjoyment which explains why he chose not to spit too many lyrics.
Davido ft Chris Brown – Blow your mind
“Blow your mind” isn’t Davido’s first international collaboration but this song outclassed his previous collaborations. Featuring American singer, Chris Brown on the song, Davido brought his A-game and he didn’t disappoint.
“Blow Your Mind” was a single off Davido’s 2019 “A Good Time” album. The music video broke Youtube’s record for the highest viewed Nigerian song in a day.
Burna Boy – Ye
Burna Boy gained global prominence after releasing the Phantom produced hit song, “Ye” off his “Outside” album.
The song gained more fame after Kanye West announced he was releasing his album also called “Ye” leading to a massive increase in streaming numbers on Burna Boy’s side.
The song has become a street anthem and definitely will go down as one of the best from Burna Boy. The song also placed 2nd on the UK Afrobeat Chart.