Spotlighting the Nigerian Artists who became famous after being discovered on Social Media.
The age of Social Media has changed things for the Music Industry and has helped in the popularity of little-known Nigerian Artists.
Success and breaking into the Nigerian music industry used to be determined not by your skill or hard work, but by intermediaries such as radio stations, television stations, and record labels.
The arrival of the Internet and Social Media was a game-changer for the music industry, as middlemen were no longer the main factor of success in the industry.
Many potentials have been discovered on the internet, and many young people have decided to seize the bull by the horns by leveraging on the internet and establishing themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the Nigerian music industry, and musicians are no longer solely reliant on radio stations for song promotion.
- RELATED: Top viral freestyles on the internet from Nigerian artists
- RELATED: Nigerian Artists Paving way for Upcoming artists
Here are some Nigerian artists who were discovered via Social Media;
Rema
Prior to his fame, Divine Ikubor also known as Rema was an underground artist who started doing music from his secondary school days.
His big break came after he went viral in 2018 thanks to his cover for D’Prince’s song “Gucci Gang” which he posted on Instagram.
The post caught the attention of D’Prince who flew him to Lagos to offer a record deal, later signing him to his label, Jonzing Record, a subsidiary of Mavin Records.
Prior to his public debut, the boy had been with the record label for nearly a year, undergoing training that would prepare him for a successful career and stardom.
Rema’s culture or practice of freestyling in his car has persisted even after earning a deal and achieving stardom.
Mayorkun
Although his mother was a popular face in the Yoruba movie industry, the gifted singer found it difficult to break into the music industry, so he resorted to working at a bank and making songs in his spare time.
About resigning from his bank job due to inadequate salary, the artist performed a cover of Davido’s hit “The Money (feat. Olamide),” posted it on Twitter, and tagged Davido in an appeal for assistance.
Davido followed him on Twitter and Instagram, and then he asked if he could do more than just play the keyboard. He received a call from Davido on the same day he submitted his resignation letter and sent Davido some of the songs he had already recorded.
Davido made the decision to sign him to Davido Music Worldwide. In 2016, Mayorkun released his first single under the label, “Eleko.”
Davido has on various occasions admitted that signing Mayorkun has been one of his best decisions.
Terri
While a lot of people go to auditions, talent showcases, and other events in the hopes of securing a recording contract, for Terri it only took a music cover to do so.
The music star recorded himself singing DJ Jimmy Jatt’s song “Oshe” featuring Wizkid and tagged a few celebs in the video. When Wizkid saw the video, he became interested in him.
Wizkid showed Mut4y (of Legendury Beatz) the video and asked him to assist him in finding the boy, thus beginning a change in Terri’s fortunes.
His first major appearance was on Wizkid’s “Soco” in 2018.
Teni
The star act of Dr Dolor Entertainment is undeniably talented. While still in school in the United States, Teni used the Internet to build a fan following for herself.
Her Instagram was growing at the time, with her funny videos and amazing freestyles featuring her melodious voice keeping her fans glued to their screens.
She secured a recording deal with Dr. Dolor Entertainment and established solid fame with hit songs like “Case”, “Fargin”, “Uyo Meyo”, “Askamaya” e.t.c
To this day, the singer still freestyles on her social media accounts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NoeQrzSAHA
Joeboy
Joeboy’s music career began when he was 16 years old and the following year he dropped his first track, Gbeseyin, an Afrobeat tune.
In 2017, he recorded a cover of Ed Sheeran’s Shape of You, which received a lot of attention both in Nigeria and internationally.
Mr Eazi noticed his fantastic vocals, leading to him making Joeboy the first artist to receive sponsorship from his music philanthropic initiative, emPawa Africa.
Through the help of emPawa Africa and Mr Eazi, Joeboy released a song titled “Faaji” which did very well, however, it was his 2019 love song, “Baby” that launched him to mainstream success.
- RELATED: From Buju to Omah Lay, the New School Acts dominating the Industry
- RELATED: Zinoleesky brings a primitive edge to Nigerian music
Zinoleesky
Zinoleesky alongside his friend, Lil frosh were buzzing freestyle rappers on Instagram. Just like Teni, the singer started building a fanbase both online and offline. Davido actually wanted to sign him to DMW but Zinoleesky turned him down.
He later got signed by Naira Marley to his Marlian Record under which he released hit songs such as “Caro”, “Kilofeshe”, “Mapariwo“, e.t.c