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Bella Shmurda Reveals He Spent $40K Promoting a Song That Still Failed to Blow Up: “I Didn’t Follow My Dream”
In a candid conversation on Afrobeats Intelligence, Nigerian street-pop sensation Bella Shmurda opened up about a costly lesson he learned after going against his intuition.
Speaking with host Joey Akan, the “Cash App” hitmaker revealed he once spent $40,000 on promoting a song that ultimately failed to resonate with listeners.
“I am a dreamer. A seer,” Bella said, explaining that he had seen in a dream that his next single should be a street anthem. “It was very obvious to me that my next song should be a street song.”
Despite the clear message, Bella admitted that he decided to test the vision by releasing a different kind of track first.
“For me to be sure, I had to drop a song that’s not a people’s song,” he explained. The result? The song flopped even after heavy promotion, costing $40K.
However, when he followed his dream and released a true street song, the response was overwhelmingly positive.
“I didn’t even spend up to ₦20 million, and the song went to No. 2 in the country,” he said, highlighting the importance of trusting his instincts.
While Bella didn’t reveal the title of the underperforming track, his comments underscore both the rising cost of music promotion in Nigeria and the value of creative intuition.
In the same interview, Bella also reflected on his role as a label boss at Dangbana Republik, one of Nigeria’s fast-rising street-pop labels. He spoke proudly of signing breakout star Fola, emphasising his commitment to nurturing new talent in the ever-evolving Nigerian music scene.
Bella’s experience serves as both a warning and a guide for artists navigating the industry: sometimes, your inner voice knows best even in a business that often runs on trends and data.