This is the highlight from Nigeria’s most iconic musicians
The Nigerian music industry has been competitive from the start and here is the highlight from the most iconic musician of the modern-day.
It is the dream of every musician to be successful and leave their marks in the sands of time. But only a few get to live out this dream.
Being successful as a musician is not only about album sales but also about influence and the lives your music impacted.
Nigeria has a vast number of musicians both mainstream and indie, and without a doubt, Nigerian Music has impacted Africa and the world as a whole.
In this article, we will be looking at the 10 most successful Nigerian musicians of all time- in no particular order.
Highlights from Nigeria’s most iconic musicians
Wizkid
You cannot talk about modern Nigerian music without mentioning Wizkid, Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun popularly known as Wizkid grew up passionate about music.
His song “Holla at your boy” launched him into the limelight and he hasn’t looked back.
He constantly delivered hits back to back to his Nigerian and African audience until he collaborated with American musician Drake on his song “One Dance” which shot him into the international limelight.
The song made it to the Guinness book of world records making Wizkid the first Afrobeat musician to appear in this book.
This led to more collaboration with foreign artists like Beyonce, H.E.R, and others.
He is also one of the most decorated artists in Africa, with several endorsements under his belt, he is a force to be reckoned with.
Davido
Davido is another force to be reckoned with in the Nigerian Afrobeat scene. He came into the limelight with the song “Dami Duro”.
He is one of the most influential musicians in Africa, with back-to-back hits and several endorsements, the sky is his beginning.
Davido got international recognition after the release of his song “Fall” in 2017, the South African recording industry certified “Fall” platinum.
It was also the most searched song on Shazam and the longest-charting Nigerian pop song in Billboard history.
He went ahead to collaborate with foreign musicians like Chris Brown, Nicki Minaj, and so many others.
2Baba
2Baba has attained a legendary status in the Nigerian music industry, he walk so others to fly, he still is one of the most decorated artists in Africa.
His 2006 hit song “African Queen” launched him into the international limelight when it was used in the soundtrack of the film “Phat Girlz”.
With over two decades in the industry and several endorsements to his name, he is a force to be reckoned with and arguably one of the most successful Nigerian musicians of all time.
Burna Boy
Burna boy is also known as the African Giant and is one of the most successful and influential artiste in Africa.
After he came into the limelight with his 2012 song “Like to party” there has been no looking back.
He is a two-time Grammy award nominee and one-time Grammy Award Winner and with several endorsements, he is a force to be reckoned with.
He has collaborated with a lot of foreign musicians like Sam Smith, Sia, Beyonce, and many others.
Tiwa Savage
Tiwa savage is one of the most influential female artists in Africa. She started her career by backing up famous musicians like George Michael, Mary J. Blige, and others.
She came into the Nigerian music industry after she released “Kele Kele Love”.
She became the first woman to win the “Best African Act” at the MTV Europe Music Awards held in 2018.
With international collaborations with the likes of Beyonce and several endorsements, she is truly a force to be reckoned with.
Fela Kuti
Fela Anikulapo Kuti was the man that started it all, he was a composer, bandleader, pan-Africanist among other things.
He pioneered the Afrobeat genre with his drummer Tony Allen. Fela’s influence on the African music industry is legendary.
He was known for using his music to speak against bad government policies. “Zombie” one of his songs was sound-tracked in the video game “Grand theft Auto: IV”.
He has influenced a lot of musicians who are making their mark in the world and this can never be overemphasized.
In 2021 he was posthumously nominated to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
D’banj
You cannot describe the Nigerian musical scene without mentioning D’banj aka “The Kokomaster”.
His influence is heavy in the industry and after the release of the hit single “Tongolo”, he came into the limelight.
D’banj reached international status when he released the song “Oliver Twist”.
“Oliver Twist” was a top ten hit in the UK singles chart in 2012 and reached no 2 on the UK R&B chart.
He has several awards and endorsements to his name, D’banj has influenced a whole generation of artists.
Psquare
Psquare made up of twin brothers Peter and Paul Okoye is arguably the most successful and influential duo to come out of Africa.
After the release of their hit song “Senorita”, they continued to deliver back-to-back hits.
They have collaborated with international artists like TI, Rick Ross, and others, they got acknowledged by the Michael Jackson estate for paying homage to Michael Jackson in their “Personally” music video and that led to their feature with Jermaine Jackson.
Although they are disbanded their influence can never be forgotten. They are still the most successful duo to ever come out of Nigeria.
Asa
Bukola Elemide known by her stage name Asa is a French-Nigerian artiste, she came into the limelight with the hit song “Fire on the mountain” which also launched her career internationally.
She won the prestigious Prix Constantin Award in 2008 and was nominated for a Victoires de la Musique award for Female Artist of the Year.
Asa is a force to be reckoned with her albums are international and she is one of the most successful and respected artiste from Nigeria.
King Sunny Ade
Chief Sunday Adeniyi Adegeye popularly known as King Sunny Ade is a jùjú singer and multi-instrumentalist in Nigeria.
He is known as one of the first African pop musicians to receive international recognition. He is one of the most influential musicians of all time.
He is the first Nigerian artiste to get a Grammy nomination, his chart-topping albums, dance steps, and mastery of the guitar among others are a few things that make him one of the most influential musicians of all time.