Making good music requires more just having a good voice or charisma. There’s a whole lot that goes into it.
Songwriting is an important factor in making music. How good the lyrics of a song determines how the quality of the song. In the Nigerian music industry, there are artists who are amazing songwriters.
Artists who are skilled at songwriting usually have an edge over the ones who aren’t. They can easily write a song from scratch and deliver songs with quality lyrical content.
The special wordsmiths also get to collaborate easily with several acts, using their songwriting skills to make an impression as well as give subtle ideas on the form a song or project should take.
These songwriters also write hit songs for other artists. So, These are the songwriters that are fully recognized in the Nigerian music industry;
Simi
Simi started her musical journey from the church choir. She pursued a career in gospel music before switching to being a secular artist. Her first hit single Tiff was highly commended for having powerful lyrics.
The singer writes her own lyrics which earned her praises from Wizkid. Despite being more of an Afropop artiste, Simi can excel in any genre.
Wurld
The Blue-haired singer apart from his soulful voice is a songwriter who has written songs for various artists.
WurlD wrote songs for the American singer Mario’s upcoming album. He also is credited for writing Davido’s hit songs, “Blow My Mind”, “Sweet in the Middle”.
He also has written his own hit songs like “Show You Off”, “Mad”, “Trobul” amongst others.
Adekunle Gold
Adekunle Gold is an Afropop, Highlife artist who sings in English and Yoruba.
The singer earned his place in the industry when he dropped a cover (Sade) to One Direction’s Story of My Life.
Adekunle has top-notch songwriting skills and this has made itself evident in his songs and albums. He also wrote Davido’s “1 Milli”, a song off A Good Time album.
Harrysong
Harrysong was originally a songwriter before he became a hotshot singer. The former Five Star signee has written songs for different artists including Kcee.
He’s established a place for himself in the industry with his unique songwriting ability. He has also released hit songs like “Reggae Blues, Arabanko, Baba for the Girls” amongst others.
He mostly writes upbeat and groovy songs.
Cobhams Asuquo
Cobhams Asuquo is quite the all-round talented artist despite his blindness. Not only can he sing, but he also produces and writes songs.
Cobhams rose to international acclaim in 2007 as the lead Music Producer and co-writer of ‘Asa’, the award-winning self-titled album by Nigerian soul sensation, Asa.
He has additional production and songwriting credits on songs by other African music stars including Tiwa Savage, Yemi Alade, 2Baba, Banky W, Omawumi, Dare Art-Alade, Waje, Timi Dakolo, Flavour, Seyi Shay, Korede Bello, Bez, Chidinma Ekile, Shola Allyson, Lara George, Praiz, eLDee, Mo’Cheddah and others.
Brymo
An alternative musician with a sonorous voice and unparalleled songwriting skills. His songs are mostly perfectly crafted with standard lyrics. His writing style often referred to as poetic.
So far, Brymo has released six studio albums, with nearly all the songs written and composed by him. He’s a musical genius and is regarded as a respectable act in the music industry.
Teni
One of the most distinguished qualities of Teni is her unequaled ability to write and compose songs within a short period of time.
With her constant freestyles, she has learned to become an expert at songwriting. The “case” singer was responsible for co-writing Davido’s Like Dat as well as all her own songs.
Fireboy DML
Tagged as the Loverboy of the Industry, Fireboy DML’s entrance into the industry is a phenomenal one. He became popular after the release of “jealous”.
He is exceptional in his songwriting skills and wordplay which is evident in his songs. Fireboy is praised for bringing lyricism back to Afrobeats.
Tiwa Savage
Way before Tiwa Savage became a sensational singer, she was a reputable songwriter in the International market.
The Afrobeats Queen has written songs for prominent acts such as Babyface, Kat Deluna, Fantasia Barrino, and many more.
She signed a songwriting deal with Sony/ATV Music Publishing in 2009. Her songs are also evidence of her exceptional talents.
Peruzzi
Known as Huncho, Peruzzi is signed to DMW. His prominent skill is his songwriting and composing ability that earned him a spot in Davido’s DMW. Peruzzi has more ten hit songs that are not owned by him to his credit.
He is the brain behind “Assurance, Nwa Baby, Fia, Amaka, Kpa, Demo, Doe, Risky” amongst others.