Five Most Famous Contemporary Musicians In Nigeria


The Nigerian music industry is one of the biggest in Africa and beyond considering its vast number of musicians. Every year, young musicians emerge from the various record labels in the industry.

Presently, the Afrobeat or Afropop in contemporary Nigerian music seems to be the most renowned and most consumed genre of music. It has created a platform for some of the Afropop singers in Nigeria to get recognition internationally. This has put Nigeria on a global scale as one of the countries with the highest number of successful music artists.

However, some musicians have distinguished themselves and thrive to gain more popularity with millions of audiences.

Meet the five most famous contemporary Nigerian musicians making trends globally.



1. Wizkid



Ayodeji Ibrahim famously known as Wizkid was born in 1990 in Surulere, Lagos in Nigeria. He is a great music performer and revolutionist of the Afrobeats genre after the legendary Fela Kuti. His debut album ‘Superstar’ open the doors for him in the Nigerian music industry.

Wizkid’s collaboration with international artists like Drake, Chris Brown, Beyonce and others has made him one of the best and most famous Nigerian musicians celebrated worldwide. He has won numerous awards and most notable among them were the Grammy and BET.

His album, Made in Lagos has trended globally and peaked at Number 2 (billboard chart) in US World Albums while gaining favourable positions on some other foreign Billboard charts.

Popular he is among other African musicians, he has performed live on stage in reputable places like the London 02 arena.


2. Burna Boy



Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu also known as Burna Boy is a hard-working Nigerian musician with a unique music style and natural voice who mostly promotes the African black culture through his music and fashion dress.

‘Like to Party‘ was the song that brought him to prominence and created a beautiful beginning for him in the Nigerian music industry. He is a Grammy award winner and still the first Nigerian musician to get nominated for the award for two consecutive
years.

In recent years, Burna Boy has proved to be one of the most successful and influential musicians in Africa.


3. Davido




David Adedeji Adeleke who is famously known as Davido is an American-born Nigerian musician. He gained earlier recognition in the industry when he released his hit song ‘Dami Duro‘ in 2012.

However, when it comes to talking about the African music scene, Davido is one big name that cannot go unnoticed. His songs ‘If‘ and ‘Fall‘ in 2017 made him an internationally recognized superstar.

Davido Music Worldwide (DMW), a record label founded by Davido has helped introduced artists like Mayorkun and Peruzzi to the limelight.

He has collaborations with some famous international artists such as Meek Mill, Nicki Minaj and Chris Brown.

He has also won both the Headies and BET awards. He is currently dominating Africa with his music back to back.


4. 2baba




Innocent Ujah Idibia famously known as 2face Idibia or 2baba is one of the most successful contemporary Nigerian musicians with a larger fan base.

For over a decade, 2baba has remained relevant and a great musical icon to reckoned with. His famous song ‘African Queen’ contributed largely to his success on the global scene.

He was one of the first winners of the BET award in 2011 and after then he has won numerous awards both at home and abroad.

2baba’s influence goes beyond music as he has been an inspiration to many young talents to pursue a career in music.


5. Tiwa Savage



Tiwatope Savage famously known as Tiwa Savage is regarded as the Queen of Afrobeats due to her talents and giant strides that have taken the Afrobeats genre far and wide.

Her ‘Water and Garri‘ tour which started in May 2022 has sold out and trended globally while flooding various social media platforms.

Beyond music, she has engaged in youth empowerment projects and helped in raising funds to build some schools in Nigeria. This has earned her so much fame and made her an influential singer.

At the 2018 MTV Europe Music Awards, she became the first female musician to win the Best African Act category.

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