It is no secret that the Nigerian music industry is booming. Nigerian music is as diverse as the people of the country, and there are different genres of music, each with its unique sound and style. Nigerian music is enjoyed worldwide, and with so many talented artists, it can be hard to identify who is who. In this article, we will take a look at the top fifteen most prominent Nigerian artists. They have had the most significant impact on the Nigerian music industry and have made a name for themselves internationally and in Nigeria.
So without further Ado, here’s a list of the top fifteen most prominent Nigerian artists;
15. FALZ
Folarin Falana, known as Falz, is a Nigerian rapper, songwriter, and actor who began his career in secondary school after forming a group called The School Boys with his friend before his professional career as a music artist began in 2009. Falz came into the limelight after releasing the song “Marry Me,” featuring vocals from Poe and Yemi Alade. He was born 27th day of October 1990. He owns an independent record label called Bahd Guys Records. He won the City people entertainment award in 2016, the 9th Nigeria Music Video Awards in 2016, the Headies award in 2016 also, three awards from the Headies award in 2019, and one award in the Headies in 2020. Some of his songs include; Gentleman, Bop daddy, kneel down, child of the world, this is Nigeria, bad baddo hardest, and many more.
14. ASA
Bukola Elemide, popularly known as Aṣa, is a Nigerian-French singer, songwriter, and recording artist born on the 17th day of September 1982. Asa’s musical influences grew from the collection of great music her father built up for his work as a cinematographer. She won the French Constantin Award in 2008 and the French music award in 2011. Some of her songs include; Eye Adaba, fire on the mountain, Jailer, Eyo, show me off, and so on.
13. YEMI ALADE
Yemi Eberechi Alade is a Nigerian Afropop singer, songwriter, and activist. She was born on the 13th day of March 1989. She won the Peak Talent Show in 2009, after which she signed to Effyzzie Music Group and had a hit with her single “Johnny” in 2014. Yemi has gained prominence in the music industry and has been considered one of the most prominent artists in Africa since then. Yemi has gotten quite many awards in her musical career, some of which include; the MTV African Music Awards for best female in 2015 and 2016, the Headies award in 2018 and 2019, African Entertainment Awards USA (AEAUSA) in 2018 and 2020, All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) in 2015 and 2018, and many more. Some of her records include; Johnny, Bubble it, Begging, oh my gosh, and many more.
12. SIMI
Ogunleye Simisola Bolatito Kosoko, known as Simi, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. She started her career as a gospel singer, releasing her debut studio album in 2008, titled Ogaju. She was born on the 19th day of April 1988. She got into the limelight in 2014 after releasing “Tiff”, a song nominated for Best Alternative Song at The Headies 2015. Simi signed a record deal with X3M Music in 2014 but left the label in May 2019 following the expiration of her contract. She launched her record label Studio Brat in June 2019. Simi played as one of the top judges in season 7 of the Nigerian idol Tv show in 2022. She is married to famous musician Adekunle Gold, with a daughter. She has earned several awards in the music industry, include; 7 awards from the Headies, one from the Nigerian Entertainment Awards, three from the city people’s award, one from the Nigerian Teen choice award, and several nominations. Some of her songs are; Sare, Woman, Duduke, logbalogba, and many more.
11. ADEKUNLE GOLD
Adekunle Almoruf Kosoko, known as Adekunle Gold or AG Baby, is a Nigerian Afrobeats singer and songwriter who got widespread attention after releasing the 2015 hit single “Sade”. He was born on the 28th day of January 1987. He signed a record deal with YBNL Nation and released his 2015 debut studio album, Gold, which debuted at number 7 on the Billboard World Albums chart. Gold went ahead to release three singles: “Sade,” “Orente,” and “Pick Up”. He’s married to famous artist Simi, with a baby girl, Adejare. His songs include High, sinner, Ire, AG Baby, No Forget, and many more.
Adekunle has received several awards in his music career, which include; the city people entertainment award in 2016 and 2017, the Headies award in 2016, the Nigeria entertainment awards too in 2016, the International Achievement Recognition award in 2017, and many more.
10. REMA
Divine Ikubor, known by his stage name Rema is a Nigerian musician. He was born on the 1st of May, 2000, in Benin, Edo, Nigeria. Rema is signed to jonzing world, a subsidiary of Mavin Records. His genre of music is trap and afrobeat though he announced that he would call his sound Afrorave a sub-genre of Afrobeats. Rema released his debut EP ‘Rema’ in 2019, and after two more Eps, he released his debut album ‘Raves and Roses’ on March 25th, 2022. ‘Dumebi’ was the song that made him famous, and he released several hit songs afterward. His songs include; calm down, Lady, woman, soundgasm, Bounce, Beamer, and many more. He won the headies award for next rated in 2019, the city people music award for the revelation of the year in 2019, and the future awards Africa prize for music (endowed by Infinix) in 2020. Rema’s net worth is estimated to be about $5 million.
9. AYRA STARR
Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe, professionally known as Ayra starr, is a Nigerian singer and model. Ayra Starr was born on the 14th of June, 2002, in Cotonou. Her music genre is Afropop and R&B. Ayra Starr started as a model at 16 but decided to pursue music later. She began her music career by posting covers of songs by famous artists on Instagram before she posted her first original music, ‘Damage,’ which drew the attention of many. The song also attracted the attention of Mavins record owner Don Jazzy, who signed her to the label. Her debut single ‘Away’ brought her into the limelight and she has been unstoppable. She launched her debut studio album, ’19 & Dangerous’ on the 6th of August, 2021, and some of her other songs include; ‘Fashion killer,’ ‘Beggie Beggie,’ ‘Bloody Samaritan,’ ‘sare,’ ‘memories’ and so on. Her net worth is not precisely accurate, but it is estimated to be over $300,000.
8. ASAKE
Ahmed Ololade, popularly known as Asake or Mr. Money, is a fast-rising Nigerian singer and songwriter of Yoruba heritage. He was born on the 13th of January, 1995, in Lagos state, Nigeria. He’s currently signed to YBNL Nation and Empire distribution. Asake studied theatre arts at Obafemi Awolowo University, ile-ife. His genre of music is Afrobeats, Afro-fusion,d hip-hop. His breakthrough song was ‘omo ope’ featuring Olamide and he has been dropping hit songs back to back. Asake is becoming a force to reckon with in the Nigerian music industry and has a lot of fans. Some of his songs include; ‘Sungba’, ‘Terminator’, ‘Peace be unto you’, ‘Palazzo’, etc. He released his debut studio album ‘Mr money with the vibe’ on the 8th of September, 2022. Asake’s net worth is estimated to be $1.2 million.
7. FIREBOY
Adedamola Adefolahan, popularly known as Fireboy DML, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. He was born on 5 February 1996 in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria. He is signed to YBNL Nation, owned by famous Nigerian rapper Olamide. He was brought into the limelight with his hit single ‘Jealous’. Fireboy’s first debut studio album ‘Laughter, Tears, and Goosebumps, was released on November 29, 2019. Fireboy is a fast-rising musician and has attracted the attention of many. His genre of music is Afrobeats and R&B, but he describes his sound as ‘Afro-life’. His net worth is estimated to be about $850,000. He has won several awards, which include; Best Afrobeat single(Nigeria) at the 2022 headies, Listeners’ choice at the 2019 SoundCity MVP Awards festival, Album of the year at the 2020 headies, and so on. Some of his songs include; ‘Vibration’, ‘Playboy’, ‘Scatter’, ‘Eli’, ‘What if I say’, ‘ Tatoo’, ‘Champion’, ‘Nee York city girl’ and many more.
6. TIWA SAVAGE
Tiwatope Savage is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. She was born on the 5th of February, 1980, in Isale Eko and relocated to London at 11 for her secondary education. She graduated from Berklee college of music and signed a publishing deal with Sony/ATV music publishing in 2009. Tiwa moved back to Nigeria and signed an agreement with mavins Records in 2012. Her music blends Afrobeats, R&B, Pop, and hip-hop. She released her first studio album ‘once upon a time’ on the 3rd of July, 2013, and her second studio album ‘R.E.D’ was released on 19 December 2015. She signed a management and publishing deal with Roc Nation in June 2016 and announced her record deal with Universal Music Group in May 2019. Tiwa Savage has earned several achievements in the music industry. Some of these include; Female musician of the year at the City People Entertainment Awards in 2011, Best female at the MTV Africa Music Awards in 2014, Best African act at the MTV Europe music awards in 2018, and several more. Her net worth is inaccurate, but it is estimated to be about $6 million. Her songs include; ‘Eminado’, ‘Somebody son’, ‘Koroba’, ‘All-over’, ‘Jaiye Foreign’, ‘Ma lo’ and many more.
5. KIZZ DANIEL
Oluwatobiloba Daniel Anidugbe, popularly known as Kizz Daniel, is a Nigerian singer and Songwriter. He was born on the 1st of May, 1994, in Ogun State, Nigeria. He is one of the most popular and talented artists in Nigeria. He was initially signed to G-worldwide Entertainment in 2013 but had to leave due to a court case and a contract dispute. He founded his record label, Flyboy inc, in November 2017. His first studio album, ‘New Era,’ was released on May 14, 2016, under G-worldwide Entertainment. His other albums were released under Flyboy inc. Kizz Daniel’s net worth is estimated to be about $5 million. His songs include; ‘woju,’ ‘buga,’ ‘oshe,’ ‘pour me water,’ ‘Lie,’ ‘Jaho,’ and many more. He has won several awards, such as; The headies award for Album of the year in 2016, music artist of the year at the City people music award, Best R&B/Pop album at the headies, and so on. Kizz Daniel has a lot of fans and has never dropped boring songs since he started his music career. His genre of music is Afrobeats, pop, and R&B.
4) OLAMIDE
Olamide Gbenga Adedeji, popularly known as Olamide Badoo, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, and rapper. He was born on 15 March 1989. Olamide is one of the most influential and respected artists in Nigeria. He was signed into coded tunes in 2008 but left the record label in 2012 and founded his record label Yahoo boy no laptop(YBNL). He released his first studio album ‘Rapsodi’ in 2011 while still signed to Coded tunes. His other albums were released under his record label, YBNL. He records in both Yoruba and English. His genre is Afrobeats, hip hop, and rap. Olamide’s net worth is estimated to be over $12 million, and he is one of the richest musicians in Nigeria. He has won several awards and has made a massive impact in the music industry. He is known how he helps young musicians grow by signing them to his record label, YBNL. His songs include; ‘Eleda mi,’ ‘story for the gods,’ ‘Infinity,’ ‘Bobo,’ ‘Durosoke,’ ‘Who you epp,’ ‘Woske,’ and many more.
3. WIZKID
Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, professionally known as Wizkid or Machala, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. He was born on July 16, 1990, in Lagos. He is one of the most prominent musicians in Nigeria. He started recording at 11 and was signed to Banky W’s record label, Empire Mates Entertainment, in 2009. He rose to fame after he released his debut single ‘Holla at your boy’ in 2011 and has been a legend in the music industry ever since the release. Wizkid left Banky W’s record label after his contract expired and signed a multi-album deal with RCA records in March 2017. Wizkid became the first Afrobeats artist to appear in the Guinness World Records after collaborating with Drake on the hit single ‘One dance’. He is recognized in Nigeria and internationally. He is also the most awarded artist in Nigeria. Wizkid has made several achievements in the music industry. He has an estimated net worth of about $21 million. Some of his songs include; ‘Ojuelegba,’ ‘Fever,’ ‘Come closer,’ ‘Bad energy,’ ‘Gyrate,’ ‘Joro,’ and so on.
2. DAVIDO
Adeleke David Adedeji, popularly known as Davido, is a Nigerian-American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He was born on 21 November 1992 in Atlanta, Georgia, US. He became famous after releasing his second single, ‘Dami Duro.’ He signed a record deal with Sony Music in January 2016 and founded his record label, Davido Music Worldwide(DMW). Davido is one of the most prominent and influential artists in Nigeria. Davido is famously referred to as the ‘King of modern-day Afrobeats.’ His debut studio album Omo Baba Olowo earned him the name OBO. He won several awards and contributed significantly to the growth of the Nigerian music industry. Davido’s net worth is estimated to be about $20 million. Some of his songs are; ‘Fall,’ ‘If,’ ‘Risky,’ ‘Fem,’ ‘Assurance,’ ‘Jowo,’ ‘La La,’ ‘So crazy,’ ‘Sweet in the middle, etc. His genre of music is Afrobeats, Afropop, and pop.
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1. BURNA BOY
Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, professionally known as Burna boy, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, and record producer. He was born on 2 July 1991. He came into the limelight after he released his lead single ‘Life to party,’ from his debut studio album in 2012. He is one of the biggest and richest musicians in Nigeria. He released his first debut studio album L.I.F.E on 12 August 2013. Burna boy’s music is mainly afrobeats and pop, but he describes his sound as Afro-fusion, blends four genres, hip-hop, reggae, R&B, and dancehall. He is signed to Atlantic Records in the United States and Warner Music Group internationally. Burna boy has won several awards and was awarded member of the order of the Federal Republic for his achievements in the music industry. His songs include; ‘Onyeka,’ ‘Real life,’ ‘For my hand,’ ‘Ye,’ ‘Last Last,’ ‘Yaba Buluku,’ ‘Kilometre,’ ‘wetin man go do’ and many more. His net worth is about $19 million.
In conclusion, the artists mentioned above have significantly impacted the Nigerian music industry, and their popularity continues to grow. They have made a name for themselves both in Nigeria and internationally. They are a credit to the Nigerian music industry and deserve their success.
