Nigerian music lovers are undoubtedly in for a great time in 2016. Forget all the drama that played out on the first day of the year at the 2015 Headies Awards, 2016 will be massive in the Nigerian music space.
So many Nigerian music artistes are expected to light up the entertainment industry but in no particular order, here are the top 7 artistes to look out for:
Chinko Ekun
YBNL artiste, Chinko Ekun is a problem! The young rapper is still underground but has shown glimpses of his quality during live performances, freestyles and collaborations. If he drops some great singles in 2016, he will become the topic on the lips of many.
Kiss Daniel
Since he made his grand entry on to the Nigerian music scene with Woju in 2014, Kiss Daniel has consistently shown that he is made of greatness. The G-worldwide poster boy has also shown he can switch up his style anytime and still deliver. From the type of rhythm we felt on Woju and Laye, he switched it up to that slight reggae feel on DJ Shabsy’s Raba. He then impressed us with a different kind of sound on Good Time. Expect his debut album and more videos in 2016.
If Kiss Daniel can improve his stage craft in 2016, he can rule his generation of Nigerian music artistes.
Reekado Banks
Longesssssssssssssst! Reekado Banks is clearly a very talented singer. He is doing great already by dropping quality back to back singles in 2015. His controversial win in the Next Rated category at the Headies 2015 and the drama that followed will spur him on to further prove doubting Thomases wrong. Expect chart-topping songs, collaborations, quality videos and if Don Jazzy decides to flip the script, maybe an album from Reekado.
Simi
Songbird, Simi is so great at what she does that it is only natural we expect more singles, videos and a body of work from her in 2016. She sings effortlessly and her voice is so unique that she consistently stands out.
Her synergy with rapper, Falz has given birth to strong indications that they are working on a collaborative project which may be out in 2016.
Jesse Jagz
2016 is the year that Jesse Jagz will have to convince his fans that returning to Chocolate City was a good decision.
After a below par 2015 from the super-talented Jagz, he is expected to drop an album in 2016 and shoot some videos too. Bring Jesse back!
Tekno
Tekno appeared to have found his perfect sound in 2015. Listen to Duro and then go on to listen to Wash. You will realize Tekno may have just found the style of music that suits him the most. He is expected to consolidate further on the acceptance he gained in 2015 by dropping his highly anticipated debut album in 2016.
Falz
Falz the bahd guy! He dropped his sophomore album, Stories That Touch in 2015. Unknown to many, Falz had dropped his debut album, Wazup Guy in 2014. That pattern suggests a third album from Falz in 2016 is not impossibility.
Falz is a complete entertainer no doubt and he is expected to come up with great creative videos for tracks like Soldier, Chardonnay Music and Time Difference off his sophomore album.
Falz will also bag some more endorsement deals in 2016 and don’t forget, there’s a huge possibility of a collaborative project between him and Simi.
Augustine Ogwo is an entertainment writer with The Trent.
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
