There’s no denying that Nigerian music is taking the world by storm. A quick visit to the internet will prove this. We have some incredibly talented artistes to thank for that. These artistes have gone from creating music and topping charts in Nigeria to becoming global success stories.
Their achievements are commendable and will undoubtedly create a chain reaction that will see Nigerians dominating the global music scene in no time.
Here are five impressive artistes from Nigeria in 2022:
1. Tems
From her sonorous voice to her incredibly unique style of music, Temilade Openiyi, professionally known as Tems has changed the music game one hit at a time. It’s no surprise that Nigerians are utterly in love with her. However, it’s not only Nigerians anymore; people all over the world can’t seem to get enough of her.
This year, Tems has proven that resilience and hard work pay off in the end. She has not only recorded major wins; she has made history not once but twice! In May, she became the first female Nigerian artist to debut at no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Afterwards, in June, she won the Best International Act at the 2022 BET Awards, becoming the first Nigerian and African female musician to do so.
You’d think her bank of achievements would be complete by then, but this star once again shook the international space and not in the music industry this time but in the film industry. Tems sang a remake of Bob Marley and the Wailers’ “No Woman No Cry” as a soundtrack for the trailer of the sequel to Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther.”
2. Fireboy
Fireboy has shown right from his debut album, “Laughter, Tears and Goosebumps,” that he’s one artist to look out for. However, this fact became more apparent in 2022.
Popularly known as Fireboy, Adedamola Adefolahan, made history when his hit remix with Ed Sheeran bagged platinum certification in the UK in April.
Thereafter, the 26-year-old became the first afrobeat artist to perform at the BET Awards. He also performed for the first time at the Wembley Stadium in London with Ed Sheeran. Without a doubt, this is just the beginning of all that’s to come for Fireboy.
3. Burna Boy
Damini Ogulu, popularly known as Burna Boy, has enjoyed world-class domination in the Afro beats space for a while now, and it seems he’s not ready to stop anytime soon. He continues to top previous achievements with ease.
This year, Burna boy became the first Nigerian artist to headline at the legendary Madison Square Gardens with a capacity of 20,789 people in New York. Yet, the tickets were sold out. Yes, you read right, sold out! Coupled with that, as many as 100,000 viewers joined the concert via YouTube.
This achievement places his name on the same list with legends like Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, Adele, Rihanna, Jay-Z, Justin Bieber, and The Beatles.
4. Davido
David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, is undoubtedly one of the top artists in Nigeria, and he has been for the past couple of years. He has again proven this year that he deserves a spot at the top.
In March 2022, Davido made history as the first Nigerian musician to be featured in a FIFA World Cup single when he sang “Hayya Hayya (Better Together)” alongside Trinidad Cardona and AISHA. This song is the first single of the multi-song FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™️ Official Soundtrack.
Following that, in August, the song he co-wrote for American musician Chris Brown, “Under the Influence,” became the most Shazamed song globally.
5. Wizkid
Wizkid is not new to the international music scene. Even before the reign of Afrobeat worldwide, the 32-year-old had been recording groundbreaking successes.
This year, his fourth studio album, “Made In Lagos,” became the longest-charting African album. More than that, he became the longest-charting African artist on the Billboard World Album charts.
After that, he won Best Collaboration at the BET Awards for Essence featuring Tems and Justin Bieber.
Wizkid is set to release his fifth studio album titled “More Love Less Ego” in 2022, and we don’t doubt that this new project will even supersede his previous achievements.
