Under normal circumstances, you get to attend a lot of musical events, concerts, or shows, call it what you like but 2020 and COVID-19 gave it an entirely different name – CANCELLED! Any objections? I guessed not. It’s sad but that’s the reality of things unfolding.
In a regular calendar year, all things being equal, musicians or artistes hosts a lot of shows, especially the established ones in the “A List” and “B List” category and this concerts in turn not only make us love these already established artistes but in a way also introduce us to new artistes, who we dub the term “upcoming artistes” who most times than none serve the preliminary role as opening acts of these concerts but like we already know by now only corona has the ability to shutdown shows more than Wizkid himself (pun intended).
But like it’s a custom every year, at least we get introduced to one new artiste and this year is not different despite the pandemic, all thanks to the world of social media and as the title indicates let’s dive right into the matter:
1. Omah Lay:
Omah Lay | courtesy IG: omah_lay
“’cause the doctor said I burnt my liver/I’ve been drinking smoking cigars”. If you’re in the age bracket between 16 – 23 and you don’t know that line by now then you can’t be trusted. Okay, just kidding.
Get Layd EP cover art
Omah Lay released his debut EP Get Layd on the 22nd of May and like the twinkle of an eye, it went viral in no time; not surprising though as the 5-track EP is laced with melodic R&B tunes which are very catchy and easy to sing along to. No wonder within just two months of the Get Layd EP release, it amassed over ten million streams on major streaming platforms making him debut artist on the Billboard Africa Rising Artist as Get Layd will go on to being the number one album in Nigeria on the iTunes album charts. Just imagine how much more numbers he’d be generating if COVID-19 didn’t pay mother earth an unwelcome visit but till then I’ve got a question for Mr. Omah Lay himself: can you please introduce me to the girl you were talking about in Track 1 of your EP – “Damn” when you said – “She loves me when I’m down/she loves me when I’m jobless/she loves me like damn, like damn damn damn”? I feel like she would make for a good wife material.
- 2. Terri:
Terri | courtesy IG: starboyterri
If you remember the popular song “Soco” by the Starboy crew featuring Wizkid and his allies, then you would’ve noticed amongst other standouts singers on the song, an artiste who go by the name Terri but for some reason he went unnoticed for a while after the success of “Soco” but the wait is finally over.
Afro Series EP cover art
With the release of his debut EP Afro Series we can say Terri is ready to really live up to the label he’s signed to, Starboy because he’s ready to shine and that’s not just hype; within a short period of time of the release of Afro Series EP, a lot of comparisons have been drawn to the similarities between him and that of his label owner, Wizkid in style and sound of music, so if you are still sleeping on Terri, it isn’t too late to wake up just as the first track of the EP indicates.
3. Oxlade
Oxlade | courtesy IG: oxladeofficial
Despite the corona virus moving mad and taking lives as it unfortunately pleases; Oxlade is giving us that fresh breath of Oxygen free from all unnecessary drama, just pure melodies and entertainment.
Oxygen EP cover art
As you might have rightly guessed by now, Oxlade’s EP is titled Oxygen, a 6-track EP filled with well produced and minimal yet very efficient songs to keep listeners attached to their ear phones for the almost eighteen minutes of play and even beyond if we take replay value into consideration. All but the last song “Tables Turn” are sole songs showcasing his pen game and music dexterity and at times he hit those Soprano C notes just to flex his voice you know.
4. Cheque:
Cheque | courtesy IG: superboycheque
2019 Penthauze signee Bamidele Brett popularly known by his musical name Cheque received major recognition when he joined other label mates including the Alobam himself Phyno on the track “Nyem Space” and since then he has been on the grind to make that money just as his name clearly shows.
Razor EP cover art
His debut EP titled Razor, a clear cut blend of Hip-Hop/Rap, Afro-fusion and Trap tunes wasted no time in showing fans how diverse his music base is and I dare say, it is a masterpiece! Not surprising though as just few hours after the release of Razor EP, it climbed to number five on the Nigerian iTunes charts for albums.
Safe to say, Cheque isn’t just satisfied as he relentlessly zooms on his journey to fame and money with hollywood as the possible destination, hey just saying who knows? Until then our fingers are crossed as we anticipate further delightful music from Cheque.
With these four new acts, we can say our Nigerian music industry is in good hands for the future and our ears will know no bounds when it comes to beautiful music. Other notable mentions include Bella Shmurda, Bad Boy Timz and Wani