Introduction
Where Are They Now? You might ask. Well to keep it simple, it is more of a mini-series which concerns itself with discussing some of our favourite artistes who fair to say had their share of the mainstream and commercial success but suddenly have gone under the radar, to the point of music lovers, critics, even fans not hearing from them in a very long time, down to the point of their songs be it singles, EPs, mixtape and albums generating inconsequential amount of streams compared to when they were the hot topic in town.
This week, we are kicking of this mini-series off with R&B and Pop sensation, Sean Tizzle.
Vol. 1: Sean Tizzle
Mainstream Success
“She’s whining like an Indiana / I come dey jonze like I be indiana”. Those lyrics will forever be ingrained in our memories anytime we think of “Sho Le”, the D’Tunes produced debut track by Sean Tizzle in 2013.
2013 was so big for Sean Tizzle that his debut commercially available track easily transcended into one of the best songs of the year, one of the best selling songs of the year (if I am not wrong as there are no available statistics regarding that) and if you ask me, one of the best debut singles ever by a Nigerian music act. Yes “Sho Le” was pure magic, not just that, it grew organically and easily traversed beyond the borders despite the fact music streaming platforms were not patronised then, compared to our present time.
Usually with such massive debut, most new acts are easily swept under the carpet and considered a one hit wonder but no, Sean Tizzle struck again with yet another smash hit single, “Kilogbe” then “Komole” setting the tone for the release of his debut album—“The Journey” (2014)—which fell short of nothing but positive critical acclaim.
To cap off the year 2013, Sean Tizzle received the award for The Headies Next Rated while “Sho Le” won D’Tunes the Producer Of The Year award at the same event.
With the release of “The Journey” in 2014, Sean Tizzle solidified himself as a household name in the Nigerian mainstream media, becoming one of the most sought after artistes and one whose fans was looking up to to take R&B to a new height on the Nigerian music scene. “The Journey” will eventually go on to win Best R&B/Pop Album at The Headies 2014 amidst fierce competition from Kcee’s “Takeover”, “L.I.F.E – Leaving an Impact For Eternity” by Burna Boy and “Once Upon a Time” by Tiwa Savage, just to name a few.
The win was a deserved one, considering the balanced lyricism, replay value, artistry and marketability embedded in each 16 songs on the album including “Igi Orombo”, “Duro”, “Dem No Be God”, “All the Way”, “Kilogbe (remix)”, “Loke Loke” and everyone’s favourite – “Perfect Gentleman”.
Going Under the Radar
Sean Tizzle blooming music career continued to soar until 2015 when it appeared to have hit a minor setback with rumors flying around that the singer had intentions to leave D’Tunes’ Difference Entertainment and float his record label, Tizzle Nation amidst internal disputes between himself and Difference Entertainment management. Rumours also suggested of Sean Tizzle going against contract which cost label heavily in profits as they had to return money for the shows Sean Tizzle apparently willingly chose not to go perform at after bookings for several months despite him being aware of them.
Although Sean Tizzle did deny any claims of a rift between himself, D’Tunes and Different Entertainment label, he went on to not renew his contract and daringly float his label – Tizzle Nation – late in 2015.
Since establishing Tizzle Nation, Sean Tizzle has released two EPs, “Moving Forward (Vol. 1)” in 2017 and the most recent as at February 2021, “Where You Been”.
Even tapping into our nostalgic memory with the “Eru Sa’aye Po” hits compilation mixtape in 2015 but to almost no avail, Sean Tizzle fails to capture the hearts and ears of fans and music lovers just like he did during the immaculate 2013-2015 run he had.
Maybe the problem is managerial, PR, self inflicted and/or lack of adequate social media presence and interactions with fans, we can not say for sure but definitely I can say for a fact, it is not A&R judging by the collabs Sean Tizzle’s secured with American singer and rapper, Tory Lanez (“Hit & Run”, 2018), Davido (“Dide”, 2017) and Wyclef Jean (“For Me”, 2021) but the questions still stand, where are they now? Sean Tizzle, where did you go man?
Wii he even be able to make a grand comeback, making himself a household name on the Nigerian music scene like he once was? Only Sean Tizzle can answer that.