‘There’s never been a greater time to be a Nigerian artist’: but have the new giants of African music shut the door behind them?

‘There’s never been a greater time to be a Nigerian artist’: but have the new giants of African music shut the door behind them?

West African musicians have become stars in recent years as the fusions from the Afrobeats movement made for big label signings. But the surge of interest have made it tougher for aspiring artists to break through

“When I’m on stage, it’s a fucking Rema party – make some noise!” The crowd obliged as the Nigerian singer strode across the Wireless festival stage. Midway through his set, Rema brought on two of his compatriots, Shallipopi and Zerry DL, to perform their hit, Benin Boys. Over the annual two-day extravaganza, held last month in London’s Finsbury Park, five Nigerian artists thrilled the audience.

Across Europe and the US, Nigeria’s Afrobeats stars have featured prominently on the 2024 summer tour circuit, from Burna Boy celebrating the fifth anniversary of his African Giant album at Koko in Camden, London, to Tems in the lineup at the Montreux jazz festival in Switzerland and BNXN appearing at the Gramercy Theatre in New York.

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