The year 2020 has been one of the most epic years in the Nigerian Music Industry despite the fact that we had to go through a rough patch in terms of the deadly Covid-19 pandemic which caused a huge flux within the borders of Africa and worldwide to be exact.
Popular artistes such as Davido, Burnaboy, Wizkid, and Tiwa Savage never ceased to amaze their listeners with their latest hits and albums as they all used the medium of social distancing and recommended health procedures to stay alive and create good music.
However, some of these Nigerian singers had to put in tons of effort to attain their position in the music industry while some had to work sleeplessly day and night to take their music to the next level globally which brings us to list the 10 most influential Nigerian artistes of 2020.
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Table of Contents
1. Davido
28-Year-Old singer, David Adeleke is ranked number 1 among the 10 most influential singers of 2020 in the Nigerian music industry.
He is known for breaking boundaries when it comes to Afro music and he never disappoints his listeners with his vibe when it comes to massive entertainment and collaboration with foreign artistes.
Some of his latest hit which was ranked as the most-streamed songs of 2020 includes his collaboration with American rapper, Lil Baby on the song -“So Crazy” with over 3.8million streams on YouTube and also his mind-blowing party jam “Fem” (which later evolved a song for the #Endsars protest in Nigeria) from his third studio album titled “A Better Time”.
2. Wizkid
Being one of the most respected artists in the Nigerian music industry, Wizkid is currently the 2nd on the 10 most influential Nigerian artistes of 2020.
The 30-year old Nigerian Starboy gave his listeners “No Stress” following his previous release with American singer and songwriter, H.E.R on his other song titled “Smile” which was overrated across various TV stations such as MTV Base and Soundcity with over 4.1million streams (still counting) on YouTube.
He was also in the spotlight in the music industry for his controversial album “Made In Lagos” which was a huge comparison to the 2020 project of his fellow artistes such as Davido’s A Better Time, Olamide’s Carpe Diem, and Burna Boy’s Twice as Tall.
According to some ratings in the music industry, some of his listeners were quite unsatisfied with his 2020 debut album, as some of them expected a lot of party jams which really did not feature much in the album, but still, we cannot deny the fact that “Made in Lagos” was a huge success.
3. Burna Boy
Damini Ogulu A.K.A Burna Boy is currently one of the heartbeats in the Nigerian music industry when it comes to Afro-pop entertainment.
His music career has not only been witnessed within the borders of Africa, but his voice has been heard across various countries such as the UK and US.
During the 8th month of the year with lots of anticipation from the 29-year old singer, Burna Boy announced his recent project titled “Twice as Tall” which was his fifth studio album with a total number of 11.4million audio streams stateside which was also debuted at number 54 according to the Top 200 Albums Chart.
4. Olamide
Olamide Adedeji as we all know him has been one of the most loved Nigerian hip-hop singers in the entertainment industry.
He is known for using the Yoruba language and also English to make music which is one of the most focused parts when it comes to the taste of Nigerian listeners.
The 31-year old is currently among the most influential singers of 2020 following his recent studio project titled “Carpe Diem” which contains various hit songs such as Eru, Green Light, and his collaboration with Bella Shumurda on the song titled “Triumphant”.
5. Omah Lay
Stanley Omah popularly known as Omah Lay was one of the surprising names we heard in the Nigerian music industry in 2020.
His music career has no explanation due to the fact that he was always seen in the spotlight thereby surpassing fellow artistes in the game such as Rema, Fireboy, and Joeboy to be precise.
Omah Lay is currently on the “Most likely to succeed category” in the Nigerian music industry for his soft vibes and smooth lyrics that come with his music.
He is also one of the most streamed artistes according to YouTube music for most of his songs such as Lo Lo, Godly, Damn, and other singles on his 2020 EP titled “Get Layd”.
6. Naira Marley
When it comes to the street, Azeez Fashola A.K.A Naira Marley never fails to impress his listeners with his kind of music most especially for his influence on Nigerians and his controversial “Marlians” fan base.
Naira Marley had it banging this year with his street vibe titled “Chi Chi” which is also a love song alongside his other jams such as Mofoti, As E Dey Go, and Dido Lobo.
The Lagos Born 29-year old surpassed his fellow artiste such as Zlatan, Raman Jago, and Slim Case as one of the most influential Nigerian singers in the entertainment industry.
7. Tiwa Savage
Tiwatope Savage was however not one of those names we heard mostly this year compared to her studio project in 2019. But it’s still no doubt that her lovers are quite addicted to her vibe and music in the Nigerian entertainment industry home and abroad.
We, however, got a lot from her this year which includes her third studio album titled “Celia” which features guest appearances from Davido, Naira Marley as well as a female British rapper, Stefflon Don.
In May 2020, Tiwa Savage appeared on the cover of Billboard’s first issue devoted entirely to Africa alongside her fellow artistes like Mr Eazi, Burna Boy, and Davido.
She was also the first African music artist to have two billboards in Times Square, New York on her album “Celia” release day.
8. Fireboy DML
Signed to YBNL Nation, Adedamola Adefolahan A.K.A Fireboy would still be one of the most loved artistes in the Nigerian music industry.
The 24-year old “Jealous” singing sensation makes it to the 10 most influential artistes in 2020 ahead of his fellow competitors such as Joeboy, Rema, Lyta, Oxlade, and Zinoleesky just to mention a few.
He is known mostly for his controversial song “Tattoo” and “Eli” which was part of his debut studio album titled “Apollo” with over 17 tracks featuring A-List artistes like Wande Coal and his record label boss, Olamide.
9. Bella Shmurda
The way and manner Bella Shmurda took over the Nigerian Music industry, is a bit mysterious and incredible but he never fails to entertain his listeners with his kind of music in the entertainment industry.
Some of his popular projects include; Koshi, Cash App, and others which were released following his debut EP titled “High Tension”.
Bella Shmurda is currently an independent artiste and his audio streams are quite impressive this year compared to his previous years in the industry.
10. Zlatan Ibile
Omoniyi Temidayo A.K.A Zlatan Ibile has been one of the most favored artistes in the Nigerian music industry.
He has been compared to the likes of Naira Marley, Zinoleesky, Bella Shmurda, and Raman Jago when it comes to party jams and street vibes.
Zlatan Ibile makes it through the 10 most influential artistes in 2020 as Number 10 for his controversial songs: Lagos Anthem, Unripe Pawpaw, and The Matter. He also gave his listeners an EP titled “RoadtoCDK” which consists of only five tracks but we hope to expect more from him this coming year.
