Returnees still calling the shots 0 mins ago CHUX OHAI takes a look at the progress being made by some popular music stars whose careers started abroad No doubt, the Nigerian music industry has grown in leaps and bounds in the last six or seven years. But part of the credit goes to a tribe of Nigerian artistes in the Diaspora who were encouraged by certain developments within the industry at the time to return home. Several years after they launched their careers, most of these artistes have continued to call the shots on the music scene and pulling the crowds wherever they go. They include popular singers, such as Banky W, D’banj and Tiwa Savage. Banky W Banky W, whose real name is Olubankole Wellington, literally sneaked in on the Nigerian music scene in 2008 from the Unites States where he was born over 30 years ago. Back in the US, he had succeeded in gaining some visibility as a singer and songwriter after winning a talent hunt contest while studying at the Rensselar Polytechnic Institute in New York. Before returning to Nigeria, the singer had co-founded the Empire Mates Entertainment and tucked in a few awards, especially the Urban Independent Music Award in the R and B/Soul Artist of the Year category. Banky W quickly went on to install himself as a force to reckon with in the industry, releasing albums every year and clinching more awards, as well as signing promising new artistes on to his EME record label. Banky W has been waxing strong, no doubt, these past years. The crowning point in his career was when he joined others to inspire thousands of youths to participate in the historic Occupy Nigeria protests against the removal of fuel subsidy in January 2012. The singer is easily one of the most popular music stars and producers in the country. Only a few days ago, he was part of a small team of artistes commissioned to record theme songs for the political campaign of the All Progressives Congress Governorship candidate in Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode. D’banj It is no surprise that Oladapo Oyebanjo, aka D’banj, is currently the toast of Arican music abroad with Oliver Twist, his fast-paced hit song that topped the music charts in the United Kingdom and Africa between 2011 and 2012. Before he relocated abroad for the second time, he had a flourishing career with Mo Hits Record in Nigeria and his name was already a household item. But, unknown to many fans, D’banj’s career actually started in London during his days as a student of Mechanical Engineering in that cosmopolitan city. A chance meeting with Don Jazzy, the boss of Mo Hits who was also a struggling songwriter and producer in London led to a fulfilling partnership that terminated after the two broke up in Nigeria in 2011. The singer hit the airwaves straight from London with his highly successful 2004 hit song titled, Tongolo and the rain of encomiums has not stopped after that. Often described as a charismatic entertainer, his performances, especially at public concerts, have always attracted large audiences. D’banj has won several music awards, including the awards for Best African Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2007, Artiste of the Year at the MTV Africa Music Awards 2009, Best International Act: Africa at the BET Awards 2011, and Best-selling African Artist at the 2014 World Music Awards. Tiwa Savage By the time Tiwa Savage returned to her Nigerian roots around 2010, she was already an accomplished songwriter and singer. She had lived and worked abroad ever since she was 11 years-old, mainly in the United Kingdom and later, the United States. Tiwa’s wealth of experience on the British and American music scenes was indisputable. Apart from undergoing formal training in music at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, USA, she had done backup vocals for several international music stars and groups, such as Whitney Houston, George Michael, Mary J. Blige, Chaka Khan, Emma Bunton, Blu Cantrell and Kelly Clarkson, among others. She had performed with the Black Eyed Peas, Destiny’s Child, Sting, Robbie Williams and 50 Cent at different periods in her career. Also, as a songwriter, she has written for the likes of Babyface and Fantasia. When Tiwa eventually arrived on the Nigerian music industry to contribute her quota to its development, as she put it at the time, she found herself exploring a very different terrain. But a short time after her arrival, she released the single, Kele Kele Love. The song did not only top many Nigerian music charts, it firmly established the singer as the new queen of pop in the country. The singer, who got married in 2013 after signing on to Mavin Records, is really waxing strong on the music scene at present, especially with many collabos to her credit. Her exciting stage presence and scintillating performances have not ceased to amaze her fans.
Posted on: Wed, 21 Jan 2015 04:04:56 +0000
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