2022 Review: Musical Artists and their songs that trended in the year

Photo mix of Kizz Daniel, Burna Boy, Ayra Starr and Asake

The music industry has had a really exciting and wonderful year in 2022 thanks to many Trending Artists from Nigeria.

There have been several albums, singles, controversies, breakouts, etc. from both established artists and up-and-coming ones.

As intriguing as it may be, 2022 was a turning point for aspiring artists because it brought many of them to public attention.

Our musicians brought music to Nigeria, gave us a voice, and are now well-known in Africa and throughout the world.

Burna Boy

Burna Boy, also known as Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, is a legend in the Nigerian music industry. After releasing “Like to Party,” the main song off his debut studio album, L.I.F.E., in 2012, he became famous (2013). 2017 saw Burna Boy sign with Warner Music Group internationally and Bad Habit/Atlantic Records in the US. Outside, his third studio album, was his first major-label release.

Burna Boy became the first Nigerian artist to receive back-to-back Grammy nominations when his fifth studio album, Twice as Tall, was released in August 2020. Twice as Tall was nominated for the same category at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards. Twice as Tall took up the 63rd Annual Grammy Award for Best World Music Album in 2021.

Burna Boy’s sixth studio album, Love, Damini, was released in July 2022. It also set a record for the highest debut of an African album on Billboard, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and France. Burna Boy received the honor of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic in October for his contributions to music.

Asake

Without a doubt, Asake dominated the playlist on Nigerian and African radio stations in 2022. Asake, aka Ahmed Ololade, signed with YBNL Nation and Empire Distribution. His stage name is a tribute to his mother, Asake, who has the first name.

One of the major breakout talents of 2022 was the YBNL sensation Asake, who dominated the music business with “back-to-back smashes,” several features, and the release of two EPs. He recently nominated for BBC Radio 1 Sound of 2023 award, which recognizes emerging artists in the UK.

As his international renown has grown, Asake has become known for his spectacular – and, occasionally, erratic – live shows. Earlier this year, he went viral after bringing a live goat on stage in Atlanta; he was reportedly booed at a show in Birmingham earlier this week after arriving on stage late. Later in the show he handed out cash to fans in the front row.

His top-charting single from the album “joha” was named the best song of the month in August. It is not surprising that five of the songs he worked on made the top 10 of the list of the top 50 Nigerian tracks of 2022 because he remained consistent in the eyes of music fans.

Wizkid

Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun a.k.a Wizkid is a prominent figure in the modern-day Afrobeats music scene, Wizkid is regarded as one of the biggest and most influential African artists of all time. Wizkid signed a record deal with Banky W’s Empire Mates Entertainment (E.M.E) in 2009. He later rose to the limelight after releasing “Holla at Your Boy”, the lead single from his debut studio album, Superstar.

Wizkid achieved international recognition following his collaboration with Drake on the hit single “One Dance”, which reached number-one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and topped the charts in 14 additional countries.

In 2018, he was featured on the song “Checklist” by Normani and Calvin Harris, which reached number-one on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart. The following year, he was featured on Beyoncé’s project The Lion King: The Gift on the single “Brown Skin Girl”, which also reached number-one on the World Digital Song Sales chart, and won him a Grammy Award for Best Music Video.

Wizkid released his fourth album, Made in Lagos in 2022, which received commercial success and acclaim, reaching number-one on the Billboard World Album Chart. The album includes the single “Essence” featuring Tems, which became the first Nigerian song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, and reached the top ten following a remix released by Justin Bieber. Wizkid’s fifth album More Love, Less Ego was released on 11 November 2022.

Buju BNXN

A promising Nigerian music star with a unique fusion of Pop, Afro Beat, and Highlife music, Buju (BNXN), real name Daniel Benson. Buju has provided Nigerians with a steady stream of hit tunes. He has a distinctive tone that entices listeners to explore his genre of music further. However, he recently changed his name to BNXN.

The Afropop musician is very young, but he already has his own fan following on social media. Buju’s music videos have been gaining a lot of attention on several social media platforms and YouTube as well. His videos have also been viewed and shared by his fans all over the world.

On Spotify, Buju has 3.8 million monthly listeners, and his most streamed songs include “Italy Refix,” “Mood,” “Feeling,” and “Lenu.”

Davido

David Adedeji Adeleke professional known as Davido, fuses traditional African components with global mainstream music to create a sound that is both interesting and appealing. Davido is one of the most influential and wealthy musicians in Nigeria. Despite originating from an affluent family, Davido’s ascent to stardom has its own unique twist, which most people are unaware of.

Multi-award-winning singer Davido ranks among the most streamed Nigerian artists on Spotify. He came to public attention in 2012 with the release of “Dami Duro,” the second song from his debut studio album Omo Baba Olowo. Since then, the singer has released 3 additional studio albums. His song Fall has spent the second-longest amount of time on the Billboard charts among Nigerian pop songs.

Fireboy

Popular Nigerian musician Ademola Adefolahan, well known by his stage name Fireboy Dml, is a member of Olamide’s record company YBNL nation. The Nigerian music industry has seen a lot of success for Fireboy Dml. Despite the fact that his first studio album, “Laughter, Tears and Goosebumps,” was only released in 2019, he has already made his debut.

In less than 3 years, Fireboy has gone from being well-known in Nigeria to dominating the world, especially since the release of “Peru” in 2021 and the subsequent release of its remix with well-known British Singer Ed Sheeran.

Within the first week of its release, the “Peru” remix amassed ten million views on YouTube and replaced Adele’s “Easy on me” at the top of the London Apple Music Chart.

Fireboy Dml has 7.4M monthly listeners on Spotify and his most streamed include; Peru, Peru remix, Running, Vibration, Sere

Ayra Starr

Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe known professionally as Ayra Starr, is a Nigerian singer. She was born in Cotonou, Benin. After covering several songs by popular artists on Instagram, she posted her first original song on her page in December 2019. This brought her to the attention of record executive Don Jazzy, and led to her signing to Mavin Records.

The Bloody Samaritan crooner was the second-most streamed female artist in Nigeria last year, and she seems to have improved both locally and internationally this year.

Ayra Starr was on the Billboard Hot 100 after the publication of her self-titled debut EP in 2022 and her debut album, “19 & Dangerous.” She also collaborated with American singer Kelly Rowland on a remix of her hit song “Bloody Samaritan.”

She is the most streamed female musician in Nigeria this year. Rush, her successful collaboration with Magixx, made the top 50 Nigerian hits of 2022. According to Spotify, Ayra Starr has at least 2.7 million monthly listeners.

Kizz Daniel

Oluwatobiloba Daniel Anidugbe, better known by his stage name Kizz Daniel, is a Yoruba singer and songwriter. He is best known for his singles “Woju” and “Yeba”. He went by the stage name Kiss Daniel prior to changing it in May 2018. He signed a record deal with G-Worldwide Entertainment in 2013, but left the label following a publicized contract dispute and court case. He’s the founded of Fly Boy Inc record label in November 2017.

On May 4, 2022, he released a chart-topping single titled Buga The song became a hit with dance challenges on Instagram and TikTok with prominent people including the President of Liberia, George Weah dancing to it.