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A new generation of artistes are rocking the entertainment scene and smiling to the bank, JAYNE AUGOYE reports
A wind of change is currently blowing across the music industry in
Nigeria. A new order championed by young, vibrant and talented artistes
has emerged. Rather than curse the day that their children decided to
embrace a career in music instead of education, the parents of these
wave-making artistes are pleased with the success they have achieved.
Today, the young artistes are giving the older and established stars a
run for their money. These new-wave superstars now rub shoulders with
the same artistes whom they once looked up to or chose as role models.
Apart from competing with the ‘old guards’ in terms of income and
expenditure, they are often nominated for major music awards in similar
categories.
Multinationals and telecommunications outfits, as well as other major
events sponsors, have realised that the younger generation of music
artistes represent the future of entertainment in Nigeria. With a good
number of them aged between 20 and 25 years and a few others barely
clocking 30, the sky seems to be the limit.
Many of the emerging stars are not just rich; they flaunt their
wealth at every given opportunity. It seems that the rewards for their
modest efforts at making many Nigerians happy are without limit and they
always come in the form of luxury mansions, sold-out concerts, huge fan
base, state-of-the-art cars, bestselling albums, multi-million naira
endorsement deals, chattered flights, big budget videos, custom-made
outfits, ‘bling bling’ and generous airplay on terrestrial TV stations.
Usually dressed in sagging pairs of trousers with expensive jewellery
around their necks, many of them charge as much as N1.5m to mime to
their songs for only 10 minutes at wedding parties or concerts. Many of
them had to drop out of school to pursue a career in music.
E-Punch presents six young music stars that have taken the music scene by storm.
Wizkid
At 23, Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, a.k.a Wizkid, leads the pack. A
string of endorsement deals, including one from MTN, has placed him on
the list of big earning music artistes in Nigeria. At present, he is the
highest paid Pepsi Ambassador in Africa and he lives in a N140m choice
home in Lekki, Lagos.
