#Nigerian music.

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NIGERIAN ARTISTS TO WATCH IN 2023

2022 delivered more than its fair share of exceptional artists, and they helped etch the year as one of the most significant for music in recent memory. Young artists fulfilled promised potential, established acts returned to log in excellent albums, and a certain Asake emerged from seemingly nowhere to stake a legitimate claim to artist of the year. The last of these is also evidence that predictive pieces like these may miss a few fish when casting nets to pick the brightest prospects ahead of a new year, but even the risk of missing a few future stars, here is a selection of artists, at various levels, who we believe are poised to write their names in the headlines of 2023.

Davido 

Davido opens our list of Ones To Watch in 2023, and it's not because he is a promising youngster showing some potential. Far from it. 001 was getting set to unveil a grand album, which was to be the follow-up to 2020's A Better Time, with a major concert, the A.W.A.Y. Festival, scheduled for November 2022. However, personal tragedy struck, and the artist was understandably unable to fulfil these commitments last year. In 2023, Davido will aim to get back on track, and for his fans, there is an air of excitement that hovers over his return. The singer has already teased March as a month for new music, and we cannot wait to see what he has in store for us then. 

Ruger 

Ruger had a great year in 2022, logging in the deluxe to his much acclaimed The Second Wave EP from 2021. Outside of it, his 2022 portfolio was sparse, as he went for quality first, a result of which he had songs like "Girlfriend", "Wewe" and "Asiwaju" ringing from the lips of Nigerians for months. In 2023 he will set his sights on a debut album, as a very successful one will undoubtedly place him among Nigeria's finest. 

Seyi Vibez

Seyi Vibez closed 2022 spectacularly, cramming an album, Billion Dollar Baby and its deluxe into the last two months of the year. He began 2023 with hardly a break in stride, as he debuted the Memory Card mixtape only a week into the new year. Such unrelenting effort hardly goes unrewarded, and it is more likely than not that Seyi Vibez brings himself, and the experimental street pop he creates, to prominence in 2023. 

Bloody Civilian 

Bloody Civilian had the subtlest of entries on the biggest of stages. She was one of a few Nigerians to feature on the soundtrack of Wakanda Forever, alongside stars like Tems, Burna Boy, Fireboy and Rema. Her discography outside this, however, is quite thin. Her brilliant self-produced debut single, "How To Kill A Man", was released in October 2022, and with nothing else since, Bloody Civilian will be keen to have some more music to her name this year. 

Guchi

Guchi is quietly growing into Nigeria's music scene. Her 2021 was spotted by singles, with the releases of "Jennifer", "Benzema" and "Scatter My Head" pushing her into public perception for the first time. In 2022, she coalesced her efforts into an EP, Purple Diary, which featured Yemi Alade, as it criss-crossed Pop and RnB while contemplating matters of love and heartbreak. In 2023 she will aim to take another step further, and stamp her name on a debut album. Nigeria's music scene could do with another female popstar right now, and it is left for Guchi to angle herself to fill that position. 

Victony

Victony has patiently taken every step on the journey here. His contribution on "Holy Father" off Mayorkun's Back In Office in 2021 was the first time most Nigerians got acquainted with his sonorous voice, and since then they've only wanted more. And he has provided. Victony's EP, Outlaw, performed modestly in Nigeria, and extended its claws beyond the country with its hit single, "Soweto". For the next step of his journey, he will be looking to log in a debut album or another strong EP, and we expect at least one of these to arrive this year. 

Tems 

The last three years have been nothing short of magical for Tems. She entered 2020 as a Nigerian alternative upcomer and has left 2022 as one of the most recognisable African stars in world music. If Orange Was A Place was her last official release from back in 2021, but since then she has had contributions on albums from Future, Beyonce and the Wakanda Forever collective raise her profile without needing to break a sweat. In 2023 though, it would be time to release the music she undoubtedly has been working on all this while. A debut album is still in her future, and we cannot imagine how much bigger she will grow after its eventual release. 

Odumodublvck

Following the success of "Dog Eat Dog", Odumodublvck, Nigeria's self proclaimed 'Grime and Oporoko' singer, inked a deal with Native Records in 2022. From it was born the single, "Picanto", and there is a lot more to come. With the talent the rapper possesses, the distinctiveness and originality of his genre and the backing of a new label, Odumodublvck is a safe bet to make as one of the better performers of 2023. 

Soundz

Soundz released an EP, In The Rough, in July, and two songs off it, "Personal" and "Attention" brought him the most publicity of his career so far. With the silky melodies he laces over mellow pop beats, he already operates in what is a favourite zone for the Nigerian audience, and it is now time for him to properly announce himself to them. An A-lister status still eludes him, though, and he would have to work especially hard to achieve it this year.

Fave

Winning Rookie Of The Year confers on any artist the pressure to outgrow that tag and enter the next level as an artist. For Fave, this is hardly a problem, as her current discography suggests she is yet to fully scratch the surface of her potential. Baby Riddim, her breakout hit from late 2021, and Riddim 5, the EP it spawned, leaned heavily on RnB with subtle touches of pop. With her latest single, "Scatta Scatta", she went for the dance-readiness of afropop and ragga elements, a field she proved equally adept at. There is still a lot more of her artistry left to explore, and this may just be the year she becomes a permanent resident of Nigerian music's top level. 

TAR1Q

TAR1Q was officially unveiled by  Chocolate City in July this year, and he came bearing a gift — his Son Of The Moon EP. Here he presented his own warped take on love and relationships, letting his vocals slide over production that cut from the softer parts of Afropop. Before and since this though, there's not a lot going for him, but between his ability and the force of a major record label behind him, we expect him to significantly grow his portfolio in 2023. 

And there you have it. A selection of artists tipped to conquer Nigeria's airwaves and charts this year. A few of them have already begun making early moves, while others will wait for the right time to unveil music that they hope would be good enough to move them a level higher this year. With the sheer volume and quality of Nigeria's artist pool, no single article would be sufficiently long to mark a register of the current hottest names, but these acts have proven they have the X-factor required to set themselves apart. We cannot wait to see them attain new peaks in 2023.

This article was written by Afrobeats City Contributor Ezema Patrick - @ezemapatrick (Twitter)

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Danger by Lijadu Sisters, 1976

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Yemi A.D.

Gender: Male

Sexuality: Queer

DOB: 4 November 1981

Ethnicity: Nigerian, Czech

Nationality: Czech

Occupation: Entrepreneur, dance teacher, dancer, choreographer, music producer, director

Note 1: In December 2022, he was selected as one of eight crew members for dearMoon, which is planned to be a civilian lunar space mission.

Note 2: First Czech correspondent for MTV Europe

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The lijadu sisters

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Obongjayar live in the flesh, live and direct shot by Nafisah Muhtar

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