I'm so proud of how the creative industry is growing in Nigeria and the recognition creatives are getting. These days I listen to albums from Nigerian music artists, and i get impressed by some of the songs that I go to check the credits to see who the song writers and producers are. In fact, I discover some foreign artists I've never heard about, through collaborations with Nigerian artists.
It's amazing how you can feel and appreciate the emotions or state of mind of the singer, especially when it cuts across the whole album. For example, when I listened to songs like "Ogaranya", "All my life", and "Chasing peace of mind" in Adekunle Gold's album "Tequila ever after", I could tell that he was happy and grateful about how things have worked out for him, and I shared in his joy. Similarly, the songs in Davido's album "Oriadé" sounded playful; like someone who has a relaxed state of mind. There have been arguments that a lot of Nigerian secular music is just 'noise' with no deep, value-adding or intelligent lyrics. Maybe, it is true but I've observed that in some stages in life, you just need music that will entertain you or even allow you be delusional temporarily, just to forget about your current challenges. For example, listening to Young Jonn singing about "I see the money coming" may give a broke person hope, or Davido singing about "I know who I be, there's no other me, legendary, legendary na who I be" can boost someone's morale. Even if people enjoy only the beats of a song, I think that is enough value created since the singer has managed to capture some interest. Besides, there are several alternatives including from gospel music, which has evolved in Nigeria, providing interesting, comparable beats and production as secular music. I look forward to TY Bello's albums because the sound, beats, collaborations and anything else one can describe her music production, keeps getting better.
Similar progress can be observed in the Nigerian film industry. I've enjoyed watching some recent Nigerian movies because the cinematography has really improved, and most of them have been intentional about showcasing fashion in Nigeria through their costumes. Jade Osiberu's "Isoken" was so good that I rewatched it several times, and would probably do again. It's also good that Nigerian filmmakers are taking advantage of YouTube. While there is still room for improvement, especially as some of the YouTube movies are unnecessarily prolonged, it has allowed some new talents to shine including actors I didn't really know before, like Sonia Uche. I also like how they cast some older Nigerian movie actors, who prove that they've still got it. For example, I enjoyed watching "Sibe" by Bimbo Ademoye, and Baba Olode was one of my favourite characters. From the music industry, I also liked how Davido's song "With You" infused music by Bright Chimezie, an older music star.
I think there is plenty of room for collaborations, even for stage performances or music concerts. For example, If you listen to the lyrics of Daddy Showkey's "Somebody Call My Name" ("The Name"), you realise it's actually a very simple song that became 'galalalized'. I can imagine Johnny Drille and Adekunle Gold using their softer tones to introduce the song during a concert before Daddy Showkey comes in with the Ghetto galala style. I think it'll be a hit!
