Almost anyone would agree that 2020 came with many uncertainties. With the #EndSARS protests, COVID-19 pandemic, and the impact on the global economy, 2020 will forever remain a year to remember. The turbulent year however seemed to have favoured such acts in the music scene like Bella Schumurda, Tems, especially Omah Lay who came into spotlight within the year and became a household name. Both Omah Lay and Bella Schumurda, alongside Tems and Oxlade have gone on to be listed as nominees for the prestigious Headies Award in the Next Rated category.
While the year has been good for some Nigerian artistes, The Journal has taken the time to do a compilation of some artistes that came with great potentials but failed to make it big in the year.
- Zinoleesky
Otherwise known for his slang “Eruku Makanaki”, Zinoleesky is the first on our list. The “Kilofeshe” crooner came into the spotlight in 2019. His IG freestyles alongside fellow act, Lil Frosh, endeared music lovers to him. His energy, bars and lyrics made him very popular. His street slangs never failed to strike a chord. With such hit tracks like “Popo”, “Firi Yoyo” and then the killer “Joromi” in 2019, much was expected of Zinoleesky in 2020. He signed with Naira Marley’s record label, Marlian Records. Under MR, he released “Caro” and went on to pronounce his music genius with “Mapariwo”: one of the top songs that raved 2020. Illustrative of the fact that he didn’t make it big in the year, Zinoleesky was listed in the Rookie category for the Headies awards when the hitmaker should be contesting with acts in the Next Rated category.
- Crayon
The talented Mavins signee has always been tipped to be the next big act in the Nigerian and by extension African music scene. His voice texture, style and pattern which is almost the same as Wizkid’s is totally desirable. He had such hit songs as “So fine” and “Bamiloke” in 2019. How Crayon missed out on the 2019 rookie of the year Headies Award still remains a mystery. To reinforce his music dexterity, he went on to make a statement with the hit song “Kpano” earlier in the year. Despite releasing other songs as “Mo Bad”, and “On Code”, Crayon still did not reach the top of the mark as expected. 2021 is however looking good for the talented star as his recent song with Dj Neptune, “Tatashe”, is doing well across streaming platforms.
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- Terri
The Starboy label rep is the third on our list. Terri has been praised for his unique afrolife and dancehall pattern. Terri came into the spotlight when he featured in “Soco” alongside Wizkid and Ceeza Milli. He went on to dish out “On Me” which earned him massive followership from fans, many of whom are Wizkid’s lovers. Many have constantly expressed hope in the musician. But despite dropping his much anticipated Afro Series, Terri failed to make it big in 2020. Some have attributed this to poor management under Wizkid. Others have suggested that if he was with some other labels he’d have gone beyond his current position.
- Lil Frosh
Lil Frosh came into the spotlight with Zinoleesky following his incredible rapping talents. Both singers unfortunately parted ways when they signed under different labels. But since joining Davido’s label, Lil Frosh seems to be on the low. He only came into the news following reports of domestic violence by his estranged girlfriend which caused Davido to terminate his contract deal. His music life has recorded little or no progress since joining DMW. It is not surprising especially when the rapper has always maintained that he is all about the money.
- Lyta
The talented former YBNL signee, Lyta, is the last on our list. Lyta is no doubt an enigma but since leaving YBNL, the young musician, has never being able to meet up with the pace with which he started out, and which also endeared him to fans. With his “Monalisa” hit song in 2019, which forced a feature on Davido, one would have thought that he would have made it big in 2020. He went on to release”Hold Me Down” in the year hoping to make a worthy statement with it, but it didn’t gain much ground. In spite of his years in the music scene, the musician has continued to struggle.
Nelson Okoh