Genevieve, Omotola, Jim Iyke… actors who couldn’t make it as musicians

Nollywood, the vibrant Nigerian film industry, has produced countless talented actors since its inception. However, some movie stars tried to expand their creative horizons by having music careers; which turned out to be failed missions.

Although some actors delivered one or two hit songs that hit the airwaves, they could not maintain their momentum and failed to sail into the music industry.

Here are Nollywood stars who had unsuccessful music careers.

Genevieve Nnaji

Nnaji is an actress, producer and director. In 2004, she released her debut album titled ‘One Logologo Line’. The project produced a hit song ‘No More’, which got her fans grooving.

That, however, was the only chance she got to impress her movie fans with her musical talents; as that aspect of her career fizzled into oblivion.

Jim Iyke

Another high-profile example is Jim Iyke. Born James Ikechukwu Esomugha, Iyke began acting in 1998 and has featured in hundreds of Nollywood movies. He is the founder of Untamed Records, his music label.

Iyke’s genre of music is rap, and his song titled ‘Who Am I?’ featured some 2Baba. The project however received little commercial success and failed to establish him as a credible recording artiste.

Nkem Owoh

Popularly called Osuofia, Nkem Owoh is a foremost actor and comedian. The ace film star made his acting debut in the 1987 classic ‘Things Fall Apart’ and has since featured in a plethora of movies.

Owoh is also known for performing the song ‘I Go Chop Your Dollar‘ about advance fee fraud. The hit song was featured in the film ‘The Master’ in which Owoh plays the role of a scammer. He also released another hit ‘Know Me When I’m Poor, Not When I Am Rich’.

Owoh, however, strived to entertain his music audience after delivering both songs.

Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde

Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde made her debut in the Nigerian film industry in 1995. The filmmaker began her music career in 2005 with the release of her album titled ‘Gba’.

The project produced hit songs such as ‘Naija Lowa’ and ‘The Things You Do To Me’. Jalade-Ekeinde would later reveal that she still earns royalties in dollars from her songs, despite being inactive on the music scene for several years.

Tonto Dikeh

Tonto Dikeh made her music debut with singles ‘Hi’, ‘Itz Ova’ featuring Snypa, and ‘Crazically Fit’ featuring Terry G. In June 2014, D’banj signed the actress to DB Records. Just like her colleagues, Dikeh’s musical efforts were not well-received.

Critics noted that her vocal abilities were not strong enough to compete with singers in Nigeria’s crowded music scene. The actress later announced her departure from the record label in March 2015.

Charles Okocha

Charles Okocha, who is fondly called Igwe 2Pac, has been featured in hundreds of Nollywood films. In 2019, he won the Vskit Voice Competition.

Okocha recently released a single titled ‘We Asaaaaa’, a pronunciation for the word ‘We Outside’. The song follows his earlier song ‘Am O Shine’. His songs have yet to get him the attention of music lovers.

Dakore Egbuson-Akande

Dakore Egbuson-Akande is another acclaimed Nollywood actress who tried to become famous as a musician. Akande demonstrated her singing prowess with a song titled ‘Don’t Make Me’.

In 2009, the actress released ‘Dakorious’, her debut album. Akande worked with one of Nigeria’s best producers Cobhams Asuquo on the project. However, the project failed to make a significant impact. The actress’ foray into music was generally seen as an unsuccessful diversion from her acting career.

Stella Damasus

Stella Damasus’ first introduction into the Nigerian film industry was in 1992 when she starred in ‘Abused’. She later gained prominence after her second movie ‘Breaking Point’, which was produced by Emem Isong. The film star, however, started her career as a singer and worked as a studio session singer at Klink Studios in Lagos.

Damasus was a member of the band Synergy, later renamed G-factor. The music band was founded by Jaiye Aboderin, her late husband. ‘Love Me Quick’ is one of her popular songs but Damasus’ fans seemed to prefer to see her in movies rather than on stage.

Adesua Etomi

Adesua Etomi is a Nigerian actress and entrepreneur. She debuted her film career with ‘Knocking On Heaven’s Door’ (2014). Since then, she has starred in several films and many awards.

In February 2022, Adesua, who is the wife of singer and actor Banky W, released her first single titled ‘So Natural’. Since then, she has yet to put out another project.

Patience Ozokwo

At the peak of her career, Ozokwor, fondly called Mama G, put out an album titled ‘National Moi Moi’. The body of work was an instrumental component of mainstream music at the time. It featured cameo appearances from actors Dikeh and Charles Awurum.

The project enjoyed minimal success as she ended her short-lived stint as a musician.