Omah Lay, Tems, Bella Shmurda… five music stars to look out for in 2021

The year 2020 may have been dominated by the coronavirus pandemic but it also witnessed the rise of several budding Nigerian singers into the spotlight. 

TheCable Lifestyle examines five fast-rising music stars to look out for in 2021.

Omah Lay

A potpourri of hardwork and talent, Omah Lay continues his unprecedented rise to prominence. His heroics in 2020 were symptomatic of the fact that the singer, born Stanley Omah Didia, is destined for the top.

The 23-year-old singer gained widespread prominence last year for ‘Bad Influence‘, a hit track off ‘Get Layd’, his 5-track EP.

He thereafter released ‘What Have We Done’ EP which also resonated with many music lovers in the country.

Omah Lay had last year talked about his rise from relative obscurity to the limelight. “This time last year (2019) I was holed up in my tiny room singing my guts out, not knowing if people would ever hear or even appreciate these songs,” he had said.

“Fast forward a few months later, those songs came together to become an EP titled ‘Get Layd’ and that shit changed my life!!!”

No doubt, the gifted singer ended 2020 on a tumultuous note following his arrest and detention in Uganda for attending an event in the country despite COVID-19 directives.

But the outrage that greeted the development until his eventual release was a demonstration of his towering popularity in the Nigerian music industry. One thing is sure, he remains one of the singers to look out for in 2021.

Tems

She’s on course for greatness. From global recognitions to collaborations with music heavyweights, Tems has etched her name on the hearts of several music lovers with beautiful offerings.

The R&B vocalist, whose real name, is Temilade Openiyi, dominated charts and snagged commendations following the release of ‘Damages’, a song off ‘For Broken Ears,’ her 2020 EP.

Like Omah Lay, Tems ended 2020 on a rough note due to her ordeals in Uganda for allegedly flouting COVID-19 directives.

With her impressive stints last year, however, music lovers should be on the lookout for the ‘Try Me’ crooner in 2021.

Bella Shmurda

For Bella Shmurda, where there’s a will, there’s a way. Barely many knew the singer until he released ‘Vision 2020’, his 2019 single, wherein he talked about his quest to take the Nigerian music industry by storm.

But with sheer determination, it didn’t take long before he started pulling the strings. The singer became a sensation in 2020 following the release of ‘Cash App,’ a hit song, which featured Zlatan Ibile and Lincoln.

The song not only became a street anthem but also the go-to-track for many disk-jockers (DJs) at various events.

With a nomination for the ‘Next Rated’ category at the 14 edition of The Headies and a growing fanbase, the artiste is another fast-rising singer to look out for in 2021.

Jamopyper

Watch out for Jamopyper. The fast-rising singer may be relatively unknown to many Nigerians in terms of popularity.

But that he is on course for greatness is undebatable. The Zanku-signed artiste rode to the spotlight in 2020 following the release of ‘If No Be You‘, a track which featured Mayorkun.

He has continued to make the headlines and is no doubt among artistes set to dazzle again in 2021.

Laycon

From the outset, his penchant for success was crystal clear. Even before emerging winner of the 2020 edition of the Big Brother Nigeria (BBNaija) reality TV show, Laycon has endeared himself to many with his ‘Who Is Laycon?‘ EP.

The graduate of philosophy from the University of Lagos (UNILAG) has since continued to blaze the trail. That he was among the top trending people in Nigeria for 2020 is indicative of his increasing popularity.

His rap lines on Icons remix of ‘Nobody’, a song by DJ Neptune featuring Joeboy, as well as visuals for ‘Hip Hop’ is indicative of one thing: the 27-year-old is ready to dominate the music landscape.