Tems, Ayra Starr… 4 Nigerian female artistes blazing the trail

In the past few years, female artistes have continued to gain more popularity in the global music landscape including Nigeria.

From Tiwa Savage, Yemi Alade to Simi among others; the female voices seem to be on the high note at a time the “Nigerian sound” is hot piece of meal on the global table.

This piece examines four Nigerian female singers pulling the strings and creating unique buzz in the music industry with their breathtaking potentials.

Tems

A potpourri of hardwork and talent, Temilade Openiyi, Nigerian singer better known as Tems, is poised to dominate the global music landscape in years to come.

Before the release of ‘For Broken Ears’, her 2020 EP, the 26-year-old was relatively unknown in the Nigerian music industry.

But the project marked a turning point in the singer’s music career. The ‘Mr Rebel’ crooner has continued her impressive run since then.

Tems also gained international prominence since she featured on ‘Essence’, a hit single off ‘Made In Lagos’, Wizkid’s fourth album.

The ‘Try Me’ crooner recently featured on ‘Fountains’, a track off ‘Certified Lover Boy’, an album by Drake.

The songstress recently dropped ‘Crazy Tings’, ahead of her sophomore EP. At the moment, Tems looks unstoppable.

Ayra Starr

Ayra Starr shares similarity with Tems for her “bad girl” lyricism. The pair’s sound, composure and reverberating confidence always demonstrate their resemblance in their songs.

Signed to Mavin Records at 18, Starr announced herself in the music industry with her self-titled EP which included tracks such as ‘Ija’, ‘Ditr’, ‘Sare’ and ‘Memories’.

Rather than sit that out, she came through with ’19 & Dangerous’, her debut studio album, housing an endearing but arrogant single titled ‘Bloody Samaritan’.

Dunnie

Oladunni Lawal, a record producer and singer better known as Dunnie, is an alumnus of the Sarz Academy. She belongs to same class as P-Prime, Tempoe, fellow emerging Nigerian record producers.

She dropped ‘Seven‘, a 7-track EP, and with her enduring production dexterity, she shaped the sound tracks. Her minimalist style breathes a special type of vibe anytime you take a listen to her offerings.

In 2019, Dunnie emerged as one of the beneficiaries of Empawa initiative, a brainchild of Mr Eazi, Nigerian Afropop singer, through which she shot to the limelight and released ‘Foolish’, her first ever music video.

A listen to ‘Mosafejo’, her latest single, will surely bring you to one of the many reasons she featured as one of the Global Citizen’s 9 Kick-Ass women in Nigeria’s music industry.

Ria Sean

Everytime you listen to Ria Sean, you’re sure of a glossy experience. ‘Fluid’, her latest EP — which is her debut project — seems to be an epitome of ‘sleekness’ or what you may describe as a sexy welcome from a delectable lover.

From tracks like ‘Money Bag’ to the explicit and unwary ‘Pin Me Down’, the 6-track EP is worth all the buzz and streams.

Sean, whose real name is Gloria Asene Enebi, is a singer and songwriter signed jointly to Aristokrat Records and Island Def Jam Recordings.

She grew up singing in the church choir and professionally embarked on her music journey when she was 16 years old.

Initially recognised for her effort on ‘Lemonade’, her smash single, Sean’s sound is a fusion of Afropop and R&B —  a sound that many may convincingly attribute to an “alternative class”.

She has worked with the likes of Adekunle Gold, Leriq, Moelogo, Dunnie and GoodGirl LA.