Entertainment
Abay Esho, Nliam, X-ray Issues In Music Industry
In view of the potential and immense growth the music and by large the entertainment industry have encountered in the last ten years, it has been viewed as the new oil, aptly put the creative sector is in for an upward swing as the core players, Nigerian musicians, Nollywood actors, comedians, fashion designers, sportsmen and others in arts cum creative subsector who are largely made up of youths, have and are putting Nigeria on the global map
Abay Esho, celebrated musician, movie director and member of the Association of Movie Producers (AMP) and others who spoke exclusively to LEADERSHIP noted that a lot of things needed to put in place to fully harness our potentials in this dynamic sector.
Looking at how to support young musicians which applies to other fields, Abay, famous for the ‘one day one day e go better’ hit song released more than ten years ago, said, “The lure of good life as being portrayed in music videos and social media are most times misleading.
Young men and women, mostly without talent, found themselves trapped in the endless dream of wanting to celebrities. I dare say that there’s no better time to be a musical artiste than now. They don’t need expensive studios to record songs as it could be done on a laptop. Phones are used these days to shoot videos and you don’t expensive promotional budget to “blow” as there are several social media platforms like Instagram, tiktok, Facebook etc to promote their works.”
“Record label owners are businessmen and will only invest in talents that will guarantee return on investment. It’s the reason why the artiste must first invest in his own talent. So if an artiste is talented enough, he will eventually get noticed by the big labels.
That is even if he decided to work with one as he can decide to go it alone. I believe government has done its bit by putting some structures in place,maybe it could be better, the Copyright Commission is one those. There should be continuous modification of the act establishing these structures as it is being elsewhere.”
Mike Nliam, producer who co-composed the ‘one day’ song with Esho urged young musicians to be focused and keep their eyes on the goal. Nliam who released ‘ Just like Fela’ in 2021 said, “Young talented acts coming into the music business have to be creative, focused, hardworking and disciplined.
They must be patient by taking out time to hone, develope their God given skills because the competition out there is stiff….only the gifted and strong willed will survive! Music like any other business requires money which mostly spent by d label or management company of the act for only adequately promotion of talents repertoire but also branding of d talent.
“It is a fact that Nigerian music popularly known as Afrobeat music has not only grown but had garnered global acceptability with the success of many chat topping and award winning acts….it’s indeed unprecedented. The success of many Nigerian talents on d global music stage will serves ass a source of encouragement to not only new music talents but potential investors in the music business too.”
Davido, the award-winning Nigerian singer, has released his much-anticipated album ‘5ive’.
The 17-track project, initially slated for release on March 14, finally hit streaming platforms in the early hours of Friday.
In the body of work, Davido features Jamaican singers 450 and Shensea, South African artiste Musa Keys, American musicians Chris Brown and Becky G, and French singers Tayc and Dadju.
Victony, Odumodublvck, Chike and Omah Lay are the Nigerian singers enlisted in the project.
The album’s songs include ‘5ive’, ‘Anything’, Be There Still’, ‘CFMF’, ’10 Kilo’, ‘Offa Me’, ‘Don’t Know’ and ‘R&B’, ‘Awuke’.
Others are ‘Holy Water’, ‘Nuttin Dey’, ‘Titanium’, ‘Lately’, ‘Tek’, ‘Funds’, ‘Lover Boy’s and ‘With You’.
Davido had earlier put out ‘Be There Still,’ ‘Awuke‘ featuring YG Marley, and ‘Funds‘, three tracks off the album.
‘5ive’ is the singer’s fifth studio album.
In December, Davido revealed that the album is “my story, my truth and my growth”.
“My people. The journey continues in 2025 with my new album ‘5IVE’. This is straight from the heart — my story, my truth and my growth,” he said.
On April 5, he also kicked off a five-city tour has Europe and North America in anticipation of ‘5ive’.
Born David Adeleke, Davido rose to fame in 2012 after releasing ‘Dami Duro,’ the second single from his debut album ‘Omo Baba Olowo’.
Since his debut album, he has delivered three other projects including ‘A Good Time’ (2019), ‘A Better Time‘ (2020), and ‘Timeless’ (2023).
Pop star, Innocent Idibia, popularly known as 2Baba, is at the centre of intense public scrutiny following his performance at a recent concert.
Rendering a song which he titled, ‘Toto Mechanic’, the ‘African Queen’ crooner sang, “Baby, no panic eh/I be toto mechanic eh/no panic eh/I be toto mechanic eh/I just wan dey make your puna flenjo/I want to make your puna flenjo/When I finish with you/I go be your vibrator vendor/Gentleness/Ruggedness/Anyhow that you want it/Girl, I got it/Come and take it/Don’t be shy..”
“Toto” is a slang that is often used to mean “vagina”.
However, the performance was greeted with mixed reactions, with many people stating that the singer seemed to be in a downward spiral.
So This Happened (EP 258)
A TikTok user, Sharon Wasem, wrote, “We never loved him because he was singing this rubbish; we did because he always made sense, and always respected himself, but what is this, pls?
“2baba, learn from your big brother, the legendary Bongos Ikwe. When his name is mentioned, the youth go on bended knees. How do you rubbish all that you worked so hard for? Where’s the sense pls.”
Another fan, Ifeoma, wrote, “I’ve been following 2baba for years. This new song doesn’t feel like him. It’s disjointed, like he’s going through something and just threw it out there.”
Echoing Ifeoma’s thoughts, yet another fan, Michael, stated that the lyrics of the song appear erratic and incoherent, “lacking the depth and poetic resonance that once defined his music”. He added that it seemed to be more a rushed attempt to stay relevant amid personal turmoil, rather than a true artistic expression.
In a similar vein, a concertgoer alleged that at a recent event in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, “the singer appeared late on stage, looking tired, unkempt, and at times visibly disoriented”.
“He was slurring his words and forgot the lyrics to ‘African Queen’. It was painful to watch,” he alleged.
In January 2025, 2baba had announced that he had separated from his estranged wife, Annie Idibia (nee Macaulay). Soon after, he informed the public that he was now engaged to a member of the Edo State House of Assembly, Natasha Osawaru.
Since he announced their engagement, the couple has been seen together shopping, partying and visiting different places, including the Edo Assembly.
This led many of the singer’s fans, including controversial social media personality— Very Dark Man— to state that he was losing his star power. According to VDM, by being in places where he ordinarily shouldn’t be, many people had started to look down on him.
Indeed, the once-beloved crooner, who has long been admired for his soulful lyrics and calm persona, has given many of his fans growing cause for concern.
A Facebook fan, Isaac Alare, was also of the opinion that since his separation from Annie, the singer usually looked dishevelled and withdrawn.
Meanwhile, the singer’s mum had also made a video calling on Natasha to “release” her son. She said, “I’m calling on all mothers in Nigeria to help me beg Natasha to free my son. My son is going through a divorce process, and he is clearly not in his right senses now. I know my son, and this is not him. Please Natasha, the bead you put on his hand and neck, remove them.”
However, making a joke in apparent reference to his mum’s pleas, the singer recently stated that he was trying to make enough money to pay his “kidnappers”, so he could be released to go home.
Nigerian music icon David Adeleke, widely known as Davido, has officially disclosed the date for his White Wedding with his spouse, Chioma Rowland-Adeleke.
This announcement comes ten months following their glamorous traditional wedding, which took place in Lagos.
ELANZANEWS recalls that their opulent traditional ceremony was celebrated with great fanfare in June 2024 at Eko Hotels, Lagos.
In a recent interview with Breakfast Club, Davido shared that the eagerly awaited White Wedding is scheduled for August 2025.
“I’m hosting my White Wedding in Miami this August,” he revealed.
“Our traditional marriage made headlines across Nigeria because our relationship has been highly publicized, and we’ve faced many challenges, including the loss of our child,” Davido added.