The 21 Artists to Watch in 2021

The Nigerian music industry we have all grown to know and love is in the actual sense yet a millennial and is still a way from being three decades old. In that time, it has grown from producing local entertainers to global megastars. The rate at which these stars are produced is next to exponential as seen in the previous year which had quite a handful of breakout acts such as Bella Shmurda, Omah Lay, Bad Boy Timz, Zinoleesky, among others. And as a result of this lucrative standing of our homegrown music industry and its rapid incline, our sounds now enjoy global attention which is only bound to multiply. In that light, here are 21 artists to watch in the year 2021 in alphabetical order:

Asake

His unusual stage name may not necessarily ring a bell just yet, but his Amapiano hit, Mr Money is definitely well known to the numerous bodies and minds that danced and sang along to the energy-giving record after it hit the airwaves in the last quarter of 2020. 

It was in fact not only just a song that got decent plays but in a year where clubbing was outlawed, it also became an instrument that fuelled the #EndSARS protests by energising the people that marched. 

Asake also has a string of singles the least of which is not his Gegeti collaboration with DJ Exclusive and Young John. All in all, these singles show an artiste who is gunning for gold. Coupled with the fact that he started to churn most of them out in 2019 and secured a hit the year after, gold might really just be in the picture for him.

Ayra Starr

Ayra Starr is Mavin Records’ latest signee, at 18 years of age, she is poised to be the music queen of the internet-weaned, self-sufficient generation z. Coupled with the backing of the powerhouse record label, Mavin and the talent she has displayed in her 4-track EP, Ayra Starr, she has what it takes to relentlessly apply pressure till she makes our ears her oyster. 

Ayra Starr may have relatively come out of thin air but these earlier mentioned reasons make her blend of Afropop, afrobeats and alte all the more likely to make her into the next big artiste in 2021. 

ALSO READ: Ayra Starr is Mavin's Latest Card in their Game of Global Domination 

Bad Boy Timz

Last year, Bad Boy Timz made his mark with a doubly-remixed song to his hit; MJ and then sealed his foothold with Have Fun after his verse became the highlight on Olamide’s smash hit, Loading.

While some argue that stars are born but made, Timz shows every indication of being a born star as he played the lead role in the visuals for Loading with natural vivacity and swag. 

The breakout wonder with a Headies nomination for Rookie of the Year, is set to ensure that he continues to ‘shock won bakan’ and remains on everyone’s lips and he has announced that he will be releasing his debut studio album, The Birth of A King, this year. 

Cheque

On the Hollywood titled outro of his debut project, Razor EP, Cheque vowed that he would be unstoppable in his quest to attain his dreams. Not too long after, he made good on this vow when with the first track on that same EP, Cheque zoomed from being a Penthauze new signee to being an internationally recognised artiste in just one year. 

Cheque whose vibe is a mix of afropop and trap, delivered seamlessly on his EP which produced Zoom that was not only a chart-topping hit but got him a remix with two heavyweight features in the persons of Davido and American rapper, Wale. 

With these wins, Cheque helped emphasise the potential a genre like Afro Trap has and made a name for himself as an artiste to ignore at your loss. 

Dotti

When Dotti left the MTN Y’ello Star stage, he did so as a winner, bagging a scholarship to Berklee College of Music, N5 million and a recording opportunity at a prestigious studio in New York with equally prestigious musicians. 

But other than these prizes, he’d also won a majority of the hearts of the audience as he’d won by a landslide of viewers’ votes and had been a fan and judges’ favourite from the start of the show. 

The fact that Dotti’s soothing vocals coupled with his songwriting skills will also be receiving further training by masters in the game, will not only help him better his craft as an artiste but make him a formidable force in 2021.

Gyakie

Female Ghanaian musicians just may be the latest big things in the country, last year after a spot-on prediction, Amaarae made the continent proud. Now, all eyes are on the ambient pop singer, Gyakie, daughter to highlife legend, Nana Acheampong, who is one-half of the Lumba Brothers. 

Gyakie may still be buzzing under but her 4-track EP Seed consisting of Afropop and Ambient RnB vibes bears her standout single Forever which is now topping charts and letting the world know about the irresistible and sultry voice of Gyakie.

Jaido P

In 2020, Jaido P hit the scene with a track that had all the strappings of a smash hit, Tesinapot. He even collaborated with street hop icon, Olamide to ensure that it wasn’t found lacking on any end. Sadly, while the song had gotten him out there, it hadn’t reached its maximum potential. This indicates that if for nothing else, this year, Jaido P will be out to get the full recognition that wasn’t given to his street hop Lamba last year. 

Jamopyper

Last year, anytime we heard ‘emi Jamopyper,’ we knew we were about to listen to what was one of the best street hop songs of 2020. The Mayorkun featured If No Be You was an instant hit that largely introduced his sound to most playlists.

Prior to this, Jamopyper had been an instrumental voice on collaborations with movers and shakers of the street hop genre such as label boss Zlatan's Unripe Paw Paw and Of Lala with Rahman Jago and the former.

This year, given the constant evolution of street hop and its continued acceptance, it can only be expected that Jamopyper will stay hard at his craft to reach even greater heights, making him an artist to watch in 2021. 

Jujuboy Star

A singer, songwriter and producer, Jujuboy is set to be Aristokrat Records next star with his well-balanced flavour of Afropop and Afro-fusion.

He was signed late last year and ever since, the record label company has been throwing their weight behind him heavily so as to have him recognised as one of the voices that constitute the new sound of Africa. 

Laycon

Laycon’s rise to the limelight was nothing short of meteoric or movielike as his debut EP, Who is Laycon began to trend, some days after he made his appearance in the BB Naija house. He, later on, won the reality TV show and in the process, garnered an army of fans known as the Icons who have ever since ensured that all his releases and features do not fail to mark attendance on the chart tables. Laycon has mentioned that he is working on an album and in typical style, his Icons are ready to take him to the top.

Liya

She’s not just a new artiste with catching vocals but the first lady of Davido-owned DMW record label. As a result, she’s been likened to the last child of a family who never lacks for anything. This time around, she won’t be lacking in receiving a massive leg up that will ensure her debut EP in DMW style, chokes the airwaves when it drops.

Midas the Jagaban

Seeming to be aptly named, Midas’ first single, Come We Bill Ehh, currently has 4 million views on YouTube while her biggest song, Party With A Jagaban,  already has almost 7 million views and sat on the third spot on the UK Afrobeats chart, late last year. All of this is despite her masked-up persona which the British singer says is a representation of her vibe. At age 19 with such a great start and a thumbs up from popular British online radio, No Signal, the Jagaban is off to a good start and set to have a better 2021 as an Afropop artist.

Mojo

Ever since Mojo hit the scene with his Prettyboydo-assisted Chop Life Crew, there has been no looking back for the rapper whose sanguine style consists of a blend of Yoruba and English in a refreshing new way that appeals to the fans of the new era of Nigerian music. He might be an independent artiste but with a strong collective by way of the Chop Life Crew and his gradually growing fanbase, those who sleep on the anthem-maker Mojo, do so at their own risk.

Mohbad

2020 was a good year for the street-hop genre and despite the fact that we were locked up indoors for the most part, thanks to input from musicians like Mohbad who is one-half of the brains behind smash hit, KPK, we remained dancing.

A Marlian music signee, Mohbad continued to perfect his Lamba from his Ponmo Sweet record with Naira Marley and Lil Kesh till he scored with the Rexxie-produced KPK. Following his taste of chart table success, relenting is definitely not an option for him as he has his work cut out for him in 2021.

Olakira

His big break came with In My Maserati which topped charts and was a trending TikTok challenge. The visualiser alone got upwards of 6 million views while the main video racked in 23 million. In fact, In My Maserati became so huge that it got a remix with megastar Davido and gave him additional mileage in the music scene.

Going by his brilliant run in the past year, Olakira is lacing his shoes to hit the scene yet again in 2021 to show he's not a one-hit artiste. 

Ruger

D’Prince of Jonzing World keeps finding gems with immense talent and Ruger is his latest discovery. He debuted on a collaborative track-- One Shirt with D’Prince and his first discovery, Rema-- and delivered the highlight of the song. But other than his performance on One Shirt, Ruger shows to be hard at work, building his fan base with a couple of intense freestyles that show his range, talent and confidence.

Seeing as Jonzing World has been established as a hub for gen z greatness, Ruger is definitely one to be watched as fans anticipate a project from him while nursing hopes that his freestyles will also be included. 

Seyi Vibez

Another street hop sensation in the making, Seyi Vibez is building up a fan base without all the fanfare that usually goes with it. As it stands, if you keep your ears close to the streets, you’re bound to hear his biggest song yet; God Sent.

With a couple of singles already out this year, Seyi Vibez is one artist who in the year 2021, definitely intends to have a wider reach and larger fanbase on lockdown.

Shaybo

Already known as the Queen of the South in reference to her drill supremacy and origin, Shaybo is respected for her punch-packing matter of fact rap style. Despite moving to South London at age 6, she never fails to show off her Nigerian heritage by occasionally rapping in Yoruba.

After bagging a Best Newcomer nomination from MOBO awards, Shaybo definitely had a good year in 2020 and with her recruitment of Bella Shmurda on the remix of her crossover track, Dobale, it is obvious she has every intention of broadening her supremacy in 2021. 

The Cavemen

In 2020, this highlife singing duo of brothers taught us the universality of music as they had music lovers from different ethnicities singing along to their songs in their native language, Igbo. In fact, their debut album, Roots was so well received that they made the Notjustok list for best albums of 2020. 

But the brothers aren’t done regaling us with evergreen records and have us at alert with ears perked as they have revealed that they’ll be releasing their second studio album this year. 

Victony

Next on the Artists to watch 2021 is Victony. With his Saturn EP, He almost had a clean break into the mainstream. His sound did get serious recognition and he had a pretty impressive run especially considering the fact that he started releasing singles the year before. 

Backed by a major event company, Mainland Block Party and with a loyal fanbase, Victony is sure to take another swipe at breaking through the industry doors. 

YKB

Formerly going by the full version of his stage name; Yusufkanbai, YKB is a Wande Coal protege with apparent determination to leave a mark just like his icon. YKB is blessed with a beautiful voice, songwriting skills and armed with a unique personal brand. He is also simultaneously growing out his puffy hair, his fanbase and industry connections as evidenced by his recent feature with Zlatan.

Dey Your Dey, the song in question, is currently climbing up on Apple music’s top 100 list and asserts that YKB is one artist to watch out for this 2021. 

Which up and coming Ghanaian or Nigerian artists do you have your eyes out for in 2021 and why? Let’s know if they made the list as well.