The year 2021 was eventful for many Nigerian entertainers. As 2022 begins, Saturday Beats takes a look at 22 entertainers , in no particular order, that would most likely dominate events in the entertainment industry
Wizkid
Ayodeji Balogun, popularly known as Wizkid, is arguably the biggest artiste in Africa at the moment. 2021 was a good year for him having won the ‘Best Music Video’ category at the Grammy Awards 2021 for the song, ‘Brown Skin Girl’, on which he was featured by American singer, Beyonce, along with the latter’s daughter, Blue Ivy. Besides, his hit song, ‘Essence’, featuring Tems, topped the music charts in the country and beyond. In November 2021, the singer won the ‘Best African Act’ category at the 2021 MTV Europe Music Awards. He also won the ‘Best International Act’ and ‘Best African Music Act’ at the 2021 MOBO Awards.
In December 2021, he sold out the 20,000 capacity 02 Arena in London, United Kingdom, on three consecutive days.
Indeed, 2022 promises to be a more interesting year for the ‘Smile’ crooner, having bagged two nominations for the 2022 Grammy Awards— ‘Best Global Music Performance’, while his ‘Made in Lagos’ album got a nomination for ‘Best Global Music Album’.
Davido
David Adeleke, aka Davido, is another artiste to look out for in 2022. Having recently celebrated his 10 years on stage with a concert that attracted some big names, it is clear that the ‘Fem’ singer is not ready to rest on his oars.
Shortly before that, he had won the hearts of many Nigerians when he asked his friends to send him money because he wanted to ‘clear’ his Rolls Royce from the seaport. The singer eventually got N201m from friends and fans. He later announced his plan to donate all the money to registered orphanages in the country after adding N50m of his own money.
Tiwa Savage
No doubt, 2021 was an eventful year for top female singer, Tiwa Savage. The 41-year-old mother-of-one released her hit song, ‘Somebody’s Son’, which featured American singer, Brandy, and topped the charts.
She also had her fair share of scandals last year after a heated exchange of words with another singer, Seyi Shay, at a highbrow salon in Lekki, Lagos. Her leaked sex tape also got people talking about her. While she was criticised by some, many also stood by her. The singer shook off the scandals and continued to make a mark for herself in the highly competitive industry.
She was listed as the most Google-searched personality in Nigeria in 2021.
Indeed, her fans are expecting more hit tracks from her this year.
Burna Boy
Damini Ogulu, popularly known as Burna Boy, has been tipped as one of the entertainers expected to have an interesting 2022, considering his works last year.
The ‘Ye’ singer made headlines across the world when he won the ‘Best Global Music Album’ category of the Grammy Awards in 2021 for his album, ‘Twice As Tall’.
He also a nominations for the Grammy Awards 2022 in the ‘Best Global Music Performance’ category for the song, ‘Do Yourself’, on which he collaborated with Angélique Kidjo. His fans are hopeful that he would record a win.
Omah Lay
Stanley Didia, popularly known as Omah Lay, had a good outing last year, having performed at several high-profile shows.
He also headlined his own show at the Polo Club in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, in December 2021, and it was well attended by fans.
His song, ‘Understand’, also did well on the charts, and had 28 million views on YouTube as of the time of filing this report.
As the incumbent Headies Awards ‘Next Rated’ award winner, all eyes are on him to see what he has up his sleeves for 2022.
Meanwhile, many of the singer’s fans have complained about his lukewarm social media presence, as he rarely engages with followers, especially on Twitter and Instagram.
Buju
Call him the ‘King of Choruses in 2021’ and you would not be wrong. Daniel Benson, popularly known as Buju, was undoubtedly one of the most featured artistes in 2021.
He also released hit tracks such as ‘Outside’, ‘Feeling’, and ‘Never Stopped’. This is even as he performed at several shows in 2021. He also held his debut concert tagged, ‘Buju: Sorry I’m Late’ in December 2021, in Victoria Island, Lagos, where artists such as Wizkid, Burna Boy and Omah Lay.
The video of his song, ‘Outside’, currently has 3.9million views on YouTube. He has been tipped to make headlines in 2022 with his musical talent.
Tems
Born Temilade Openiyi, Tems is one of the artistes that obviously had a good run in 2021. Her collaboration with Wizkid on the song, ‘Essence,’ paid off for her as it shot her to international stardom. Aside from performing at several shows in the country, the 26-year-old bagged two US top 40 entries on the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Essence’, and with Drake on the song, ‘Fountains.’
The song also got her a Grammy Awards 2022 nomination in ‘The Best Global Music Performance’ category. She is definitely one of the artistes to look out for in 2022.
Deyemi Okanlawon
Deyemi Okanlawon is one actor that featured in a number of prominent movies in 2021.
The movies/series he featured in include ‘Omo Ghetto: The Saga’, ‘King of Boys: The Return of the King’, ‘Swallow’, and ‘Prophetess’.
Timini Egbuson
Award-winning actor, Timini Egbuson, is undoubtedly one of the actors on the radar in Nollywood.
He is notable for his role in ‘Elevator Baby’ which bagged him the ‘Best Actor in a Drama’ award at the 2020 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards.
The 34-year-old who is the younger sibling of actress, Dakore Egbuson-Akande, has featured in other movies including ‘Isoken’, ‘Fifty’, ‘The Girl Code’, ‘Breaded Life’ and ‘Dwindle’.
It is evident that when it comes to making big budget movies, Timini is one actor that filmmakers like to work with.
Omowunmi Dada
Omowunmi Dada is a versatile actress who acts both on stage and screen. She is also a voice-over artist, model and presenter. She has featured in several television series such as ‘Jemeji’, ‘Tales of Eve’, ‘Casino’, ‘Tinsel’, ‘Needles Eyes’ and ‘Shuga’.
Her movie credits also include ‘Omugwo’, ‘The Ghost and the Tout’, ‘Oloture’, ‘Finding Hubby’, ‘Swallow’, ‘Ayinla’ and ‘Cordelia’.
With her outings in 2021, it is believed that 2022 would be an even better year for her.
Broda Shaggi
Samuel Perry, aka Broda Shaggi, is a notable comedian, singer, songwriter, actor and skit maker. With the above, one can conveniently say that he is a bundle of talents.
He had a good outing last year having featured in a number of big-budget movies such as ‘Dwindle’, ‘Namaste Wahala’ and ‘Day of Destiny’.
He also made several skits in which he featured notable personalities such as Richard Mofe-Damijo, Ada Ameh, Mercy Aigbe and Chioma Chukwuka. He is definitely one of the entertainers to look out for in 2022.
P-Square
Unarguably one of the biggest groups in Africa before they split about four years ago, the duo of Peter and Paul Okoye are back together as P Square, and expectations are high that they would make waves in 2022.
In the tail end of 2021, they also had a comeback concert tagged, ‘P Square Reactivated’, which was well attended by their fans.
As a group, they are known for hit songs such as ‘Do Me’, ‘Alingo’ and ‘Personally’. Fans are anticipating their hits songs in 2022.
Mr Macaroni
Debo Adedayo, popularly known as Mr Macaroni, is an exceptional skit maker, actor and activist. He has been consistent with his brand and identity over the years and 2021 was no exception.
Aside from his participation in the #EndSARS memorial in 2021, Macaroni acted in ‘Ayinla, a movie directed by Tunde Kelani and produced by Jadesola Osiberu. He also had some remarkable skits in 2021, in which he featured notable personalities such as Obi Iyiegbu (Obi Cubana), Don Jazzy and Peter Okoye.
Poco Lee
Popular dancer, Poco Lee, is fast becoming a force to reckon with in the dance industry. Born Iwe Odinaka, he rose to fame after Zlatan Ibile featured him in the popular ‘zanku legwork’ video. Afterwards, he performed on the same stage with artistes such as Davido, Reekado Banks and Naira Marley. He has also performed at international events such as ‘One Africa Music Festival’ in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. This was even as he hosted Naira Marley’s concert at London’s 02 Arena.
In 2021, he was not free from controversies as he was involved in a copyright infringement issue with fast-rising singer, Portable, who accused him of ‘stealing’ his popular song, ‘Zazu,’ and uploading it on Audiomack (a popular music streaming platform) in his (Poco Lee) name.
Poco Lee is also a judge on the dance reality show, ‘Glo Battle of the Year’. He is definitely one dancer to look out for this year.
Lateef Adedimeji
Popular actor, Lateef Adedimeji, has been in the limelight for some years. Having featured in several movies last year, his fans are expecting nothing less from him this year. Among the films he featured in last year include ‘Breaded Life’, ‘Dwindle’, ‘Ayinla’, ‘Progressive Tailors Club’, ‘Love Castle’, and ‘A Naija Christmas’.
His marriage to actress, Oyebade Adebimpe, popularly known as Mo’ Bimpe, also made headlines towards the end of 2021. Having had a successful 2021, eyes are on him for a greater 2022.
Toyin Abraham
Filmmaker and actress, Toyin Abraham, is another name to look out for in 2022. Last year, she featured in movies such as ‘Prophetess’ and ‘The Therapist’.
Her movie, ‘The Ghost and the Tout Too’ also made waves in 2021.
Abraham’s previous roles in movies such as ‘Elevator Baby’, ‘Fate of Alakada’, ‘Dear Affy’, and ‘Small Chops’ have also won her acclaim.
Funke Akindele-Bello
Award-winning actress and filmmaker, Funke Akindele-Bello, wowed fans with her movie, ‘Omo Ghetto: The Saga’, which was released in December 2020 and became the biggest Nigerian box office hit in 2021. It is also the highest grossing Nigerian movie of all time.
Akindele-Bello won the ‘Most Popular Actress’ award at the 2021 Net Honours and was also nominated in the ‘Most Searched Actress’ category for the same award. She was nominated for the ‘Best Actress in a Leading Role’ category at the 2021 Africa Movie Academy Awards. She also featured in the 2021 film, ‘Dwindle’. Her fans are expecting a rewarding 2022 for the actress.
Bimbo Ademoye
Beautiful and curvy actress, Bimbo Ademoye, is one of the entertainers to look out for in 2022.
In 2021, the brilliant role interpreter featured in movies such as ‘Breaded Life’ and ‘Creepy Lives Here’.
Her work has not gone unnoticed as she won the ‘Best Actress in a Supporting Role (English)’ category of the 2020 Best of Nollywood Awards. She also garnered acclaim for her roles in movies such as ‘Sugar Rush’, ‘Desperate Housegirls’, ‘Gone’ and ‘Nneka the Pretty Serpent’. She has been tipped for greater work this year.
Falz
Folarin Falana, popularly known as Falz, is a talented singer, actor, comedian and activist. The 31-year-old lawyer has featured in high profile films such as ‘Merry Men: The Real Yoruba Demons’, ‘Chief Daddy’, ‘Merry Men 2’, ‘Muna’ and ‘Your Excellency’. He also played a prominent role in popular TV series, ‘Jenifa’s Diary’. In 2021, he featured in ‘Quam’s Money’, which was one of the popular cinema movies of 2021. In the same year, he also released hit songs such as, ‘Appy’, ‘Man on Fire’, ‘Body Language’, and ‘Oga’.
He won the ‘Most Popular Musician’ category at the Net Honours. Having participated at the #EndSARS protests in 2020, Falz also joined other Nigerians for the #EndSARS memorial at the Lekki Tollgate, Lagos, last year. He is an entertainer to look out for this year.
Simi
Simi is one of the notable female artistes in Nigeria. Over the years, she has wormed her way into the heart of her fans with her sonorous voice. In 2021, she released ‘Woman’, which re-emphasised her music prowess. The mother-of-one is not just talented, she adds spice to her collaborations. Her collaboration with Chike on the song, ‘Running’, has got 34m views on YouTube as of the time of filing this report. She held her concert, ‘Can You Simi Now! Live with the Banjos,’ in the last days of 2021 and it was well attended.
She ended the year with a new song titled, ‘So Bad’, featuring Joeboy. She is indeed one of the entertainers to watch out for in 2022.
Whitemoney
The winner of Big Brother Naija ‘Shine Ya Eye’ edition, Hazel Onou, popularly known as Whitemoney, was one of the revelations of 2021. Having won the sixth edition of the reality show, there were expectations that he would work hard to consolidate his fame. After several media tours, the light-skinned reality star released some songs last year including ‘Selense’ and ‘My Heart’. Eyes are on him to see what he would offer in 2022.
Kiekie
Bukunmi ‘Kiekuie’ Adeaga-Ilori is a popular fashion stylist and skit maker. She was born on June 20, 1990, and has made a name for herself as a social media comedian and fashion critic.
Her skits are watched widely on social media and she has worked with other social media comedians such as Mr Macaroni, Oluwa Dollars, Cute Abiola and Kemi Ikuseedun (Mummy Wa).
She is one of the social media comedians to watch out for in 2022.
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