Entertainment
2016 Musicians Rating: Yemi Alade Towers Above Tiwa Savage
The year 2016 has been
incredible for Nigerian entertainment and whatever we achieve from now on, we will always reference this year as perhaps the major turning point in 21st century entertainment, particularly in the music industry. With this growth, we have seen Davido ink a massive deal with Sony/RCA, just as Wizkid has done. Crossing over to the females, Tiwa Savage has got something with Roc Nation under the tutelage of American hip hop mogul Shawn ‘Jayz’ carter and the possibilities remain unending for the local industry.
On the flip side, there’s a brewing debate that Yemi Alade has had a more successful year than Tiwa Savage and so we thought to run through this discourse with as much available data as we could gather for the time being. We have analysed both stars based on their performances and star power for the year and we think Yemi Alade edged Tiwa Savage out for these three reasons.
Controversies:
Since April 2016 when the world witnessed the tumultuous nature of Tiwa’s marriage with ex-husband Tunji ‘Tee Billz’ Balogun, it hasn’t quite been the same for the pop star. You can argue that she retained her endorsement deals and has managed to perform at some of the biggest African gigs in the US, but it is what it is. Critics will always maintain that the episode was a setback for her in one way or the other, even though we believe she did an excellent job bouncing back from it. Yemi Alade on the other hand has had a near-impeccable record this year as far as social media dramas and controversies are concerned which is a huge plus.
Local Audience/Demographics: While Tiwa Savage has forayed into the international market with particular emphasis on the American audience base, many are of the opinion it is a wild goose chase. They maintain that it is almost impossible for an African to come from outside the continent and dominate the sounds except he or she is resident there and ‘playing ball’ in total conformity with the culture of the core American. It remains to be seen how far she goes with this.
But on her part, Yemi Alade has remained true to her root, connecting with a sizeable chunk of the African market and churning out materials appealing to their ethics, their existence as a people as well as performing on possibly very big stage. The continent has set up for their entertainer.
Awards: With Yemi Alade’s MTN MAMA award for Best Female Act for 2016, it makes it two years back to back for her and hardly anyone is in doubt of her artistry. We believe it is the result of persistence drive and staying true to ones root because not only did Tiwa Savage drop her R.E.D album in late 2015 which served as an early start for her 2016 campaign, she also dropped a deluxe version of the album in 2016 so that whatever the case she had ample materials with which to jostle for the top shot on the continent.
Spotify yesterday revealed a significant surge in heartbreak song streams in Nigeria during the Valentine’s Day season, with a 626 percent increase between 2022 and 2024.
This was disclosed in a statement issued in Lagos, Nigeria by Spotify’s Head of Music, Sub-Saharan Africa Phiona Okumu.
Okumu said, “Spotify data reveals a surprising trend, a massive surge in heartbreak song streams.
“Nigerians are turning to their playlists to express their emotions, with a staggering 626 per cent overall growth in heartbreak streams from 2022 to 2024.
“This Valentine, the sound of love is accompanied by the sound of heartbreak, and the data shows it’s louder than ever before.”
She said on Valentine’s Day, most surprisingly, male listeners streamed heartbreak songs at a significantly higher rate than female listeners, with a 362 per cent increase compared to 169 per cent among women.
“This could suggest that men resonate with the feeling of heartbreak more and turn to music as a private outlet for processing emotions.
“Whatever the reason, one thing is clear, when love is in the air, so is heartbreak and Nigerian men are pressing play on their pain more than expected.
“While Valentine’s Day is often celebrated with grand gestures, heartbreak is a common theme on Valentine’s Day -more than what’s publicly shown,” she said.
Nigerians will join their counterparts across the world to mark the 2025 Valentine’s today.
Grammy-winning Nigerian singer Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems, has joined MLS side San Diego FC’s ownership group as a club partner.
SDFC announced today that Tems joined the ownership group through her company, The Leading Vibe.
In the process, Tems became the first African woman to be involved in MLS ownership.
“We are delighted that Tems has joined San Diego FC as a club partner,” SDFC chairman Sir Mohamed Mansour said in a statement.
“Tems is a globally significant artist who will help us reach new audiences and spread the word about our unique project, which, of course, has its foundations in sub-Saharan Africa through the unique Right to Dream organisation.”
Reacting to her addition as the latest partner in SDFC’s ownership group, the singer said: “I am thrilled to join San Diego FC’s ownership group and to be part of a club that celebrates creativity, culture, and the power of community.
“Football has a unique way of bringing people together, and I am excited to help build something special in San Diego, a city that thrives on diversity and innovation.”
Fashion and beauty entrepreneur, Toyin Lawani, has claimed she is enduring back pain and that her spine is degenerating.
Lawani revealed this in a video posted on social media last Tuesday.
In the clip, she opened up about her experience with epidural anesthesia, an injection administered to pregnant women in the spine to reduce pain during childbirth.
The mother of three claimed that since receiving the injection, she has not felt like herself.
She accused doctors of not fully informing women about the long-term side effects of epidurals.
According to Lawani, she received the anesthetic injection during the birth of her last two children.
She said, “When you hear ‘epidural,’ run. Doctors tell you about the side effects but do not tell you about the long-term effects on your body. I have about three friends having the same issues that I am having.
“Like, I am just 42, how did I end up with spine issues? I have a degenerating spine. I have implants in my spine. I go paralyzed. I can’t stand for a long time. I can’t even breathe properly sometimes because it affected so many things in my body when I had the surgery.
“They will not tell you because you just want the pain to go away. I have had two epidurals. I had my first as natural birth. The last two were epidural. The last one I had epidural because I had to undergo a surgery and I had no choice.
“See, the pain does not stop. My back is killing me and my spine is degenerating.”