The ‘Essence’ of Afrobeats

Afrobeats has gone global, but is Nigeria’s music industry winning or losing as a result of this success?

In February 2024, when Davido’s entourage stormed downtown Los Angeles and walked the red carpet into the Crypto Arena in February 2024, they were confident Davido would return to Lagos as a ‘Grammy Boy’. His hits ‘Unavailable’ and ‘Feel’ earned him two Grammy nominations, and his fourth album, Timeless, garnered a third. 2024 was a landmark year, and the nominations were seen as a reward for his long-standing service to Afrobeats. As they settled into their seats, his entourage seemed convinced that he would win at least one Grammy. 

However, Tyla’s summer anthem​,​ ‘Water​,​’ posed a formidable challenge. The amapiano-sprinkled pop track transcended borders, casting a shadow over Davido’s shot at musical immortality. This was a contest where David needed more than a pebble to prevail. 

Months later, Davido’s loss—momentarily freezing the momentum of Afrobeats—has become a distant memory. The genre has resumed its upward trajectory, evidenced by the latest albums from Afrobeats’ leading women, Tems and Ayra Starr. 

Tyla’s self-titled album debuted at number 24 on the US Billboard 200 and dominated the Apple Music Charts for twelve weeks. Only Tems’ debut album Born in the Wild and Ayra Starr’s sophomore album The Year I Turned 21 managed to surpass her. With Born In The Wild breaking the record for biggest streaming day for a female Nigerian artist in Spotify History with 8 million.  

In a 2024 interview, Tems expressed that while Nigerians appreciate her music, they don’t fully understand her songs. Despite making her mark with tracks like ‘Try Me’ and ‘Mr Rebel’, it wasn’t until she went globally mainstream with ‘Wait For U’ that she started being taken more seriously in Nigeria. This interview arguably led to more people paying attention to her music. 

This context underscores why Davido’s loss to Tyla felt like a slap to some Nigerians, who exhibit a deep, protective love for their own artists. One Nigerian on X described Tyla’s ‘Water’ as ‘the most American passing sound in the category.’ To Davido’s entourage and many Nigerians, Davido was the more deserving winner. However, this raises some questions: How much refinement is needed for Nigeria’s hottest commodity to guarantee global mainstream success? Do budding talents need to reshape their musical identities to create a more marketable and resonant sonic persona for a worldwide audience?