The music of Nigeria includes many kinds of folk and popular music, styles of folk music are related to the multitudes of ethnic groups in the country, each with their own techniques, instruments, and songs. Little is known about the country's music history prior to European contact, although bronze carvings dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries have been found depicting musicians and their instruments.The largest ethnic groups are the Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba. Traditional music from Nigeria and throughout Africa is almost always functional; in other words, it is performed to mark a ritual such as a wedding or funeral and not to achieve artistic goals. Although some Nigerians, especially children and the elderly, play instruments for their own amusement, solo performance is otherwise rare. Music is closely linked to agriculture, and there are restrictions on, for example, which instruments can be played during different parts of the growing season.

Work songs are a common type of traditional Nigerian music. They help to keep the rhythm of workers in fields, river canoes and other fields. Women use complex rhythms in housekeeping tasks, such as pounding yams to highly ornamented music. In the northern regions, farmers work together on each other's farms and the host is expected to supply musicians for his neighbours.

The issue of musical composition is also highly variable. The Hwana, for example, believe that all songs are taught by the peoples' ancestors, while the Tiv give credit to named composers for almost all songs, and the Efik name individual composers only for secular songs. In many parts of Nigeria, musicians are allowed to say things in their lyrics that would otherwise be perceived as offensive.

The most common format for music in Nigeria is the call-and-response choir, in which a lead singer and a chorus interchange verses, sometimes accompanied by instruments that either shadow the lead text or repeat and ostinato vocal phrase. The southern area features complex rhythms and solo players using melody instruments, while the north more typically features polyphonic wind ensembles. The extreme north region is associated with monodic (i.e., single-line) music with an emphasis on drums, and tends to be more influenced by Islamic music.

Stanley Omah Didia (born May 19 1997) known professionally as Omah Lay is a singer, songwriter, record producer. He first gained prominence in 2020 after his debut single ‘You’ went viral. He started off as a producer and songwriter in Port Harcourt but only made up his mind to take up singing when he realized he doesn’t get enough credit for the songs he helped create for others. He then recorded and put out ‘Do not Disturb’ and ‘Hello Brother’ in his hometown Port Harcourt which earned him a record deal with KeyQaad - a new record label at the time.

Early Life

Omah Lay was born in the city of Port Harcourt in Southern Nigeria, he spent most of his teenage years at Marine Base. Omah Lay wouldn’t be the first to attempt music in his family as his grandfather made a career as a drummer for the late 70s Highlife sensation - Celestine Ukwu.

Career

Omah Lay started music as a teenager rapping in the streets of Marine Base as Lil King but then he got bored and started learning how to produce music. He made his mark first on the local music scene in early 2019 as a producer making a couple of records that got massive radio spins in his hometown but he thought he didn’t get the accolades and credit he deserved writing and producing those records; that was when he made up his mind to pick up the mic and do it. In 2019, he recorded and put out ‘Do Not Disturb' and ‘Hello Brother’ and they enjoyed good spins on his hometown radio stations. This caught the ears of record labels and he ended up signing with KeyQaad in July 2019 and left his hometown for the first time and moved to Lagos - The entertainment hub of West Africa. In January 2020, he teased his Instagram followers with a verse he had recorded and the feedback was amazing so he decided to make the song available for free as teaser to his official single, that song became ‘Bad Influence’ which went on to garner millions of streams on Digital stores. He then released his official single ‘You’ on the 14th of February 2020 which is deemed by many to be a sleeper hit. ‘You’ put him on some reputable lists of Freshmen to watch out for in 2020 like NotjustOk and Native Mag. The song got a mixed review from Pulse NG who wrote that “the song lacked resonance” though the same article went on to praise Omah Lay as a “master with everything associated with the song’s hook”. On the 22nd of May, Omah Lay dropped his debut EP which included the previously released ‘You’ and ‘Bad Influence’. The EP became an instant commercial success becoming the most streamed Afrobeat album on Digital stores like Audiomack, Deezer and Apple Music and went on to earn him Apple Music Favorite New Artiste of The Month of June in Africa. On June 7, Omah Lay was interviewed on the then new Apple Music’s Africa Now Radio by Cuppy where he spoke about the success of his new EP and music influences. On Friday 3rd of July, he was picked as the debut star for Apple’s Africa Rising Campaign which spots a talent in Africa and projects them all through the continent and internationally.

Adedamola Adefolahan (born 5 February 1996), known professionally as Fireboy DML, is a Nigerian singer. He is signed to YBNL Nation, a record label founded by Nigerian rapper Olamide. His debut studio album Laughter, Tears and Goosebumps was released in 2019. He won Listener's Choice and was nominated for Song of the Year for "Jealous" at the 2020 Soundcity MVP Awards Festival.

career

Fireboy DML grew up in Abeokuta, Ogun state and was a member of his local church choir. He developed interest in music while studying at Obafemi Awolowo University. His breakthrough single "Jealous" first appeared on YBNL Nation's collaborative album YBNL Mafia Family (2018), before being re-released on 25 March 2019. The song is composed of guitar riffs, traditional drums and percussion; it combines African harmonies with elements of country and soul music."Jealous" was produced by Cracker Mallo and is centered around love and the complicated feelings that go along with it. The visuals for "Jealous" was directed by Director K. On 14 June 2019, Fireboy DML released the romantic single "What If I Say". It was produced by Pheelz, who incorporated a mix of percussion, ambient synth harmonies, and a drum riff into the production. The visuals for "What If I Say" was directed by TG Omori. On 1 August 2019, Fireboy DML released another single "King", in the song, he declares his worth to his love interest. The accompanying music video for "King" was directed by TG Omori; it contains images of Fireboy and his love interest in a rose petal embellished Rolls Royce, as well as images of him singing at a fashion show where models walk on a runway. Fireboy DML released his debut studio album Laughter, Tears and Goosebumps on 29 November 2019. It was initially scheduled for release on 25 November.The album's music is a brand of R&B that combines love and social issues with empirical songwriting. LTG comprises 13 tracks and doesn't feature any guest artist; it amassed over 6 million streams on Spotify three days after its release. It received generally positive reviews from music critics, but was criticized for being labeled an "Afro-Life" record instead of an R&B album. LTG was supported by the previously released singles "Jealous", "What If I Say" and "King".

Selected Singles

• jealous (2018)
• what if i say(2019)
• king (2019)
• new york city Girl (2020)
• Eli (2020)
• Tattoo (2020)
• Champion(2020)
• Peru (2021)

Bella Shmurda is a Nigerian singer. He rose to prominence with the release of the song "Vision 2020", and a follow up remix which featured Nigeria rapper Olamide.

Career

Shmurda rose to prominence after his debut single "Vision 2020", and a follow up (remix) to the single which he featured Olamide. He released several hit songs in 2020, some which featured top musicians, one of which is "Cash App" featuring Zlatan. He was nominated for the Headies Award for the next rated in 2020. In 2020, Bella Shmurda won the awards "Next Rated Male" and "Street Music of the Year" at the City People Entertainment Awards, he was also nominated for "Revelation of the Year" award in the same year. In 2021, Bella Shmurda was nominated for the "Next Rated" award at the Headies Awards. In June 2021, his single, "Cash App" featuring Zlatan and Lincoln was nominated for "Most Played Song - Street Pop" at the NET Honours. Bella Shmurda was inducted into the 2021 YouTube Foundry Programme. He was the only African artist to be included in this class. On 10 June 2021, Shmurda revealed on his Instagram page that he intends to release the second volume of his debut EP titled “High Tension Vol. 2", which is scheduled to be released in July 2021 and the album artwork was also shared on his page. He released the EP on 7 July 2021.

Selected Singles

• vision 2020 (2018)
• Only you (2019)
• Cash App(2020)
• Rush(2021)

Teniola Apata, born 23 December (1992) better known as Teni, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and entertainer.

Teni was born on 23 December 1992 in Lagos state. She is the younger sister of Nigerian singer Niniola. She attended Apata Memorial High School and later preceded to American InterContinental University where she obtained degree in business administration.

Career

Teni released her debut single "Amen" while signed to Shizzi's Magic Fingers Records. She left the record label and signed with Dr. Dolor Entertainment in 2017.Teni started gaining prominence after releasing the single "Fargin" in September 2017. She made her breakthrough after releasing the hit singles "Askamaya", "Case" and "Uyo Meyo". "Askamaya" was ranked 15th on MTV Base's year-end list of the Top 20 Hottest Naija Tracks of 2018. On 20 February 2019, Teni was featured on YouTube Music's Trending Artist on the Rise. On May 3, 2019, she released the video for "Sugar Mummy". On June 14, 2019, she released a new single titled "Power Rangers".

Teni released her debut E.P, Billionaire on the 11th of October 2019. The “Billionaire EP” was complied with six (6) interesting tracks and with no guest appearance. The E.P was produced by Jaysynths Beatz and Pheelz. In April 2020, Teni partnered with Nigerian Disk Jockey, DJ Neptune to release an EP called the Quarantine Playlist, which sees her playing out different stages of being in quarantine and talking about the strains of being on lock down due to the coronavirus pandemic. The four-track EP is mostly mid-tempo and includes production from Tempoe, P. Prime and Dëra.

On 2nd February 2021, Teni revealed the name and expected date for her forthcoming debut album. She shared this on her Instagram account "The time is near….. And the album shall be called “WONDALAND” 🦋#MARCH2021 #WONDALAND" Her debut album 'WONDALAND' was crafted for over two years in cities like London, New York, Orlando, Ondo, Lagos and Abuja.' The album features guest appearances from Davido. Its production was handled by Pheelz, Damayo, Tempoe, P.Prime, Millamix, Krizbeatz, and Ozedikus and was made available for purchase and online streaming on several music platforms, including Apple Music, Amazon Music, Spotify, Deezer, and Google Play.

Selected Singles

• Amen(2016)
• Like Dat(2017)
• Rambo(2018)
• Uyo Meyo(2018)
• Power Rangers(2019)
• Marry(2020)
• For You(2021)

Opeyemi Babatunde Rahim, known professionally as Lyta is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. He signed a record deal with YBNL Nation in 2018 but left the label in May 2019 after having a disagreement with the label owner Olamide. He released the 5-track debut EP Id in 2019.

Career

A native of Kwara State, Lyta grew up in Ajegunle and was a member of "Ile Kewu", a music group at his local mosque. His record deal with YBNL Nation was made public on 3 February 2018. Lyta's breakthrough single with YBNL Nation, titled "Time", features vocals by Olamide and was released on 14 February 2018. In 2019, Lyta left YBNL Nation due to contractual and personal issues. After exiting YBNL, he signed with Doro Musik Gang and released the Killer Tunes-produced track "Monalisa" on 12 July 2019. The visuals for "Monalisa", which was directed by Director K, amassed over 500,000 views within a month after its release. A few weeks after the release of "Monalisa", Davido reached out to Lyta about recording an official remix with him. Following their agreement, Davido and Lyta flew to Dakar for the remix and video shoot. The remix of "Monalisa" was released on 30 August 2019. Elias Light of Rolling Stone magazine described the song as a "handsome contradiction, with fierce expressions of yearning". The accompanying music video for the remix was directed by Director K. Lyta gained exposure following his collaboration with Davido on the remix. Lyta released the Afrobeat track "Worry" on 6 December 2019; it was produced by Killer Tunes. The visuals for "Worry" was shot and directed by Simplicity Visual Studios in London.

Reports about Lyta's exit from YBNL surfaced after Olamide unfollowed him on Instagram. In May 2019, Lyta confirmed his exit from YNBL Nation on Naijaloaded TV. He said although he was paid between 50,000 and 80,000 for shows, he never had a written contract with the label. Olamide issued a statement to Guardian Life, saying YBNL has a promotion calendar that Lyta refused to follow.

Lyta is currently signed under Marlian Records owned by Naira Marley. He also released his first single under the label titled “Hold me Down(Omo Gidi)”. The video to ”Hold Me Down” which was inspired by Kpop Korean boy band GOT7 and BTS was directed by TG Omori. The video is an exact replica of GOT7’s “Just Right” music video. However, Lyta did not ask for permission and K-pop fans are furious on the exact copy of the video.

Selected Singles

• Time(2018)
• Worry(2019)
• Mama(2020)
• Are You Sure(2021)

Joseph Akinwale Akinfenwa-Donus (born 21 May 1997), known professionally as Joeboy, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. Mr. Eazi of record label "emPawa Africa" discovered him in 2017. His genre of music is that of Afro pop and R&B. He was born in Lagos State, Nigeria.

Career

Mr Eazi-assisted track "Fààjí" on October 26, 2018; he used his portion of the grant he received from emPawa100 to shoot a video for the song. Joeboy's single "Baby" was released on March 1, 2019; it garnered 20 million streams across YouTube and Spotify in 2019. The visualizer music video for "Baby" surpassed 31 million views on YouTube. Joeboy released the Killertunes-produced track "Beginning" on August 15, 2019. The visualizer music video for "Beginning" surpassed 23 million views on YouTube. In it, he finds himself developing feelings for a friend whose advances he had initially dismissed. Joeboy released his debut extended play Love & Light in November 2019. It was released by emPawa Africa and was supported by the singles "Baby" and "Beginning". The EP also contains the Mayorkun-assisted track "Don't Call Me" and "All for You". Joeboy won Best Artiste in African Pop at the 2019 All Africa Music Awards, and Best Pop at the 2020 Soundcity MVP Awards Festival.He was nominated for multiple City People Entertainment Awards and The Headies.Joeboy released the Dera-produced track "Call" on April 10, 2020. Described as a "catchy love song", "Call" is the lead single from his upcoming debut studio album. The TG Omori-directed video for "Call" features dystopian sci-fi themes. In January 2021, Joeboy announced his debut album Somewhere Between Beauty & Magic, set for a February 4 release.

Selected Singles

• Releast(2017)
• Fire(2018)
• Baby(2019)
• Lonely(2020)
• Alcohol(2021)

Michael Adebayo (born 23 September 1999), known professionally as Ruger, is a 22 years old Nigerian singer and songwriter. Ruger, born and brought up in Lagos hails from the Yoruba tribe of Nigeria. He hit the limelight on the 18th of January, 2020 after being announced as the newly signed artist to D’Prince‘s Jonzing World Records. Jonzing World which is affiliated with Don Jazzy‘s Mavin Records also houses the likes of Rema and Ozedikus.

Career

As a teenager, Ruger joined his church’s choir as a vocalist. He also signed us as a member of his school’s musical band. He did all these so as to develop himself as a musician. He started composing songs from his high school days and would perform them at his school’s events and local shows in Lagos. By this time, he had already come up with the stage name Ruger. In 2020, fortune finally shined its rays on Ruger as he was lucky to meet talent manager and top artiste, D’Prince. D’Prince is the brother of big-time producer and record label owner, Don Jazzy. After listening to some of his sounds, D’Prince fell in love with his sound and started working with the young act. D’Prince began inviting him for studio sessions at his recording studio so as improve on Ruger‘s sound and make him a better musician. On the 18th of January 2020, D’Prince took to social media to announce that he had signed Ruger under his imprint, Jonzing World. Thus, Ruger became the second artiste D’Prince signed in the space of two years. The second being Rema. In Rema‘s case, he is co-signed to Mavin Records owned by Don Jazzy. But Ruger‘s case is different. D’Prince is partnering with Sony Music West Africa and Columbia Records in managing the talented artiste. As soon as the news hit the internet, several big names in the industry beginning from Don Jazzy sent congratulatory messages to D’Prince for his latest achievement. Ruger‘s debut single was released on the 20th of January 2020 with guest appearances from his Jonzing World acts, Rema and D’Prince.

Selected Singles

• Bounce(2021)
• Monalisa(2021)
• Abu Dhabi(2021)

Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe (born 14 June 2002), known professionally as Ayra Starr, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and model. Born in Cotonou, Ayra Starr began a fashion career at the age of 16 with Quove Model Management before deciding to pursue music. After covering several songs by popular artists on Instagram, she posted her first original song on her page in December 2019. This brought her to the attention of record executive Don Jazzy, and led to her signing to Mavin Records. In early 2021, Ayra Starr achieved mainstream recognition with her eponymous debut extended play and its hit track "Away" which spent two consecutive weeks at number four on Nigeria's TurnTable Top 50 and went to number 17 on US Billboard Top Triller Global, paving the way for the release of her first full-length studio album, 19 & Dangerous in August 2021. Categorized mainly as Afropop and R&B, the album has been met with favorable critical reception. It spawned two top forty hits in Nigeria. The lead single "Bloody Samaritan" peaked atop the Top 50 chart, becoming the first solo song by a female artist to reach the number-one position. Ayra Starr debuted on Pandora Predictions chart, and on 28 August 2021, she ranked number two on Billboard's Next Big Sound.

Career

In August 2018, Starr was signed with Quove Models, a modeling agency based in Lagos. From there, she modeled for companies such as Mazelle Studio, Complete Fashion Magazine and Esperanza Woman. In 2019, she began posting covers of songs by artists like Andra Day and 2Face Idibia online. She chose her stage name because, in her words, "it means woke and eye-opening and that’s what I stand for." She appeared in the music video for Eri Ife's song "Dear Future Wife." In December 2019, she uploaded an original song called "Damage" on her Instagram page. This was heard by thousands of people including label executive Don Jazzy and led to her first recording contract with Mavin Records. In 2020, she started recording at Mavin Studios in Lagos with producers Louddaaa and Don Jazzy. Her self-titled debut extended play was released on 22 January 2021 through Mavin Records. The album has been described as "a topsy-turvy chronicle of love or love-themed situations" and "merges elements of R&B/neo-soul with Afropop percussion." Ayra Starr said her intention with the record was to make music that would resonate with both young and old listeners. The mixing and mastering of the EP was by Ikon, Louddaaa and Johnny Drille. Starr wrote one of the songs on the EP alone, and co-wrote the remaining four with her brother Dami. Shortly after its release, the EP became the number-one album on Nigeria iTunes and Apple Music. As of March 2021, it has reached the same position on Apple Music in 4 other countries, racking up over 15 million streams across Spotify, YouTube and Audio Mack. The project spawned the hit track "Away" which peaked at number four on Nigeria's TurnTable Top 50 and number 17 on US Billboard Top Triller Global. Its accompanying music video also debuted on MTV Base's Official Naija Top 10. OkayAfrica included the song in their list of The 9 Best Nigerian Songs of January 2021. Ayra Starr released remix versions of "Ija" and "Away" featuring Tokimonsta and Lilo respectively between March and April. Around the same time, Crayon's EP Twelve A.M was released with her vocals on the track "In Sync." She performed at the UC Berkeley Nigerian Students Association virtual culture show titled The Olori Awards. On 28 April 2021, the official music video for her song "DITR" was released on YouTube via Mavin. In June 2021, the music video for another song titled "Sare", was released. Both music videos were directed by Afolabi Olalekan. On 11 July 2021, Ayra Starr performed for the season finale of Nigerian Idol. On 6 August 2021, her debut studio album, titled 19 & Dangerous was released. For the album, she worked with her previous collaborators Louddaaa and Don Jazzy, both of whom contributed production on her EP Ayra Starr, and new collaborators, London and Andre Vibez. The album marked her first time recording alongside guest artists such as Fousheé and CKay. It was met with favorable critical reception with most critics characterizing its sound as primarily Afropop and R&B. It spawned two top forty hits on the TurnTable Top 50, the highest being "Bloody Samaritan", its lone single, which became Starr's first number-one single on the chart. The song climbed the Top 50 for several weeks, and, on the chart dated 27 September 2021, it reached the number one spot, making Ayra Starr the first female artist to do so with a solo single. She debuted on Pandora Predictions chart, and on 28 August 2021, she ranked number two on the Billboard's Next Big Sound. She was featured on "in the light", a track on Johnny Drille's Before We Fall Asleep. On 4 September 2021, she was named brand ambassador for Pepsi Nigeria. The following day, Starr performed during a live eviction episode of Big Brother Naija. She collaborated with Cheque on "Dangerous", the second track on his album Bravo. At the 8th African Muzik Magazine Awards, she was nominated for Best Newcomer award.

Selected Singles

• Away(2021)
• Sare(2021)
• Bloody Samaritan

Temilade Openiyi (born 11 June 1995), better known by her stage name Tems, is a Nigerian singer. In May 2021, Tems was ranked number 1 on the Billboard Next Big Sound chart and number 5 on the Billboard Emerging Artist chart. in September 2021, Tems was signed to RCA records and announced as Apple Music Up Next artist of the month.

Career

In 2018, Tems recorded "Mr Rebel", a song of her own composition. In August 2019, she released the single "Try Me" which became a hit track.In 2020, DJ Edu chose her as one of "ten artists to watch" that year. She was recruited that year by American singer Khalid to join him and fellow Nigerian Davido on an Afrobeats remix of "Know Your Worth".

On 25 September 2020, Tems released her debut extended play For Broken Ears, it was produced primarily by Tems and her single "Damages" from the EP became another follow up hit to "Try Me", peaking at number one on the Apple Music Nigeria and number six on the then-newly launched TurnTable Top 50 chart and garnering five million views on YouTube. In 2020, her collaboration with Wizkid on their song "Essence" earned her a number one spot on BBC 1Xtra Airplay Chart. and also earned her first career entry on Billboard Hot 100 On 8 November 2020, she was included in The Future Awards Africa: Class of 2020. In December 2020, Tems and fellow Nigerian artist Omah Lay were arrested in Uganda after a live performance at a show for violating COVID-19 lockdown safety laws by the Ugandan Police authority. Two days later, they were released and the charges were dropped. On 2 September 2021, it was announced on billboards in Lagos that Tems was set to feature on rapper Drake's Certified Lover Boy album. her collaboration with Drake on the song "Fountains" earned her her second Billboard Hot 100 entry debuting at number twenty six. On 15 September 2021, Tems released her second extended play titled If Orange Was a Place, primarily produced by GuilyBeatz and supported by the single "Crazy Tings" which peaked at number three on the UK Afrobeats chart, it debuted at number seven on the Billboard World Albums chart and number nine on the Heatseekers Album chart.her collaboration with Brent Faiyaz on the song "Found" from the EP debuted at number seventeen on the Hot R&B Songs chart, number thirty three on the New Zealand hot singles chart and number one on the UK Afrobeats Chart.

Selected Singles

• Mr Rebels(2018)
• Looku Looku(2019)
• Damages
• Crazy things

Divine Ikubor (born 1 May 2000), known professionally as Rema, is a Nigerian singer and rapper. He rose to prominence with the release of the song "Iron Man", which appeared on Barack Obama's 2019 summer playlist. In 2019, he signed a record deal with Jonzing World, a subsidiary of Mavin Records.

Career

In 2018, Rema posted a viral freestyle on Instagram to D'Prince's track "Gucci Gang". The post caught the attention of D'Prince who flew him to Lagos to offer a record deal. Rema signed a record deal with D'Prince's Jonzing World, a subsidiary of Mavin Records, in 2019. He released his self-titled debut EP Rema in 2019, which peaked at number 1 on Apple Music Nigeria. On 21 May 2019, Jonzing World, and Mavin's released the music video of "Dumebi", a major breakout song from his self-titled EP, featuring a cameo appearance from Diana Eneje. The video was directed by Ademola Falomo and currently has 44 million streams on YouTube. In May 2021, Rema announced he will be calling his sound "Afrorave", a subgenre of Afrobeats with influences of Arabian and Indian music. In September 2021 Rema was unveiled as a brand ambassador for the popular soft drink Pepsi alonsgide his label mate Ayra Starr.

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In December 2018, popular singer Reekado Banks left Mavin Records.Rema was then added to the label. Having Rema on the list was considered a big feat. D'Prince described Rema as a craftsman whose work needed to be heard by the whole world. Rema was discovered by D'Prince and wrote songs for the record for a while until D'Prince introduced the young boy to his brother, Don Jazzy. On 22 March 2019, Rema was announced as the latest addition to Mavin Records where he was referred to as the future of Afrobeats. After Rema signed a record deal with Jonzing World, in 2019, he released his debut EP Rema.

Selected Singles

• Dumebi(2019)
• Spiderman(2019)
• Ginger me(2020)
• Bounce(2021)

Adewale Mayowa Emmanuel (born 23 March 1994), known professionally as Mayorkun, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and pianist. He released a cover of Davido's "The Money" single and was discovered by the singer on Twitter. Mayorkun signed with Davido's record label Davido Music Worldwide (DMW) in 2016; his debut single "Eleko" was released under the label. Mayorkun released his debut studio album The Mayor of Lagos in November 2018.

Career

Mayorkun decided to leave his bank job to search for another due to bad pay, when his cover video was spotted by Davido in February 2016. Davido followed him on Twitter and Instagram, after which Davido asked him if he can do more than play the keyboard. He got a call from Davido the same day he wrote his resignation letter and sent Davido some of the songs he already recorded. Davido decided to sign him to Davido Music Worldwide.Mayorkun released his first single under the label called "Eleko" in 2016. The video of the song gathered a million views in the first 10 days. To his name, Mayorkun has several singles including Yawa, Sade, Che Che, and Mama. In October 2018, he released singles "Posh" and "Fantasy" featuring Olu Maintain in anticipation of his first studio album titled "The Mayor of Lagos". The Mayor of Lagos was released on the 16th of November 2018. On December 1, 2018, it appeared on the Billboard World Albums chart, peaking at number 15. In 2020 he was among the artistes scheduled for performance at the Convention center of the Eko Hotel and suites, Victoria Island, Lagos for the 2020 vanguard personality awards. Other scheduled artistes included Tekno, Timaya and many more.

Mayorkun embarked on a nationwide tour in 2017 that saw him perform in over 35 schools.He ended the year 2017 with his first headline concert in Lagos called "The Mayor of Lagos". The Mayor of Lagos concert continued in 2018 with a show in the city of Ibadan and the federal capital territory, Abuja. Also, a date for a Lagos edition was announced. In 2018, Mayorkun did a tour of the UK alongside label mate Dremo, where he performed in about six cities. He also performed alongside label boss Davido at the wireless festival.

Selected Singles