Finally! (Nigeria`s version of Justin Bieber according to a colleague of mine) Adekunle Gold blessed us with the release of his debut album aptly titled βΛGold`. Even though he though he tried to pull βΛBeyoncΓΒ©` on us, the album has been received well by fans and critics alike. But what does the release of this long awaited album mean for our industry that has seen in recent times, a decline in the release of full projects by new artistes this year? So far, Adekunle, Lil Kesh and Kiss Daniel remain the only new acts to have put up an album in 2016 at the time of writing this article. Here are some of my predictions on what to expect in the next couple of months.
We will have Adekunle Mania for the next month or so
From all indications, everybody loves Adekunle Gold. And now that he has a full body of work out, be rest assured you will hear and see his name everywhere – at least on radio and on social media. I just know whatever plaudits Mr Gold gets on this album, he truly deserves it. You have to admire the guts of the man. Like Joey Akan (music editor at Pulse.ng) rightly stated, βAdekunle Gold worked his way through the right channels, identified a sound, and released a debut single titled βΛLet It Stop`, a song about peace for the nation. That never became a hit song. The right channel did not pay instantly, but he kept at it, working his game and perfecting his art. What worked was option E: A beautiful rendition of One Direction’s βΛStory Of My Life` which he titled βΛSade`.Β βΛSade` is credited to be the propelling force of Adekunle Gold’s career.β
We will see a rise in βΛAdekunle Gold type music`
Since most of our musicians suffer from what I`ve termed copy copy syndrome, expect the really lazy ones to put out singles done in typical Adekunle Gold fashion. Now, a little borrowed inspiration is not bad but copying a beat, it’s rhythm and almost every other thing is just wrong! We get it; Nigerians seem to be warming up to alternative musicians (not saying Adekunle Gold is one) but if you must follow the same road as Adekunle, find a way to carve a niche for yourself. I mean Brymo and Adekunle sound somewhat similar but each musician has an identity readily identifiable by music lovers in the world over.
We will see other new acts spring into action
You know all those new acts that have kept us guessing on when their debut albums would drop, they will start running upandan to release their projects. Some may even go as far as releasing βΛleaks` from the album if their record label is dragging its feet. Adekunle has opened up the floodgates. Patoranking`s album will be released in a couple of days, Reekado Banks has promised to drop his by next month (what has happened to Korede Bello and Di`Ja?), Cynthia Morgan`s album is reportedly over 20 tracks long, Ycee will be announcing his release date anytime soon. These are some of the names that have revealed their album release plans. Why the likes of Niyola, Chidinma and Eva haven`t thought it right to release even an EP still surprises me.
Still, let`s give a round of applause to the man of the moment – Adekunle Gold.
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This article was written by journalist and PR consultant, Abisola Alawode.
See more of his work on his blog: tattlesblog.wordpress.com
