Top 10 Nigerian Female Artist in 2023

Nigeria’s music industry is one with fewer female acts. While the movie industry is crowded by ladies, the reverse is the case in music. Although we have few female musicians in Nigeria, they are not less productive and successful. This is evident in the global recognitions some of the few but sophisticated Nigerian female musicians have gotten over time.

Sold-out tours, hit songs, endorsement deals, concerts, enviable accolades, a huge fan base, and global achievements are some of the ranking factors of the best in the music industry. Nevertheless, being a successful female musician and among the best in a competitive industry dominated by men is not an easy feat. It requires talent, prowess, effort, expertise, and a lot of hard work.

Although being among the best musicians in the industry is a lot of hard work, few female musicians have achieved this status over their fellow female counterparts in music.

These Top 10 Best Female Musicians in Nigeria are the most mentioned on the lips of music lovers, and the most sought-after in Nigeria and Africa. They are simply the BEST! Read on to see if you agree and if your favorite Nigerian female musician is on the list.

Top 10 Best Female Musicians In Nigeria

1. Ayra Starr

Mavin Record singer and songwriter, Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe who is professionally known as Ayra Starr is evidence that so much can be achieved within a short period of time.

Ayra Starr started by making covers of songs and sharing them on Instagram and one day, she eventually sang an original song that was written by her brother and shared it on Instagram. The video caught the attention of the Mavin Record boss, Don Jazzy who DM’ed her about three hours later and asked that they meet in the studio. Accompanied by her brother, she eventually met Don Jazzy in the studio and they recorded that very day (two of the songs on her debut EP were recorded that day).

Ayra Starr got signed to Mavin and after one year of training and preparation, she was unveiled by the label with a self-named EP “Ayra Starr”. The record “Away” was an instant hit record with numerous netizens making content with the record. Six months later, Ayra Starr returned with another big hit record ‘Bloody Samaritan’. Ever since January 2021, it’s been greater heights upon greater heights for the Mavin songstress. She currently has the most-viewed African female music video on YouTube as the music video for ‘Rush’ currently has over 244 million views on YouTube.

(2) Tems

The ‘Try Me’ crooner, Temilade Openiyi (born 11 June 1995) who is professionally known as Tems broke out in the music industry in 2019 after her record ‘Try Me’ became a hit record and she has kept on giving music lovers a reason to give her more listening time with her consistency and top-notch delivery on her records.

In 2020, she went harder, releasing an EP ‘For Broken Ears’, and records from the EP retained impressive spots on ‘Apple Top 100 Songs in Nigeria’ for weeks. Tems was also featured on ‘Know Your Worth (Remix)’ by Khalid & Disclosure and also on the record ‘Essence’ by Wizkid off ‘Made In Lagos’ album, one of the Top Ten Nigerian albums in 2020. The record ‘Essence’ became the first Nigerian song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard Global 200 and the music video for Essence is one of the most viewed African music videos on YouTube. Essence also got a Grammy nomination for Best Global Music Performance at the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards. On the 19th of December 2020, Tems got an endorsement from Grammy Award winner, Chris Brown who took to his Instagram story to share “Tems is so so so fire 🔥 ! OMFG”.

In 2019, she was nominated for Best Vocal Performance (Female) and Best Alternative Song at The Headies Award and also nominated for the ‘Next Rated’ at the 2020 Headies Award. Tems made Vogue’s list of ‘9 Emerging Black Music Talents You Must Know For 2021‘.

In 2022, Tems and Drake were featured by American rapper, Future on the global hit record WAIT FOR U on his ninth studio album I Never Liked You.

The song debuted at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for the Best Rap Song and Best Melodic Rap Performance at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards and won the Best Melodic Rap Performance at the Grammys.

After 6 years of no solo music release, award-winning singer Rihanna made a grand return on the 28th of October, 2022 with the song ‘Lift Me Up’ and Tems was credited as a songwriter for the song.

(3) Tiwa Savage

Tiwa Savage is not just the most-followed Nigerian female singer on Instagram but also the queen of African pop. This is a position the female musician born on 15th, February 1980 has worked tirelessly for over the years. She started singing at age sixteen as a backup singer. At age 27 she enrolled in a music school after bagging a degree in business administration from the University of Kent.

With her experience in music writing, Tiwa navigated the Nigerian music industry in 2006 with her debut single Kele Kele Love. Since she ventured into music, the award-winning female songstress and artist has never slowed down nor looked back. In 2012, she joined Mavin Records owned by Don Jazzy (One of the biggest record labels in Nigeria). They made hit songs back to back starting with songs like Without My Heart, Eminado, Dorobuci, and many others.

Dominating the Nigerian music industry as a female has given rise to various endorsement deals with MTN, Pepsi, Forte Oil, Maggi, etc. Multiple awards such as the MTV Europe Music Award, MTV Africa Music Award, The Headies Award ( she has won twice), Channel O Music Video Award, Nigeria Music Video Award, City People Entertainment Award ( she has also won twice) and many others achieved by her have given rise to her being among the best female musicians in Nigeria and Africa.

Her music style, professionalism, relatable lyrics, etc have won her fans and accolades globally. As one of the best in Nigeria even better than some male musicians in the industry, she was signed to Roc Nation making her the first Nigerian artist to be signed to the label and recently she secured a record deal with Universal Music. Also, she has done notable collaborations with the best male artists in Nigeria among whom are Wizkid, 2Baba, Davido, Olamide, Don Jazzy, Patoranking, Reekado Banks, and many more.

In a short span of years, the superstar singer has achieved a lot through hard work and determination. Any true music lover knows Tiwa Savage is talented and certainly among the best female musicians in Nigeria. Her three studio albums Once Upon A Time, R.E.D, and Celia are still thrillers in weddings, clubs, and events across the globe.

Although she is successful, she has had her hard times. A notable one is during her marital crisis with her Ex-husband and former manager Teeblizz. The marriage which barely lasted two years brought forth a son “Jamil” whom she loves so much. Apart from music, the female artist has been featured in a few Nigerian blockbuster movies such as SHUGA. She is currently on a sold-out music tour in the diaspora which is one of the many previous successful sold-out tours to her credit.

Amazing concert performances are not left out of the accomplishments of the singer. One can undoubtedly say Tiwa Savage is a household name in African music and one of the best female musicians in Nigeria. In May 2019, she got signed to one of America’s best Record labels, Universal Music.

(4) Yemi Alade

One of the most talented and loved female musicians in Africa, Yemi Alade is undoubtedly among the best female musicians in Nigeria. Since her debut into the music industry with her hit song titled “Johnny“, the Effyzzie Music Group singer hasn’t slowed down a bit. Yemi who was born on 13th, March 1989 hails from Ondo state. She ventured into music in 2013 and has won great recognition as a result of her expertise in the craft.

Her energetic performance and African-infused style are evident in her hairdo, fashion looks, songs, and music videos. This style has dubbed her the title of “Mama Africa” in the music scene. Every music lover across Africa recognizes Yemi by her signature African styles, choice of musical beats, and dance moves.

Amongst the many male and female musicians in the African continent, the music sensation has coined a name for herself as one of the best female musicians in Nigeria and Africa. Resilience, hard work, and professionalism in the music craft have brought her this far, enabling her to tour the world, sell out shows, and release hit tracks that are hugely appreciated and danced to across the globe.

Her excellence has paved the way for her and brought her above many other female contemporaries in the Nigerian music industry. Yemi Alade is the second most-followed Nigerian female celebrity on Instagram, the fourth most-followed Nigerian celebrity on Instagram, and one of the musicians with the most viewed Nigerian music videos on YouTube (See the list here!).

(5) Simi

“Joromi” music crooner, Simisola who was born on 19th, April 1988 holds the fifth position on the list of the best female musicians in Nigeria. The music sensation who shot into the limelight in 2014 with the song “Tiff” hasn’t slowed down since her debut into the male-dominated music industry. Simi’s outstanding voice, music style, relatable lyrics, and expertise make her one of the A-list musicians in Nigeria.

Being the last of four siblings and a tomboy during her teenage days didn’t deter her from honing her music skills. After the release of her well-embraced single titled “Soldier” featuring rapper Falz, the musician did another duet with the rapper. The duet titled ” Chemistry” got her nominated in three categories of The Headies 2016 where she won one award.

In 2017 Simi released her much-anticipated album “Simisola”  which had twelve trending songs. Two years after the success of Simisola, she released Omo Charlie Champagne album in April 2019. The album release which coincided with her birthday was named to honor her late father whose nickname was Charlie Champagne. Subsequent months after, the love song “Promise” was released. It represented her love story and marriage to fellow musician Adekunle Gold and was sung by the couple. Crooner Simi currently owns a private record label named Studio Brat and she is no longer signed  X3M record label. They parted ways amicably after the end of the singer’s contract and she has since been soaring high in the Nigerian musical scene.

Simi got her biggest record ‘Duduke’ in 2020 during the pandemic, a song which was among the Top Ten Nigerian Songs in 2020 and was dedicated to her daughter, Adejare Kosoko whom she was pregnant with at the time of releasing the song.

(6) Teni

Just like a shocking Netflix blockbuster movie, Teni came into the music scene, and in the twinkle of an eye, she garnered herself a huge & loyal fanbase, supporters, lovers, and fame. The young music star whose real name is Teniola Apata is the younger sister of Nigerian female singer Niniola. She delved into the music industry in 2016, after graduating with a degree in business administration from American Continental University, USA.

Her debut single titled “Amen” was released in 2016.  The following year 2017, the talented female musician released Fargin – an intriguing single that was aired on music channels and widely danced to at parties and clubs. She took the music industry by storm in 2018, after the release of her hit singles  “Askamaya“, “Uyo Meyo” and “Case”  which are currently still trending across the globe. Her talent and expertise in each of the songs brought accolades from music lovers, celebrities, and the media in general.

Teni who is broadly known for her dope songs and conventional signature tomboy outfits has not disappointed her fans since she got signed to Dr. Dolor Entertainment.

In the space of seven years, the superstar musician has toured some continents, sold out shows, and won notable awards and recognitions. These recognitions are due to her unbeatable talents and music expertise which have yielded global visibility on the YouTube music scene in 2019 as Trending Artist on the Rise.

Teni’s outstanding talent has also brought about various endorsement deals with top brands such as TomTom, Tecno Mobile, Wema Bank, and many more. A feat that many females and even male musicians who have been in the industry longer than she has been unable to accomplish.

Every Nigerian music lover would agree that Teni is a raw talent and irrespective of the fact that she is still young in the music industry, she is certainly one of the best female musicians in Nigeria.

(7) Fave

Chidozie Godsfavour Ugochinyere who is professionally known as Fave is one of the many artists who made the most of the COVID-19 lockdown by showing off their talent online and building a fanbase for themselves as everyone was basically at home and stuck to their phones/laptops.

Her music career kicked off professionally in July 2019 when she made her debut with the single ‘M.O.M.M.S’ (Me or Mask My Sins).

The following year, in January 2020, she released her sophomore single DAL, and after that came the COVID-19 Lockdown, a phase in our lives where many careers and businesses hit rock bottom but Fave decided to make the most of the times she found herself in. She started to search for free beats on the internet and eventually found one by Nigerian music producer, Jinmi Abduls and made a freestyle with the beat. The freestyle garnered so much traction online and gave her fanbase a boast and this led to her third single N.B.U (Nobody But You).

The next year, 2021, was life-changing for Fave. She released the songs ‘Baby Riddim’ and ‘Beautifully’ that year and the record ‘Baby Riddim’ was a mega-hit record in the continent. ‘Baby Riddim’ became the number 1 song in Nigeria on the Turntable Chart making it the second entry by a lead female artiste to reach number 1 in Nigeria on the Turntable Chart, the single was also the number 1 Global Shazam Afrobeats record for 6 weeks consecutively in 2021.

In the same year, she got featured on two tracks (Want and PonPon) on Olamide’s twelfth studio album UY Scuti. Since then, the songstress has found success upon success in her music career, and in 2023, she was featured in the hit song ‘Kante’ on Davido’s fourth studio album ‘Timeless’.

(8) Niniola

Beautiful singer, Niniola Apata who was on 15th, December 1986 is one of the exceptional female Nigerian musicians. The rock star who is the elder sister of fellow superstar – Teni made her debut in the music industry in 2014 with the release of her single ” Ibadi“. The song topped music chat across the country and was positively embraced. It resulted in the Nigeria Entertainment Award nomination for the Most Promising Act To Watch category in 2015.

Prior to Niniola’s debut in the music industry, she participated in the 6th edition of Project Fame West Africa coming out as the third runner-up. Her fame in the competition paved the way for her success in the industry but her talent and expertise stood her out amongst other artists. The debut singles gained more prominence and were used as the soundtrack for the second season of the award-winning Nigerian movie “Gidi Up“.

In 2017, the Afro-house singer produced hit single singles “Maradona”, and “Maradona Riddim” among other songs with the former receiving great preference across the globe. In light of these, distinguished US Rapper and singer Drake requested for her hit track “Maradona” to be aired on the radio. He made this request during his radio session on BBC 1xtra, spotlighting the Afro-house Queen.

Just when fans thought she had given her best, she came up with another hit single titled “Designer”, a song with so much vibe, good rhythm, and beats. Music lovers dived into the song with so much passion, singing and dancing to the hit song. Niniola hasn’t stopped garnering amazing fans with her unique talent since she came into the booming industry and she is definitely one of the best female musicians in Nigeria.

(9) Guchi

PG Records Entertainment songstress, Ugochi Lydia Onuoha who is professionally known as Guchi is another living evidence that so much can be accomplished in a short span of time.

Four years (April 2019) after she released her debut single ‘No Be Jazz’, Guchi has grown and secured a spot in the list of the top ten female musicians in Nigeria, surpassing other talented singers who have been in the music industry way long before her.

Shortly after her debut single, Guchi got signed to PG Records Entertainment and she started off by releasing her sophomore single ‘Addicted’ with Nigeria’s most-followed online comedian on Instagram, Broda Shaggi starring in the music video. Her career slowly started to take off in 2020 after the release of the song ‘Closer’, a record that did very well and even made it to her debut music project, ‘I Am Guchi’ EP.

2021 was her breakthrough year as her first single for the year ‘Jeniffer’ was a big hit record. The music video for the song currently has over 59 million views on YouTube and one of Tanzania’s biggest singers, Rayvanny featured in the remix. She ended the year 2021 with two more hit records ‘Benzema’ which debuted at Number 3 on the Billboard Top Triller Global Chart and Scatter My Head featuring Zlatan.

Since then, it’s been nonstop growth in the career of the beautiful and talented songstress.

(10) Aṣa

Holding the last spot on the list of the top ten female Nigerian female artists is the veteran award-winning singer and songwriter, Bukola Elemide who is professionally known as Aṣa.

If this list was about experience and longevity in the music industry, Aṣa would easily hold the number one spot on the list. Aṣa’s career started off as far back as 2007 when she made a remarkable first-time impression with her debut album, a self-titled album named Aṣa (Asha). The album has timeless hit records like Jailer, Bibanke, Fire On The Mountain, and more. Her debut album saw Aṣa charting radios across Europe, Asia, and Africa and went on to win the prestigious French Constantin Award in 2008 when she was voted the best fresh talent of 10 singers or groups by a jury of 19 music-industry specialists in Paris.

Aṣa was so good that at age 20 when she returned to France to study at IMEP Paris College of Music, she was told by teachers that she could go ahead to become a recording artist and that she needed no further schooling. Three years after her debut album, on the 15th of October, 2010, she released her sophomore album titled ‘Beautiful Imperfection’, a classic album that went platinum and in 2014, Aṣa reportedly sold 400,000 albums worldwide.

16 years after she put out her top-notch debut album, Aṣa is still dropping classical records to this day. Her last album which was released on the 25th of February, 2022 had records like Show Me Off, IDG featuring Wizkid, and Good Times featuring The Cavemen.. I feel that if Aṣa releases songs more frequently, she could easily become the top female artist in the country.

 

Having said all about the Nigerian music industry and its less but amazingly talented and powerful female musicians who conquer the industry in their unique ways. It is worth saying that these Top 10 Best Female Musicians In Nigerian are the real MVPs in the country music industry and they ROCK! In spite of various criticism and fewer accolades they receive from music lovers while being compared to their male contemporaries, they still make waves globally.

Which female artist do you think will be on the list in the near future? For me, I have high hopes for Bloody Civilian. Let me know what you think in the comment section below.