Top 10 Nigerian Hottest Artists In 2020

Although the year 2020 began on an unpleasant note with COVID-19 ravaging the globe, many Nigerian Music artists made hit songs that got people dancing and celebrating. The previous year entangled with the pandemic did not stop the Nigerian music industry from being one of the fastest-growing entertainment industry in Africa as it kept bringing more stars to the limelight. Hit songs were made, new stars were discovered, global recognitions were achieved and awards won. In as much as there are lots of talented musicians in the Nigerian music industry not all of them made the year 2020 glamorous and entertaining for music lovers. Some did not make any new song and only featured in songs made by others. Out of the many superstars we have, only a few made it to the list of top ten hottest Nigerian musicians in 2020.

Top Ten Nigerian Hottest Artists In 2020

(10) Adekunle Gold

Adekunle Gold

Our AG baby who is also your baby did not let the year 2020 stay as a boring one for us. He came out in well-groomed talent presenting us with songs that made the year a hit. The superstar who welcomed a beautiful baby girl on the 4th of May 2020 with singer Simi, his wife and fellow music artist also released his much anticipated second album the same year. The album which is titled Afro Pop( Vol 1) was released with a total of ten songs.

At the beginning of 2020, the Afro Pop king released the hit song Jore ft Kizz Daniel. The song which is still making wave a year after, quickly gained prominence after it’s release. While fans were dancing to the tunes, AG dropped another banger titled Something different. His songs and album were undoubtedly among the highlight songs of 2020 for the majority of music lovers in Nigeria and overseas. The waves of Adekunle Gold’s songs since his debut in the music industry doesn’t only come with streams and downloads as numerous awards, endorsements and recognitions have been tied to him. His latest hit songs which he released in 2020 have gotten multiple streams and downloads since their release. They have also topped playlist and music chats on tv.

 He achieved some of the following in his musical career last year;

  •  A successful release of his second album
  • Over 10 Million streams of his album on Apple music

The award-winning singer has won a lot of awards and prominent achievements too numerous to mention and was indeed part of our 2020 musical best.

(9) Bella Shmurda

Fast-rising artist Bella Shmurda came into the limelight in 2019 with the hit song Vision 2020. His style of music got people talking with some in support and others against him. When a lot of music lovers were looking forward to what the big names in the Nigerian music industry will serve in the year of the pandemic, little did they know the budding Bella Shmurda was cooking hits that will put us in our dancing shoes. He wrapped up 2019 with Vision 2020 remix featuring Olamide topping music charts and been played in radio stations and events across Nigeria.

The words Vision 2020 was on the lips of almost every music and non-music lover. The song brought him more fans and widespread recognition. As many where dancing and relating to the lyrics of the song, the street-hop singer was preparing to release more hit songs as his Vision 2020.

In the first month of the year, Shmurda released his first 2020 hit which was an Ep titled High Tension. The body of work has seven amazing songs with Ginger been one of the most relatable. Few months after his Ep was released he dropped yet another hot jam titled CASH APP. The song in which he featured superstar Zlatan and Lincon is one of the Top Ten Nigerian Songs In 2020.

Cash App was widely appreciated even above his hit song Vision 2020. The appreciation of the song followed with a lot of social media buzz from fans, music lovers and fellow musicians but he did not stop there! He yet again themed up with YBNL Nation label boss Olamide as a featured artist to release triumphant which is a banger.

While many screamed and shouted to be heard and for a total overhaul of the Nigerian police force, the singer went to the studio and Soro Soke with the jam Polongo. Bella Shmurda indeed made our 2020 musically. His talent did make way for him to be on this list and also get featured in songs by some of the best in the Nigerian music industry.

He is currently one of the most talked-about music artists in Nigeria with over a million youtube views on each of his songs and a shutdown concert in Lasu. Nominations and awards are not far off from his achievement and we look forward to what he has for us in 2021.

(8) Rema

Rema

After an amazing 2019 in which Rema gave us hit songs back to back with one of his singles topping music charts in Nigeria and another making it to Former President Barack Obama’s playlist, he started off in 2020 musically fit. His first release for the year was Dumebi Remix featuring Becky G. It is worthy of mention here that the aforementioned single was his all-time hottest track before now.

The remix did not really make waves like the initial single but as the days went by with increasing Covid-19 tension, so did Rema work on his next release. In the heat of the lockdown across States in Nigeria, the superstar released another banger titled Beamer ( Bad Boys) The song quickly gained prominence and soon became music lovers favourite.

Social media users where steadily using the song for various challenges going on online. Music channels and individual playlist were not left out as the song was on repeat due to demand and love for the masterpiece and the Godzilla of course!

Amid the year, the Mavin Record artist went on to release the singles Rainbow and Fame which were good songs but did not make so many waves as his earliest singles did. He did some great collaborations featuring in other songs which made more merry people.

As we all looked forward to seeing what else the crooner have in store for us in such a year of so much uncertainty, he got nominated in the 2020 Bet Awards for best viewers choice: International Act.  It was a big deal because only three Nigerians made it as nominees.

While fans celebrated this semi win and recognition, Rema released yet again another Banger! And this time it’s was a banger with ginger.  The hit record Ginger Me was a love song that spontaneously won the heart of Nigerians and music lovers.

The song was sung, danced to, aired, streamed and downloaded continuously with good remarks from everyone who listened to it. Rema got “the kind of love he has never seen before” (this love me I never see before) from fans after the release and a few days after he dropped Alien which was great as usual but not a party jam.

From the stables of the talented lad came again the intro Ozedikus Nwanne, Another Banger! And it was the song Woman which many danced rocked to.

The year did not wind off without Rema releasing yet another hit and make 2020 seem like a stay at home vacation in the midst of the pandemic. He dropped two final singles Wave and Peace Of Mind in 2020 with the latter having more streams and likes.

The handsome singer mesmerized us musically in 2020 with all of the above songs coupled with some concert performance which were not much due to the restrictions placed on events because of the pandemic. Recognitions, increased streams on music platforms and overall chart toppings are belts added to his musical prowess as he is one of the top ten Nigerian hottest artists in 2020.

We are sitting tight as we look forward to hearing from him – Another banger!

(7) Simi

Simi

Ace musician and CEO of Studio Brat, Simisola who is popularly called Simi is one of the top 10 Nigerian Hottest Artist in 2020. After over five years of a successful music career in the industry, she started out in 2020 with the release of the hit song Know you by Ladipoe. She featured in the song singing with her melodious voice which is too distinct and enticing to miss.

While many where still vibing to the song, Simi went on to feature in other great songs before releasing her first single for the year titled Duduke. The song was a hit! At the time of singing and releasing the aforementioned single, the songstress was pregnant and expecting her first child with her husband who is a fellow musician. She released the song which was centred around her then-unborn child as a profession of her love to her child whom she says makes her heart beat like duduke-duduke.

Duduke gained so much recognition immediately after its release that it toped chart as number one song in Nigeria. The song did not only stay as a hit by topping charts in less than a month after it’s release but it also garnered over one million streams in Audiomack within the same period.

From weddings to proposals and other events, Duduke was the go-to song. The song made the year 2020 for a lot of music lovers in Nigeria. As talented as always Simi went on to release other amazing songs.

To crown the year, Simi released the EP Restless II with six amazing tracks and features from other great musicians inclusive of her husband. The song made and is still making waves. This is how the Duduke crooner stayed as one of the top ten Nigerian hottest artists in 2020 and made the year a hit for us all.

(6) Olamide

The Baddosneh himself and leader of the Yahoo Boy No Laptop(YBNL) clan, Olamide wasn’t left out in the 2020 exploits for Nigerian musicians. The superstar singer delivered musically by starting the year with a release of his much talked about album 999. The album contains nine tracks with features from Phyno, Rhatti, Cheque and others.

The release was a hit with widespread streams and good ratings. When the songs in the EP were still making waves, he went on to feature in some great singles by 2baba, Timi Dakolo, 9ice, Fireboy and more respectively. The songs where hit back to back but that was not all the music boss had cooked for the year.

In no short time, he released Eru, which was his first single for the year. The song became prominent racking in good ratings and downloads when he released Greenlight – A track from his second album for the year. The track was a good introduction which made everyone anticipate the release of the album proper.

A few more weeks of waiting and the album Carpe Diem nourished with twelve songs was at our beck and call. The album was the alight of the moment and the year because hit tracks such as triumphant ft Bella Shmurda, Infinity Ft Omah lay and many more got people glamouring for more and appreciating the prowess of both the artist and album.

Olamide closed his musical curtain for the year with the album as he left fans and music lovers replaying the masterpiece he created while he takes his seat as one of the Nigerian hottest artists in 2020.

(5) Omah Lay

Omah Lay

Talented and fast-rising Nigerian superstar Omah Lay did not make a debut into the music industry to fall hands. The ace singer came on board 2020 with his best game leaving music lovers craving for more of his unique work of art. The singer started the year with the release of his five-track EP titled Get Layd. The songs were fantastic and highly relatable with fans crowning him the recent best artist.

While a whole lot of people are still basking in the raw work of talent the singer released to get us Layd(entangled). He went on to feature alongside with the industry best in the likes of Wizkid and Adekunle Gold to deliver Pami by Dj Tunez.

Pami was and still is a five-star song which further made Omah Lay every music lover 2020 all-time man of the moment. With all of the fire songs the singer had released, he still wasn’t done with us as he went on to prove his musical prowess in a collaboration with Olamide on the song Infinity. The release of his second EP titled What Have We Done further strengthened his fast-growing fan base and fame as hats where fully duffed for him with numerous praises.

Omah Lay was indeed a major highlight of our 2020 musically. He played his cassette and we were all enticed dancing with a lifted spirit like there was never a pandemic. The year ended with a major crisis for him as he was arrested in Uganda for flaunting the countries Covid-19 rules during a concert him and a few others headlined.

Although he was briefly arrested and later freed, the concert saw people in their multitudes gathered to watch the superstar perform. Prior to the concert, Omah lay has never been outside Nigeria. 2020 made him one of the most sort-after music artists with lots of collaborations with A-list artists, top ratings, global streams of his songs and nominations.

Omah Lays  Achievements in 2020

As one of the top ten Nigerian hottest artists in 2020, the fast budding star achieved the following fits which are befitting for him all in this year.

  • First ever Apple music Africa Rising Star
  • Artist of the month of June on Apple Music
  • Headies Nominee for the (I) Next Rated Star (ii) Viewers Choice (iii) Song writer of the year (iv) R&B song of the year (Bad influence)
  • Three (3) of his songs topped chart on Apple music Nigeria as #1 Song.
  • His song “Bad Influence” was the most Shazamed song in Nigeria 2020
  • His song “Bad Influence” was the most streamed song on Apple music in Nigeria 2020
  • His song “Bad Influence” was the most streamed song on Boomplay  2020
  • Omah Lay was Audiomack’s Up Now artist of November 2020
  • He was Bet Amplified International Artist for November 2020
  • Almost 300 million streams all on musical platforms

We are certain 2021 have greater tides, awards and accomplishments in store for him.

(4)  Davido

Davido

Omo Baba Olowo himself was not swept outside in the musical hit of 2020. The singer came, saw and conquered musically in the year of the pandemic. After a successful career year in 2019 with major hit songs from his staples topping charts, the singer started off in 2020 with the song 2020 letter to you.

The song wasn’t much of a hit song as it was an inspirational song without afro-pop beats but the best was yet to come. When one of the best did come everyone was “FEMed as he did name the song FEM. The single Fem had good reviews and made headways with social media buzz and numerous challenges that went on.

As one of the top ten hottest Nigerian musicians in 2020, the singer collaborated and featured in songs owned by other artists and the songs such as Barawo and In My Maserati became major hit songs topping charts.

Davido released a final hit album for the year and it crowned all his superstar finesse as he broke some major records with huge global streaming and chart toppings. Most of the songs in the album were hit songs and a lot of people embraced the songs with love.

In 2020 alone, the singer’s music video for Fall had the highest YouTube streams and view. His last album for the year titled “A Better Time” had over one million streams in few hours after its release with Jowo, The Best, and Holy Ground topping major chart across the country and continent. Three songs off the album made the list of Top Ten Nigerian Songs in 2020 and he (Davido) also featured top American artists Chris Brown, Nicki Minaj, Young Thug, Lil Baby and Nas respectively in 2020.  We are looking forward to what the superstar is cooking for the new year.

(3) Wizkid

Wizkid

Star boy Wizkid has always proved himself to be one of the best musicians in Nigeria since his debut into the industry hence it’s no surprise that he is among the Nigerian hottest artists in 2020.

He didn’t deliver below his standards in the year 2020. When songs were aired and debates of the best songs in the year were held, Wizkid’s tracks came in top places in the mentions.

The music crooner started the year featuring in hit songs by top arts such as Akon, 2Baba, DJ Tunez, Tekno and more. His 2019 record ‘Joro’ song became a global sensation in 2020 with TikTok users launching a dance challenge for the song that saw the streams for the song shoot up on various music streaming platforms.

In July 2020, Wizkid released his first single for 2020 Smile ft. H.E.R. which was another hit song that made it to the playlist of Barrack Obama, the former president of the United States of America.

Alas! Made in Lagos was released and it was a big hit with a surge of streams and social media buzz with everyone talking about the album. In the midst of all the downloads and huge ratings, his collaboration with super singer Beyonce was gaining recognition and Grammy nomination for Best Music video.

The nomination on that collaboration was his second Grammy nomination. He also won Bet Awards, topped charts in Apple Music, Spotify, Audiomack and more all in the year of the pandemic. Wizkid is a global sensation and we are queuing up to see how he will rock your boats musically in 2021.

(2) Mayorkun

Mayorkun

How did Mayorkun of Lagos make it to be one of the top ten Nigerian hottest artists in 2020? It is simply by doing what he knows how to do best – releasing hit songs that people can’t stop dancing to.

The DMW talented singer started on a good note in 2020 with the release of the hit single Geng.  The song made waves and quickly topped charts. As multitude danced to the hit song, Mayorkun released another huge hit titled “Of Lagos”.

In the same light as his first track of the year, “of Lagos” became the delight of music lovers with millions of downloads and streams across various platforms. The song made the peoples day and it was the highlight of almost every party. Midway into the second half of the year, the serial hitmaker teamed up with his record label boss and released again another hit song titled Betty Butter.  The song quickly made its way into the top of charts as usual and Of Lay Lay Of Lagos was the name on the mouth of every music lover.

Like the year was made for him to make hits back to back, the singer dropped Mapariwo cover which was a quick one down the hall of fame. Amidst the continuous hit singles, Mayorkun also blessed other artists with top-notch features, he was the most-featured artist in 2020 and featured on hit songs like ‘The Best’ by Davido, ‘If No Be You’ by Jamopyper, ‘What Type Of Dance’ by DJ Kaywise, ‘If You No Love Me‘ remix by Chike, MJ (Remix) by Bad Boy Timz, and many others.

The music crooner rounded up the year 2020 musically with the hit track your body. As usual, the song was well received and plagued across Tv stations and music channels. The singer was indeed one of the musical highlights of the year 2020 and will certainly show up better this year.

(1) Burna Boy

Burna Boy
Burna Boy

Oluwa Burna who crowned the list for top 10 hottest Nigerian musicians of 2019 is doing same again this year. The talented singer who has been making national and global waves wowed us in 2020 with great songs and achievements.

He started the year with the release of hit single Odogwu in the first quarter of the year 2020. On the 13th of August 2020, Burna Boy released his much-anticipated album, Twice As Tall. The album garnered huge recognition in no time and streams of the tracks was spreading across platforms like wide fire. Burna Boy featured on the remix of the hit song Jerusalema and Wizkid top hit track Ginger.  He got nominated for a Grammy award and other Bet awards which he won the latter.

He got hundreds of millions of streams on his album, topped various charts and had his song on Obama’s playlist for a second time.  We can’t agree less that Burna Boy is an African giant who will always make us proud musically. He was one of the top ten hottest Nigerian artists in 2020.

 

So far so good have you enjoyed reading how these ace musicians – who are the Nigerian hottest artists in 2020 made the year memorable for us musically? Did your favourite Nigerian musician make the list? Who do you think should have been on this list but wasn’t?

Drop your comments below let’s engage further.

 

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