In anticipation of the return of live music
After a long year of restrictive measures, it’s about time to go outside and experience the music
Pandemonium is the appropriate word to describe Naira Marley’s cameo at Wizkid’s 2019 Starboy Fest in London’s O2 Arena. In the midst of a phenomenal run of hits, one of the greatest runs in contemporary Afropop, Naira ran unto the hoisted platform with the unbound energy of a bull who had just seen red, pulling off improvised variations of the Zanku with the erratic energy of a toddler hooked on way too much sugar. It was a chaotic sight to behold, a live representation of what Terry G really meant when he sang “Free Madness” all those years ago.
You didn’t have to be in the O2 Arena that night to witness and properly comprehend the wildness of the “Soapy” rapper’s frenzied set. In a world with cameras readily attached to our hands, outtakes from those performances flooded social media timelines within hours, offering several different glimpses of the experience. After a night which featured dozens of artists on stage, many of them being top tier Nigerian pop acts, it was Naira who dominated pop culture discussion in the coming days for this showcase and the palpable riotous reaction it generated from concertgoers.
The truth is, Naira’s unforgettable cameo definitely needed the reciprocal madness and upward screams from the fans beneath him. There’s no efficacy in his dancing if he doesn’t get on stage to fans yelling at his initial presence, shouting his lyrics back at him, and raging all through —(re)watch any of those videos and tell me I’m lying. It exemplifies the visceral essence of super-sized live shows, the push and pull between performer and audience, where energies are exchanged in favour of a memorable moment that can echo beyond those present on those grounds.
In the last year, the world has been largely robbed of these special live moments where music inspires those spontaneous, raucous reactions. During that time, artists have graced stages to perform their songs but the instances involving pandemonium have been somewhere between non-existent and extremely rare. (In fact, pandemonium has mainly been used as one of the sarcastic colloquial substitutes used in referring to the deadly Coronavirus pandemic.) Much like every other facet of life, Covid-19 greatly devastated live shows as the virus became a rapid worldwide concern, significantly altering the established format that included physical crowds.
Artists were—and still are to some extent—limited to virtual live performances, and while they have definitely been enjoyable, there’s no adequate alternative to having that physical presence and energy exchange. Before the pandemic, digital live performance platforms existed as avenues for artists to entertain audiences and prospective fans. In the context of an open world, live sets made for virtual viewership were supplementary showcases with mainly promotional purposes. As the pandemic set in, virtual shows became a viable, but ultimately inadequate, a placeholder for physical experiences, which we should have seen coming.
In 2019, during the ‘African Giant’ arc of his ongoing otherworldly run, Burna Boy made his much anticipated appearance on Tiny Desk, NPR’s popular, intimate live performance web series. Performing a medley of songs from his fourth studio album, the singer cut a sombre gait and was significantly less energetic than he’s proven to be on stage. Technically, Burna and his band hit the expected notes, his singing was clear and generally remarkable, their playing was tight and appropriately funky; they were in-sync and professional…maybe a little too professional because the set, even though enjoyable, wasn’t nearly as exciting as what a live Burna set is like.
If you’ve seen Burna live and direct, there’s a high chance are you’ve been awestruck by his towering presence and animated verve. He sings, raps, dances, hops, and pulls off everything in between to ensure he’s in command of the stage. With that in mind, he’s still essentially a showman who feeds off his audience’s reaction. In early 2020, Burna came under deserved criticism for singling out a fan during one of his live shows, ejecting him out of the venue and refunding his ticket money for seemingly not having a good time at the show. While some see it as an unnecessarily harsh gesture from Burna, it also symbolises how important that trade in trust between the artist on stage and the concertgoer, where the latter seeks to be wholly entertained and the former wants to feel the gratification of meeting that demand.
Without that real-time tension and interaction between both parties, live performances in the past year took on a slight but significant meaning. Perhaps, what makes the difference sting more, like many other “normal” things that were taken away because of the pandemic, is the casually violent removal of the audience from these physical spaces, with respect to the way many of us treated these concerts as quotidian occurrences rather than special avenues to commune with friends and strangers in service of the music we love. Virtual live shows became the new normal during the pandemic, but there’s a world of a difference between screaming back lyrics in an audience under the night sky and peering at your favourite artist from a screen.
As artists and the music industry began settling into the temporary normal, virtual live shows tried to get more inventive. Travis Scott famously hosted a spectacular live event on the gaming platform Fortnite, Burna Boy performed at a show that allowed viewers watch in virtual reality mode, and Wizkid’s first post-Made in Lagos concert was made momentous by an intimate preamble offering a glimpse into his daily life. These examples pushed the boundaries of the norms with virtual performances, giving digital attendees an experience they can hold on to, as opposed to the straightforward stage exhibition.
“That Wizkid live show will stay with me forever,” Oyinlolu, a self-confessed impulse concertgoer, tells me in a conversation about virtual live performances. “People would obviously have tuned in because it’s Wiz, but seeing him in his element before, during and shortly after he hit the stage made it feel special. That’s why the entire timeline was dedicated to the show that night.” While Wizkid was on stage exuding the magnetic charisma that makes him a beloved and hugely popular superstar, most of us were gabbing in awe of the man, emblematic of the ephemeral but powerful community live performances should ideally engender. The common belief is that live shows present an avenue to engaging with the music on a rawer level, but it takes special methods for it to feel fulfilling under the restrictive measures of a viral pandemic.
One of my fondest concert memories happened at the 2019 Palmwine Festival, the annual concert headlined by Nigerian Rap duo Show Dem Camp. Sometime that night, NATIVE Trybe alum, MOJO joined Prettyboy D-O on stage for their collaborative hit song “Chop Life Crew”. I was at a vendor’s stand with a friend at the time the performance started, however, I found myself close to the stage a few moments later, yelling the song’s infectious hook in the faces of a few strangers who were yelling back at me in similar ecstasy. Palmwine Fest didn’t return the next December, and even if it did, I can’t imagine having that sort of carefree moment because I’d be a little too busy trying to guard my life.
In comparison to other types of public, camaraderie-based gatherings—birthdays, weddings, club outings etc.—live shows haven’t fully resumed, but they’re happening to varying degrees in Nigeria and across the continent. At almost every turn, though, there’s a visible consequence of what it means to host and/or perform at a concert with physical attendees under the dark cloud of Covid-19. Last year, Nigerian singers Tems and Omah Lay were arrested in Uganda for gracing a two-day festival that featured dozens of artists. Their remands in jail and subsequent arraignment in court was seemingly spurred by political and xenophobic reasons, which were scarcely veiled under the guise of breaking health and safety measures.
Last December, Ghanaian Rap phenomenon Sarkodie hosted the latest edition of his annual Rapperholic concert, and it pulled in a massive turn out in spite of the pandemic. Watching footage of the concert, however, showed that it was a little statelier than it should’ve been for a Rap concert. For a bill that featured rappers performing up-tempo Trap bangers and raucous Drill slappers, the crowd’s reaction was far from rowdy, especially in the front row with V.I.P tables occupied by concertgoers who had nose masks on their faces or affixed to their chins.
In the coming months, live shows are bound to make a full return to their usual format. Effective Covid-19 vaccines are all the rage the moment, and even with a shortage in the amount of doses required to fully immunise African countries, outside is primed to open up fully and so is the frequency of live shows of varying crowd sizes. As exciting as that potential development seems, it begs the question of how audiences will react when they’re able to convene in large numbers in front of their favourite artists. “I’ll probably cry when I get to finally see Nasty C live again,” Lerato, a 24-year old Durban, South Africa resident tells me via text. “I saw him during his last tour, but I just really want to see him perform slaps off that new album and pay attention to him at every second.”
I, too, would love to see Nasty C again. In 2017, he made a cameo at Davido’s headlining concert at Lagos’ Eko Hotels, and for the most part of his set I was texting and doing other stuff on my phone. This was pre-Strings & Blings, the sophomore album that made me (and many other non-South Africans) really lock in and pay rapt attention to the then-budding superstar. From the little I saw that night, and footage of him on stage, Nasty C is the real-life representation of the energizer bunny when he’s performing with a crowd in front of him, a far cry from the composed performer he’s presented himself as during Late Night TV appearances and virtual showcases in the last few months. Seeing the rapper again, at a new height of fame no less, would provide a redemptive avenue to fully embrace the experience of seeing him on stage.
Over the last year, I’ve seen tweets from people promising to maximise the first live concerts they’ll be attending, a sign that many are heavily anticipating the opportunity to scream, dance, rage, and more at post-Covid shows. Even artists are looking forward to performing away from the guiding frame of restrictive measures. It’s an anticipation that might spell a positive uptick in concert culture around these parts, which might mean shows don’t start extremely later than they’re billed, artists don’t threaten the members of audience, and concertgoers live in the moment rather than hold their phones up the entire time.
A few weeks ago, I stumbled into a seemingly impromptu street rap battle in my Lagos neighbourhood, with two rappers trading bars while veins popped out of their necks as they strained their vocal cord to ensure their jabs landed better than the other. In the crowd of about 70 to 100 people that had gathered, I only saw one person with a camera phone out, the rest of us were riveted to the raps as they unfolded, yelling sounds of (dis)approval at each furious or tame lyrical jab. In that moment, I realised how much I’d missed witnessing live music events in the company of an enthusiastic audience, and I’m assuming it was the same for many of these people.
As I walked home, Naira Marley’s O2 Arena cameo popped into my head. I wasn’t there, what I’d witnessed wasn’t anywhere near the magnitude of that frenzied set, but it highlighted to me the memorable thrill of making yourself available to relish the pandemonium, whether big or small, induced by a live event. These new memories will be made right in front our eyes in the near future, we just need to be present because it’s been way too long since many of us truly engaged with music beyond digital channels. It’s about time to go outside and experience the music.
@dennisadepeter is a staff writer at the NATIVE.
ICYMI: THE SIGNIFICANCE OF WIZKID BEING MADE IN LAGOS
Skyla Tylaa Is Taking Off
For the next phase of her career, Skyla Tylaa is actively working on creating music while entertaining with...
As a child growing up in South-east London, Skyla Tylaa had a natural affinity for the arts. Whether it was music or stage performances, she found herself exploring these interests intently from a young age. That devotion manifested in multiple ways – her attending the BRIT School and Sylvia Young Theatre School where she performed in a West End production of Annie or her fiddling with several musical instruments while she figured out her creative identity. Through it all, music was a constant, the backdrop to her home life where she grew up between Jamaican and English influences. She remembers being exposed to Drum & Bass, Funky House, and Garage. “I think that’s had a big influence in my DJ career,” Skyla Tylaa admits.
Progressing into adulthood, those musical influences persisted even if she didn’t always engage with them professionally. Things changed when she started DJ-ing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Possessed by a visceral desire to experience the euphoria of interacting with people through music, she burrowed deeper into DJ-ing. “I couldn’t be in my room and just have people commenting,” she recalls. “I need to see people’s energy, and feel everything in the moment.”
Since then, she’s enjoyed a meteoric rise that has taken the world by storm. Mentored by DJ Tunez, she performed multiple times on the American leg of Wizkid’s ‘Made In Lagos’ tour and came out of the experience raring to go. “Opening for Wizkid on his tour was a transformative experience,” she says. “It taught me a lot about resilience and adaptability in my craft. I was still pretty much a start-up DJ when I went on tour and it made me really realise how important it is to connect with the audience. Touring from city to city with different crowds, it helped me to learn how to read the room and keep the vibe going.”
Almost as importantly for Skyla Tylaa, Rihanna was present at one of those tour stops and was impressed by her set, stopping by after the show to congratulate her. “After that I felt like I could conquer the world,” she says. Since then, she’s been selected by Rihanna to DJ at a Fenty X Puma Creeper launch event in London in 2024, marking a full-circle moment between the women.
Like Rihanna, Skyla Tylaa is inspired by music from the breadth of the Black diaspora, playing sets that take as much influence from the fervid restlessness of Hip-hop as they do the wavy melodies of House music, and the dancefloor summons of Afrobeats “I love partying! I genuinely love it,” she explains. “When preparing my sets, I’m always thinking of people having a good time. Whatever I can do to connect with them, I’m down to do it!”
In the last few years, few genres have shown the propensity for inspiring a great time with the regularity that Amapiano does. From Johannesburg to Windhoek, to Lagos, London, and New York, the log drums and mutating basslines of the genre have proven integral to a new Pop framework that is as amorphous as it is exhilarating. Since first hearing the genre while on a visit to Ghana years ago, Skyla Tylaa has been hooked. “It was the log drum, the sound, just the vibes that came with it,” she says. “I was like ‘wait – what is this?’ When you hear Amapiano, it’s one of those sounds that no matter what, you’re gonna dance.”
Diving into the genre, she’s picked up valuable lessons from important figures like Maphorisa, Uncle Vinny and Major League DJz while putting her youthful spin on the sound. It’s all coming together for the DJ who’s working with her sister, music heavyweight Jada Pollock, to figure it all out one step at a time. “When I found my passion for DJing, Jada was right there, urging me to dive into the ‘Made in Lagos’ tour,” she says. “I wasn’t sure I was ready, but she believed in me and knew I could handle it. My love for music has been with me since school; it just took some time for me to realize that this was the direction I wanted to pursue. Once I found my calling, her support became endless–she attended my early gigs and pushed me to perform at major festivals like Afro Nation.”
She’s since performed at leading festivals such as Wireless, Piano People and Australia’s Promiseland as well as selling out headline shows across London, London, and Ghana. For the next phase of her career, she’s actively working on creating music. This month, she released her debut single, “Bombshell,” a searing Amapiano banger that has all the hallmarks of a potential summer hit. “Bombshell” features Tanzanian Bongo Flava act, Diamond Platnumz, as well as South African acts, Tyler ICU, Khalil Harrison, and DJ Exit. It’s a blockbuster showing that sits well in the tradition of the genre. “The idea was initially played to me by Tyler ICU in March 2024,” Skyla Tylaa says. “He and I had a session while he was in London, and this was one of the ideas we worked on. Khalil was already on it, at the time, and I loved what I heard!”
After seeding it into her live sets last summer and starting live teasers with a dance challenge, Diamond Platnumz reached out about potentially working on the song and it was arranged. “I started teasing the new version of the song in my sets and then a whole new viral dance challenge came about online in December,” she says. “From that point, I knew the track had all the elements (features included) to be a big release in 2025 !” For DJ Exit, a chance to be part of a transformative song like “Bombshell” was an opportunity he didn’t want to pass up. “What drew me to this single was the chance to be part of something boundary-breaking,” he explains. “Gqom and Amapiano are both powerful in their own right, but fusing the raw, percussive energy of Gqom with the soulful, hypnotic swing of Amapiano creates a sound the world hasn’t fully experienced yet. This isn’t just another collaboration–it’s a cultural statement.”
The Xhosa word, ‘basazomangala,’ meaning ‘to be shocked,’ is uttered several times on “Bombshell,” and it reflects the message that Harrison was trying to pass on the track. ““Bombshell” is really about letting people know that there’s still so much more to come from me,” he says. “It’s a celebration of the present moment, but also a reminder that this is just the beginning. We’re all dancing to what’s happening now, but there’s an energy in the air that says the best is yet to come.”
In light of Amapiano’s rise to global prominence and the international acclaim it enjoys, Harrison is right about more things being on the horizon, and Skyla Tylaa agrees with him: “When I was introduced to Amapiano, I fell in love instantly and that time it was just on the verge of global appeal. It’s global now and still growing and that makes me appreciate it even more! I love it, and the world loves it! The feeling is mutual ! We can all enjoy it together!”
For Tyler ICU, having DJs from the diaspora like Skyla Tylaa engage with Amapiano and its culture is a win for the genre. “This shows the power of the genre–it’s not just a sound, it’s a movement,” he says. “When someone like Skyla, who appreciates the culture and brings her own flavour, plays Amapiano in places like London, New York or Toronto, she’s not just playing music, she’s building bridges. That’s how we grow–by letting the world feel it in their own way, but staying true to where it started. It’s important that the roots are respected, but the branches can reach far.”
Just a couple of weeks since its release, “Bombshell” has crossed over 650,000 thousand views on YouTube and continues to be a sensation on TikTok. Like everything Skyla Tylaa has done up till now in her career, it’s shaping up perfectly and has shown that she has a knack for the right collaborations. She intends to keep making music. “This year, my focus is all about music,” she says. “I recently signed with Robots and Humans (Sony) in the UK and Epic in the US, which has given me a different level of drive to really want to create good music. I’m also looking forward to exploring the Afro-house genre and collaborating with other talented artists.”
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What OdumoduBlvck’s Greatest School Tour Could Mean For Touring In Nigeria
The rapper’s decision to embark on a local university tour of this nature could go on to become a...
There’s no denying that OdumoduBlvck’s 2023 mixtape ‘Eziokwu’ established his musical genius. While the half dozen projects that preceded ‘Eziokwu’ almost served as target practice, largely showcasing the early iterations of Okporoko music – his unique melodious rap fusion – it was his major label debut that truly grounded the rapper in Nigeria’s rich Hip-Hop lineage. The album’s far-reaching success culminated in a historic joint tour with fellow 2023 breakout star Shallipopi, which saw the two share the stage across 9 cities in the United States. Similarly, riding the high of his latest mixtape, ‘The Machine Is Coming,’ the Anti-World Gangstar head huncho recently announced a new tour. This time, however, instead of taking his new collection of infectious bangers to stages abroad, the rapper decided to visit different universities across the country for what he calls the ‘Greatest School Tour Ever.’
Touring in Nigeria is a subject that has become somewhat controversial over the last few years, splitting opinions amongst many fans, industry experts, and artists themselves. Back in the mid-2000s to early 2010s, local touring was very much the norm. Platforms like Star Music’s ‘The Trek,’ as well as a few prominent local promoters, enabled some of the biggest names like 2face, Olamide, and M.I to hold annual nationwide tours. These tours included stops in cities like Warri, Makurdi, Owerri and many other places that artists are less likely to visit today. University tours were also popular as they presented an avenue for these artists to connect with their younger audience, who mostly served as the bedrock of their fan base.
The rise of digital streaming platforms, which has partly informed the industry’s rapid evolution over the past decade, coupled with other economic and infrastructural issues, has, however, forced a sharp decline in local touring, making it an almost altruistic endeavour in today’s Nigeria. Afropop gaining global exposure meant that the international market immediately became more viable and lucrative to our biggest stars, and this reshaped their priorities. The extensive, multi-city shows became reserved for diaspora fans, while the local audience, in most cases, are treated to a solitary annual show.
OdumoduBlvck looks to buck this trend with the ‘Greatest School Tour Ever,’ prioritizing his primary audience before tending to those abroad. In truth, the Lagos-born rapper is not the only one who has embarked on this type of tour in recent times. A couple of years ago, UK-based rapper Kida Kudz and Ckay also went on similar campus tours, with the latter making stops at 10 different universities across the country. Llona, one of the breakout stars from last year, is also currently on a nationwide tour coming off the success of his impressive debut album ‘Homeless.’ The ‘Greatest School Tour Ever,’ is however, peculiar and momentous because of its timing and OdumoduBlvck’s standing as one of the biggest names around.
At the recent 17th Headies Awards, the rapper became the latest recipient of the Next Rated award, a highly coveted plaque that’s historically reserved for standout acts whose music defines the zeitgeist at a given period. He received the award just two days after he gave an electrifying performance at Afe Babalola University. His latest mixtape, ‘The Machine Is Coming,’ a precursor to his highly anticipated forthcoming debut, currently sits at the No. 2 spot on the Turntable Top 50 Album charts. It is unheard of in recent times: that the Headies Next Rated act, who has one of the top projects in the country, is on a local university tour. The Abuja-native has, however, shown on numerous occasions that he has never really been one to abide by existing standards. The famous opening lines from his breakout single “Declan Rice” (I can do without their Policy I Know), did not only serve as a message to gatekeepers and naysayers but also as a manifesto that declared his mode of operation going forward.
At the time of this writing, the rapper has only made two stops on his ongoing tour, but his decision to embark on a local tour of this nature already looks to be paying dividends. The first two shows have produced viral clips that capture his star power, the hysteria of his headline shows and his rapidly growing influence, especially amongst younger listeners. The viral clips have already created an increased demand for shows, with many young fans harassing the rapper to add more dates to the tour. With the release of ‘The Machine Is Coming’ and his recent crowning moment at the Headies, it’s safe to assume there’s more attention on him now than ever. While it is, of course, still early days, the rapper’s decision to embark on a local university tour, especially given that he’s currently experiencing a career high, could go on to become a significant moment, one that potentially inspires a shift in the touring landscape in Nigeria.
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NATIVE PREMIERE: Tanika Is Stepping Out On Her Terms With The Kida Kudz-Assisted “FAST FWD”
From working her way out of London’s Myatt’s Field, Tanika is now setting her sights on the bright lights...
Across a career that’s in its second decade, Tanika has proven to be a force in her own right, holding her own on collaborations with Black British stars like Stormzy and Wretch 32, as well as popular record producer Naughty Boy–working with the Grammy-nominated beatmaker on his acclaimed ‘Hotel Cabana’ album.
Following a stint as an actor, she returned to the studio in 2021, releasing a new extended play, ‘333,’ in 2023. The project carried all the hallmarks of Tanika at her tantalising best: lilting cadences, well-paced narratives, a songwriting that reaches for the heart of the matter.
On her latest song, “Fast Fwd,” she’s growing into her own and stepping into a new era. In many ways, “Fast Fwd,” a hypnotic, sultry anthem, is landing just in time for summer revelry. Produced by her longtime collaborator, Naughty Boy, her silky vocals land effortlessly on the mid-tempo instrumental and pulsates with her desire for her love interest.
Joined on the song by her fiancé, Kida Kudz, they make an interesting duo and replicate the synergy they had on “Nobody,” off Kudz’s 2021 ‘Top Memba.’ Distinctively marked by use of neon lights, the video for the song captures the effervescence of romance that Tanika hums about throughout the song.
From working her way out of London’s Myatt’s Field to becoming a star with millions of streams, Tanika is now setting her sights on the bright lights of superstardom. Ahead of the official release of the single, we had a brief chat with Tanika about her career, the influences for “Fast Fwd,” and working with KIda Kudz on it.
Her answers, which follow below, have been lightly edited for clarity.
How would you describe where you are in your career right now?
I’m just enjoying the journey.
What does the release of “Fast Fwd” signify for you?
It signifies love.
Why is Kida Kudz a fit for the song? (
To be honest, we didn’t plan to do another song together. I have worked on two records with him before (“Nobody” and “Tasty Time” ) but we never thought to shoot a video for it.. “Fast Fwd” felt like a real testimony of our present moment in the relationship.
You’ve worked extensively with Naughty Boy and he’s helped with “Fast Fwd,” what’s your relationship like and why does it work?
Naughty Boy knows me very well. We’ve known one another for over 10 years, so he knows what fits me musically. We gel. I think him knowing me and being a fan of Kida’s music made it all work. Naughty Boy does his listening before he makes a beat for you. A lot of producers don’t really understand the importance of knowing the artist musically but he does.
What were you aiming for with the video?
To be honest, I’m aiming for nothing. I’m just enjoying the journey. It’s been a very long road and I know I still have a long way to go.
Catch an exclusive view of “Fast Fwd” below.
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