Now into its 10th anniversary, Art X Live! remains one of the most powerful stages for rising musicians looking to test out their live performance skills and introduce themselves to an engaged audience. 2026 is not going to be an exception. This year, eight musicians are taking to the stage in a furtherance of Att X!’s goal to close the distance between art and music. Between EKENE, Solana, Kunmie, Lodu, LULU., Taves, Nora, and WEAREALLCHEMICALS, the full breadth of Nigeria’s musical pool is being representred. 

Ahead of the live show on Saturday, we put together a guide on all the performers and what you should know about them. 

EKENE

For Fans Of: Frank Ocean, Odunsi (The Engine), and Braye The Badger

EKENE’s voice is unmistakably unique. One of his most striking qualities, and one that suggests his career is built to endure and outlive the moment, is his dedication to his craft, evident the instant you press play on any of his records. He sings with the confidence of an artist exploring every layer of self he’s ever known, while understanding how deeply people long to feel seen. So he surrenders his emotions for others to find solace in them. At least, that is the lasting impression left by his debut project, ‘Little Us.’ 

Before arriving at this project, which has received acclaim for its heartrending emotionality, the 24-year-old artist spent years sharing his music on Instagram, gradually building a loyal fanbase that constantly urged him to make his songs available on streaming platforms. Then in November 2025, he officially released “Plead Guilty” on Spotify.  Six months later, he followed it with “Red Benz,” before releasing “Lullaby” and “Relations” with R&B artist Braye. 

Together, the songs became part of the larger world he was constructing for ‘Little Us.’ Using the EP as a diary of sorts, he explored the searing pain of grieving someone who is still alive on “Lullaby,” imagined an idyllic romance with a hypothetical love interest on “Red Benz,” stretching as many other emotions as possible on a total of seven tracks for an emotive twenty-one-minute runtime. EKENE’s career may just be starting, but the quality of his work already confirms he is one of the emerging voices poised to expand the possibilities of what R&B and Soul can sound like through impeccable songwriting and singing skills.

Taves

For Fans Of: BNXN, Boj, and Daniel Ceasar. 

Nigeria doesn’t have many acts who fit the traditional Pop/R&B heartthrob imagery, but Taves makes a convincing case for himself. Between his smooth, honeyed vocals, emotionally-attuned songwriting, and boyish charm, he’s steadily carved out a place as one of the country’s more exciting young voices. A couple of his earliest singles, like “Eleyele” and “Folake,” established his knack for crafting catchy records that balance Pop sensibilities with an R&B edge. 

He’s built on that foundation since then, refining his sound and exploring different shades of love, youthful angst, and vulnerability on subsequent drops like ‘W2Y’ and the recently released ‘Popstar – Side A,’ while retaining the easygoing appeal that first drew listeners in. His appeal extends beyond the music, too. On stage, he channels the same easygoing charisma and charm that run through much of his catalogue. Recent performances at Show Dem Camp’s New York show and Atlanta’s Time Of Our Lives further demonstrate his ability to connect with audiences beyond the confines of his recorded music, making him an increasingly compelling presence on the live circuit.

Kunmie

For Fans Of: 2Baba, Omah Lay, and Adekunle Gold.

It’s not very often that an artist makes a big impression with their debut official single. More often than not, an artist’s breakout moment comes after a string of singles or projects that trace their evolution and highlight their growth. Kunmie, however, bucked that trend, joining the ranks of acts like Rema and Asa, who similarly made an immediate impression with their debut releases. He arrived with his breakout single, “Arike,” which quickly established his presence and set the tone for what was to come.

Since the success of “Arike,” the singer has continued to fine-tune his smooth blend of Afropop, R&B and Folk music, developing a sound that balances contemporary pop sensibilities with more soulful, organic influences. That growth is evident on his 2025 4-track EP ‘Before We Became Strangers’ and, more recently, his debut album, ‘22,’ an introspective body of work that explores his faith, self-discovery, and dealing with the weighty expectations that have followed the success of “Arike.”

Since the release of the album, he’s taken some of its standout tracks onstage, bringing the project’s introspective songwriting and soulful arrangements to life for audiences. An extensive performance at Jamm Sessions by FannDrop about a month ago offers a closer look at his strengths as a live performer, particularly his ability to translate the intimacy of his recorded music to the stage.

LULU.

For Fans Of: Seal, Lauryn Hill, and Tems.

Raised in a household where gospel and high praise music were commonplace, British-Nigerian singer and songwriter, LULU., emerged as a multifaceted performer masterfully merging R&B, Soul, and Afrobeats.  She credits her father’s influence, as well as the church, for her bond with rhythm from a young age. During the 2020 lockdown, she followed through on a suggestion given to her about going into songwriting, a decision that would eventually birth her 2023 single “Save Me,” which introduced her to her own audience and paved the way for her ever-growing music catalogue. 

In 2024, LULU. released her first EP, ‘Dear Disorientated Soul,’ an eight-track body of work that captures a range of emotions, particularly the existential crisis that comes with navigating adulthood as a young woman and the loneliness that lurks in the process. Through songs like “Home,” “Let Go,” and the Joy-assisted “Yesterdays,” she captures a grand picture of the human experience and highlights the shared somberness that sometimes accompanies the evolution of self. Her faith-based influences, evidenced in the scriptural references she subtly sprinkles into her melodies, remain sharp across her discography and continue to serve as a directory for the musical world she’s curating.

Nora

For Fans Of: Tems, Asa, and Adele. 

Nora’s interest in music kicked off as early as the age of 7, with some influence from her church and encouragement from her parents. Born Chidiebere Felicia Anyiam-Osigwe, her professional career started to take shape in 2019, when she performed at the Eko Hotel Tropical Christmas Wonderland at the age of 17, and her talent was recognized by one of the judges. Ever since, Nora has collaborated with artists such as Tim Lyre on “OMD,” a track on his 2025 album, ‘SPIRAL,’ and Roheni and Aylø on the soulful song, “July.” 

Early this year, the artist released another single, “CHIDI’S HEARTBREAK,” acknowledging a love that once was before betrayal and lies stripped it of its dreamy goodness.  Her latest work, ‘for lovers and liars,’ a six-track solo EP, expands the idea with a broader exploration of the different facets of love, from its often tingly sensation to the bitter aftertaste it can linger when it goes wrong. Drawing inspiration from an array of artists, including Tems, Sade, Michael Jackson, and ABBA, Nora also aspires to be adept at her craft and has expressed a candid interest in learning music production in a quest to make songs that feel more personal and strengthen her skills. 

Solana

For Fans Of: Kah-Lo, Tiwa Savage, and  SZA. 

Solana is having an interesting year. The Lagos-born singer has spent 2026 putting out music that gives a clearer picture of the artist she’s becoming, making a case for herself as one of the more interesting new voices in Nigerian Pop. She first caught attention with releases like “Far Away” and “Badder,” featuring Victony, but it was 2026’s “Okunkun” that really put her on mainstream radars. Produced by Killertunes, the single draws on Yoruba language and musical traditions, bringing them together with Alt-R&B and Synth-Pop to create a sound she’s dubbed YoruPop. 

The song has since helped bring attention to a growing interest among young Nigerian artists in incorporating indigenous languages into contemporary Pop. Solana has followed it with “Dide” and the warmer “O Ri Mi”, two releases that offer a better sense of her musical range. Drawing from influences that include King Sunny Adé, Ebenezer Obey, Rihanna and Nicki Minaj, Solana has a fairly wide musical vocabulary to work with. She has wholly embraced the YoruPop description while continuing to experiment with her sound, finding different ways to bring her cultural influences into Pop music. With more music on the way, including her ‘Girl From The West’ EP, her appearance at ART X Live! 2026 offers another opportunity to see where she’s taking things.

WEAREALLCHEMICALS

For Fans Of: Aniko, Black Coffee, and Peggy Gou.

There are quite a few things Blessing Ewona gets up to outside of DJing. She’s a skateboarder, model, community builder, and founder of DENCITY, a collective creating more room for women in Nigeria’s skating community. Over the last few years, however, it’s her work behind the decks as WEAREALLCHEMICALS that has brought her into the conversation around Lagos’ growing Electronic music scene. Her sets are particularly interesting for their relationship with South African club music, especially Gqom.

Originally from Cross River State, Blessing Ewona moved to Lagos in 2019 to pursue modelling. Music had been part of her life long before then. Growing up, she wrote songs for her older brother’s Rap group, while her interest in Electronic music developed through exploring different sounds. She eventually found her way into DJing after spending time around Lagos’ rave community, first assisting Afro House DJ Babus in 2020. Her first public set came at the inaugural Group Therapy party in August 2023, after Aniko encouraged her to play.

This year, she’s had more opportunities to take her sound beyond Lagos. In June, she joined Azzi On The Beat for a Resident Advisor Mix of the Day, recorded on the Lagos waterfront and dedicated to exploring the different shades of Mara. She also curated the second edition of Sidequests, a Group Therapy offshoot, bringing her musical interests into the night’s programming. Her international appearances have included a UK debut at Group Therapy London and a trip to Brazil, where she performed at an arts exhibition.

Lodù

For Fans Of: Waje, Lady Donli, and Shekhinah. 

Nobody loves quite like Lodù. Via her very own label Émilie Records, she has made a name for herself by baring her heart to an assortment of lovers through honeyed Afrosoul. While her career began in 2024, most first caught wind of her gift through 2025’s “Ìfẹ́mi,” a Samba-laced number with an earworm of a chorus. Since then, she has remained versatile but forever driven by matters of the heart: “Olówó Orími” sounds like the soundtrack to a marriage proposal, “Moróuntódùn” could ignite a dancefloor, but both are odes to a lucky love interest. With cosigns from Spotify, Apple Music, and Tems–alongside her recently released debut EP Wine & Honey–Lodù is on track to claim 2026 as hers.