It's the end of another stellar year for Nigerian music, with many young acts dominating the world with some of their hits. Nigerian music keeps on reaching insane heights that sometimes I wonder if these artists consider their Nigerian audience anymore when putting out music. Asake blew up this year with his fuji-influenced style, which is very good for us because it shows we do not have to pander to the US or any other countries for them to rock with us. They have no choice. But with the advent of TikTok and its surreal algorithm miracles, I no longer feel close to the music. I feel disconnected from Nigerian music these days, with almost all the acts except Show Dem Camp.
It's groundbreaking what they've achieved while staying true to themselves. They've taken their time to build a network of loyal listeners who will rock with them till the second coming of Jesus. Their so-called palm wine sound is original it tastes like Palmwine. It's a sound laced with all the cool things about being Nigerian and how they infuse the reality of the daily Nigerian youth's struggles in their music with such ease and creativity. With their music, you feel a sense of belonging; you're part of a tribe, a culture. It's beyond any connection I've ever felt with anyone's music.
One of the most beautiful experiences this year is attending Palmwine Fest. Oh! What a night that was. I'll be sharing some shots at the end of this newsletter.
I'll review my Top 5 songs from their most recent album Palmwine Music 3, because it's one of my best albums out of NG this year, and I have a lot to say about it. Follow me.
Apollo ft. Tay Iwar:
Tay Iwar on hooks has never missed, and he delivered on this again with aplomb. He opened the song with his chorus, and Tec followed up with a strong verse. The song describes how he typically gets heartbroken and plans to be all cold-hearted until a baddie comes, and he starts to fall again. Tec and Ghost both had strong verses.
A near-perfect song.
WYW ft. Bellah
A few new names came in this album with their A-game on hooks, but Bellah takes the cake for me. From cursing your boyfriend from wanting to call off the relationship because it wasn't working to admitting that you've also not been honest, it captures the selfishness sometimes displayed by women in relationships. The song puts pictures in your head, and that's why it's so good.
Old flame ft. Nesta & Ladipoe
For a while, this was my favourite song off the album. But I outgrew it when I got over the teeny-weeny breakfast they served me. It's not like the song helped at the time because it's about patching things up with an ex. It did, however, provide me comfort at the time. The delusion of wanting to return to the relationship kept me sane at the time, and the song sounded beautiful.
No Regrets ft. Moelogo
I didn't listen to this song for the longest time because of its position on the album, but once I listened, I realised it's one of the most beautiful songs on the album. It's a fitting track to cap the whole album off. This was also the song they closed the concert with. During this performance, I got to shake hands with Tec. It's a reflective song that captures how far they've come. The chorus, as sung by Moelogo gave the song the much-needed deep and introspective tone.
Live Life ft. Tems
This song was a late addition because I was not too fond of it for a long time because I thought it sounded flat, especially Tems' chorus. But seeing Tems perform it on stage gave me a different view and changed my mind. Something about the keys projected the meaning of the title, "Live Life". It makes you want to forget all your worries and exist for the moment.
Notable mentions: Head over Heels ft. Victony, Kele ft. BOJ, and Feel Something ft. Tim Lyre.
Summary: A great album overall, although Palmwine Express remains my favourite. It is still my best album of 2022 after The Guy. It would have made it to the top of my list if it had been released earlier in the year.
Here are some shots from Palmwine Fest.