Top Nigerian Artists To Watch Out For In 2023

The Afrobeats genre continued to grow in America, Europe, and the world at large. Last year was a fantastic year for Nigerian music, new milestones were unlocked and old ones were shattered.

We saw Rema’s “Calm Down” hit over 300 million views on a single music video on YouTube in just about 10 months. Burna Boy became the first African artiste to sell out the prestigious Madison Square Garden (MSG), in New York.

Davido performed at the World Cup closing ceremony with millions of people watching at once. The above-mentioned Nigerian musicians have proven their mettle in the Nigerian music space.

The Nigerian music industry is now more competitive than it has ever been. 2022, the year of surprises, propaganda, streaming farming, and heartbreaking losses, has passed the torch to 2023.

The artistes mentioned in this list have insane potential to take their careers to the next level. We are rooting for them and also believe they become the next big act everyone would talk about and try to get involved with.

Despite the fact that nothing is guaranteed, we present our Top Nigerian Artists to watch in 2023, in no particular order:

• Ruger

Michael Adebayo Olayinka better known as Ruger is signed to the Nigerian record label Jonzing World and is definitely an artist to watch out for in 2023.

Ruger was fantastic in 2022 and we’re pretty sure that the dancehall singer was just giving us the tip of the iceberg with much more to come in the new year.

To end the year, Ruger dropped two tracks “Red Flags” and “Asiwaju“. The latter has become a de facto anthem last December with the song sitting at number 1 on Apple Music charts for weeks. This year, he promised his fans that he would be dropping his debut album, and we’re excited. Just maybe he would have that Asake run in 2023

And again, just like last year, I’ve got the first number 1 song in the country this year 🤯. Thank you Lord, Thank you my dear streaming fans Mcheeeeeeeewwwww. 2023, we go harder I promise you ❤️

— da Ruger gon screw u🔫🏴‍☠️♎️ (@rugerofficial) January 1, 2023

• Mohbad

After his feud with his former record label boss, the defunct Marlian music artist has gathered some buzz.

Shortly after departing, he dropped a diss track “Tiff” targeted at his former label boss Naira Marley. No doubt Mohbad is a talented singer, with label issues out of the way we are hoping that he would shine brighter this new year.

He is now on his way to the pinnacle of his career, with many people watching to see what he will do next and how much he can accomplish without the influence of his ‘wicked’ former boss, as he has dubbed him.

They say clout is never a bad thing, and he has plenty of it right now. Hopefully, in 2023, he will make the most of it.

• Victony

This Nigerian musician has one of the most amazing stories to tell. 2022 was the year that Victony hit those big numbers he has been dreaming of.

Somewhere in the middle of 2022, Victony dropped his “Outlaw” EP which had some amazing tracks. For the rest of the year, different songs on the extended play blew up.

The slender singer embarked on a tour of Nigerian universities and also performed outside of Nigeria to his burgeoning fans. He ended the year with a Lagos concert for his fans. We are betting on Victony to get even bigger in 2023 as we look forward to his debut album.

• Guchi

Guchi is the first female music act on our list. The beautiful singer has had a graceful journey and organic growth so far and we’re excited about the bigger things she can achieve in the new year.

Meanwhile, last year she dropped an impressive body of work the “Purple Diary” extended play. She has what it takes to reach higher heights and we are rooting for her this year.

• Fave

Nigerian singer GodsFavour Chidozie better known as Fave had a bigger audience last year and her growth is quite enviable. She dropped a solid EP “Riddim 5”  in the past year with hit songs like “Baby Riddim“, “Obsessed“, and “S.M.K“.

Fave has achieved all she is now as an independent artiste which is quite laudable. It would be no surprise to see her career take off like that of Tems and it all begins with one great song. Fave has the talent to get to the pick as a female artiste and we hope that 2023 is that year.

• T Dollar

T Dollar is a Nigerian Afrobeat singer who piqued our interest in 2022 with his single ‘Rise,’ which quickly became one of our anthems.

With a little push, deliberate collaborations, and affiliation with an experienced team, T. Dollar could be the next Asake. He has everything he requires.

• Boy Spyce

Boy Spyce of Mavin Records is one of the few voices that has what it takes to end 2023 as a global star.

He possesses all of the necessary elements, including finance, team, sound, and brand.

His unreleased song ‘So Bad’ is already gaining traction and could be his first hit in the new year.

• Crayon

Charles Chibueze better known as Crayon saw his dry spell turn around real quick last year. He had a stellar verse and hook on Mavin’s track “Overdose“.

The track is definitely a contender for song of the year for 2022. He struck again with his solo track “Ijo Laba Laba” produced by Sarz. Crayon was once again very impressive on the track that has grossed millions of streams on different DSPs.

Crayon is aware and grateful for reaching those milestones in the past year and has promised fans more hits from his bank of songs in 2023.

Other worthy mentions are Zinoleesky, Pheelz, Bayanni, Lade, T.I Blaze, Bryann who are also amazing as individual artists. We’re excited at the potential they all have and how much they can take their game to the next level.