Nigeria: Niniola, Mayorkun nominated for The Future Awards

This year, six acts are up for its music award: Niniola Apata, Folarin Falana, Adekunle Kosoko, Adewale Mayowa Emmanuel, Damini Ogulu and Simisola Bolatito.

Those are the real names of the pop musicians Niniola, Falz, Adekunle Gold, Mayorkun, Burna Boy and Simi. At 31, Niniola is the eldest of the group, while Mayorkun, 25, is the youngest. Falz, Adekunle Gold, Burna Boy and Simi are 28, 30, 27 and 31 respectively.

The short statement accompanying each of the music stars' names mentions their achievements, with Burna Boy’s 2018 album Outside referred to as “what many insiders agree is undisputedly the album of the year” and “his clearest expression of the genre he calls Afrofusion, mashing multiple genres and infusing them with an earnest honesty only Ogulu can conjure”.

Simi is praised for her 2017 album Simisola, which received “critical acclaim after years [of the artist] tweaking her sound to suit her new persona as an independent artist straddling the lines between pop and deeply introspective songwriting”.

Niniola’s streaming figures and other award nominations are mentioned, as well as her becoming the “first female Nigerian artist to cross 1 million monthly listeners on Spotify”.

Falz’s controversial song ‘This Is Nigeria’ “got the world talking” and the artist is said to be among a “few musicians who can attempt this level of activism and get away with it”.

Adekunle Gold’s album About 30 is “still dominating conversations about music on the continent and has allowed Gold to tour the continent and the world, selling out theatres in the UK and bringing his unique sounds like a bridge to connect the diaspora to the culture back home”.

Mayorkun’s debut album The Mayor Of Lagos is said to show “the range of growth since his debut single [‘Eleko’] and his ambitions to become the most popular musician to [find footing] in the centre of excellence [Lagos]”.

For more information on the 2018 list of The Future Awards music nominees, see here.