Nigerian musicians on the rise that have been nominated for the ‘Next Rated Artists of the 15th Headies Award Africa’ in 2022.

BNXN (previously known as Buju), Ayra Starr, Ruger, Lojay, and Zinoleesky are among the Nigerian musicians nominated for the next ranked headies award.

The Headies, Nigeria’s much-anticipated music awards ceremony, will take place in the United States of America on Saturday, July 2, 2022.

The show’s creator, Ayo Animashaun, stated this during The Headies Big Announcement, which aired on HipTV on Tuesday.

The evening, which will be hosted by actress Nancy Isime, will feature performances by Kaffy, a dancer, and Goya Menor, a singer.

Notably, the award event, which is typically hosted in Lagos, will be held for the first time outside of Nigeria’s borders.

The COBB Energy Performing Arts Center in Atlanta, Georgia, will host the 2022 edition.

The winner of the prestigious Next Rated category would also receive a brand new Bently SUV, according to the announcement.

In this post, we’ll talk about the young artists that have been nominated for the Headies award in 2022.

BNXN

Daniel Benson, often known as Buju or “Bujutoyourears,” is a Nigerian Afro-fusion singer, songwriter, and record producer who goes by the moniker BNXN (pronounced Benson).

He is noted for his particular musical tone and also appears in the tune Feeling by fellow Nigerian singer Ladipoe.

He was nominated for The Headies 2019’s “Rookie of the Year” category 2019.

He was named revelation of the year at the City People Entertainment Awards in 2020.

He appeared in the commercially successful Nigerian top-charting singles “Feeling” by Ladipoe and “Bling” by Blaqbonez in 2021.

He was featured with Canadian artist Justin Bieber on the deluxe version of Wizkid’s Made In Lagos album on August 27, 2021.

In 2021, his song “Mood,” which he co-wrote with Wizkid, reached number one on the UK Afrobeats Singles Chart.

Wizkid will release the short film “Made In Lagos (The Deluxe)” on December 20, 2021, starring Buju and directed by Kuukua Eshun.

Ayra Starr

Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe, also known as Ayra Star, is a Nigerian singer, composer, and model. Ayra Starr, who was born in Cotonou, began her career in fashion at the age of 16 with Quove Model Management before opting to pursue music.

She shared her first original song on her Instagram profile in December 2019 after covering many songs by prominent singers. This caught the eye of record executive Don Jazzy, and she was signed to Mavin Records as a result.

Ayra Starr rose to prominence in early 2021 with her self-titled first extended play and the popular single “Away.”

The single ‘Away’ lasted two weeks at number four on Nigeria’s TurnTable Top 50 and reached number 17 on Billboard’s Top Thriller Global, paving the door for her debut full-length studio album, 19 & Dangerous, to be released in August 2021.

The album, which is mostly classified as Afropop and R&B, has received positive critical acclaim. In Nigeria, it created two top forty singles.

The lead track, “Bloody Samaritan,” reached number one on the Billboard Top 50 list, making it the first solo song by a female artist to do so.

Starr debuted on Pandora’s Predictions chart, and she was placed second on Billboard’s Next Big Sound chart on August 28, 2021.

Ruger

Ruger is a Nigerian Afrobeat singer and composer who goes by the stage name Michael Adebayo Olayinka.

Ruger sprang to fame in 2021 after signing a record contract with D’Prince, “Jonzing world record” which included a publishing and distribution agreement with Columbia Records and a publishing and distribution deal with Sony Music Entertainment’s U.K. branch.

He released his debut EP, Pandemic, on March 4, 2021.

His song “Bounce,” from the Pandemic EP, became a significant smash, debuting at number 39 on the Top 50 chart.

It debuted at number 20 on the TurnTable End of the Year list the same year.

He released his second EP, The Second Wave, on November 19, 2021, which was led by “Dior,” which reached number 32 on the Top 50 list and number 15 on the UK Afrobeats Singles Chart.

Zinoleesky

Zinoleesky is the stage name of Oniyide Azeez, a Nigerian musician who has recently secured a record deal with Marlian Music.

Zinoleesky was born in Lagos, Nigeria, on November 21, 1995.

He attended Lively Kiddies nursery and primary school in Agege, Lagos, Nigeria, where he began his education.

He went to a boys’ secondary school in Agege, Lagos, Nigeria, after finishing elementary school, where he earned his West African Examination Certificate.

At a young age, Zinoleesky acquired a love for music. He added that after being followed on Instagram by Kizz Daniel Net, his love for music became greater. This was in response to the rap video he posted on Instagram.

Zinoleesky has declined Davido’s offer to join DMW. In December 2019, Naira Marley signed him to Marlian Music.

Along with Mohbad, Cblack, and Fabian Blu, he was signed. On December 31st, 2019, the four performers performed at the Marlian Fest at the Eko Hotel and Suites.

Zinoolesky is a fast-rising Nigerian artist, with a net worth of $400,000 USD and 152 million Naira. Zinoleesky is, without a doubt, a wealthy young man.

Conclusion

The fact that these four Nigerian musicians are graded does not imply that other Nigerian artists aren’t succeeding.

The Headies, formerly known as the Hip Hop World Awards, was founded in 2006 to honor musicians who have made significant contributions to the Nigerian music industry.