Have you ever heard a song and gone “This shit slaps hard, how is everyone not listening to this?”. Me too.
2020 was a huge year for music in Nigeria with breakout stars like Omah Lay and Bella Shmurda making the headlines as newcomers. We had a lot of really good albums as well; Wizkid, Burna Boy, Fireboy, Olamide and Davido dropped albums this year.
This article, however, is for those albums that didn’t make many of the headlines but were also really really good and deserve to be heard by more people.
1. “Mango Island”- SirBastien
After dropping “Mango” in 2019, SirBastien decided to give us “Mango Island” in 2020. If you’re looking for something super easy to listen to as you drift through your day or just background music for your midnight crying, listen to “Mango Island” here.
2. “The Angel You Don’t Know”- Amaarae
Because we all know how talented Amaarae is, we expected a super album. We were not disappointed. After dropping “The Angel You Don’t Know”, Amaarae spoke to us about her life growing up and what inspired her music in this What She Said episode. Listen to the album here.
3. “The Cost of Our Lives”- Ignis Brothers
The first thing I thought when I listened to this album was “We need more Nigerians making music like this.” I don’t know what I enjoy more about this album; the writing or the delivery. If you’re looking for an album that has great music all through, listen to “The Cost of Our Lives” here.
4. “Bond” – Kemena
This album makes me feel nostalgic for something I’ve not even personally experienced. Kemena is one of the artists I’m happy to have discovered this year. One thing I also love about this album is the range of sounds it has on offer while remaining consistently good. Listen to it here.
5. “Celia” – Tiwa Savage
This album didn’t get the attention that it should have, so we’re telling you once again, listen to “Celia”.
