Kizz Daniel is regarded as one of the best writers in Nigeria, thanks to his discography of hit songs and lyricism that’s not common in Afrobeats.
Among contemporaries, Kizz Daniel has set himself out as a certified hitmaker — from his earlier work at G-World Wide to his latest singles Rich Till I Die and Cough remix, which just got a Latino touch from Becky G. Kizz Daniel has been at this for long, it’s unsurprising how often he scores hits. His smash hit Buga was the most googled song in Nigeria in the first half of 2022.
There’s no denying that Kizz Daniel has hit songs that have ruled airwaves, dominated clubs, streets, playlists and even turned our parents into happening babes.
After paying close attention to Kizz who has hacked the process of making hit songs, we present to you some gems that’ll help you deliver top singles like the man.
Writing a hit track that’ll bang like a Kizz Daniel song starts with telling stories everyone can relate to. That’s the first step.
You need to figure out how to provoke visual imagery with your lyrics. But beyond that, can your song be so good that 50 year-olds make it their ringtones and go “lo lo lo” anytime the beat drops?
Take for example, his 2016 hit single Jombo, which appeared on his New Era album. Jombo tells the story of an inter-tribal relationship — a typical Nigerian love story that hardly works out due to parents’ disapproval fueled by tribalism. It even gets messier when pregnancy is involved, as depicted and seen in the music video.
Buga and Rich Till I Die are other classic examples of relatable songs. Buga admonishes listeners to chop life and flex on haters. They worked so hard for their money, after all.
Rich Till I Die on the other hand is a reassuring song that reminds people to believe that no matter the problem — expensive fuel prices or high cost of living — poverty won’t come near them.
Another point you should note is that Kizz loves repetition in his songs. If he’s not trying to imprint the song title into your subconscious, he’s pushing unforgettable one-liners.
Did you hear how many times he repeated “jah-o” in Jaho, calling on Jah (God) to lift him up. Also on Buga, “let me see you go lo, lo, lo, lo” was repeated over sixteen times.
Repetition lays emphasis, because tbh, if you don’t say things over and over, no one might take you seriously.
Is it getting clearer?
Lastly, to spice up the hit song you’re cooking, be funny. If you aren’t sure what this means, pay close attention to Kizz Daniel’s Jombo. In the song, he hilariously describes his lover’s difficult parents as black belt holders and karate fighters — a sharp comparison to their disciplinarian attitude. It might help to dig the internet to unearth his comedy videos during his stint as a skitmaker around 2017.
If you try out all these tips and they don’t work, wait for his new album, Maverick, to come out 28th July, 2023. Maybe there will be something new there for you.
