For most Nigerian artistes, securing an international record deal is the pinnacle of their careers- and it should be. Deals like that opens the act up to a wider audience and expectedly leads to more financial success.
However for some others, international deals have not been as successful as one would have hope.
Here are five times Nigerian artistes were better off without dealing with international record labels.
Seyi Shay
There are only a handful of female musicians in Nigeria and as a result only a few female Nigerian artistes have been able to bag an international deal. This is why Seyi’s deal with American label, Island Universal Records was such a big deal. Since joining the Island family however, Seyi’s stock has not really risen has one may have expected.
D’Banj
D’Banj’s deal with Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. music is still one of the more iconic international deals any Nigerian artiste has signed. Nigerians were proud of their favourite Mo Hits star for the accomplishment but then went on to be disappointed when the deal did not turn out to be as fruitful.
Brymo
After Brymo’s public and sour split from former record label, Chocolate City, many fans wondered how his career would survive. This is why news of the musician being signed to Tate Music Group in the United States came as a pleasant surprise. However, the deal did not seem to have much of an effect on the artiste’s career, at least not in Nigeria.
B.O.U.Q.U.I.
This female gospel rapper was making a lot of waves at home when she dropped her highly acclaimed hit single, ‘Molejo’. However, we began to hear less and less from her after she signed with Xist Music USA.
Majek Fashek
The story of Majek is legendary.He got signed to Interscope and made major moves- being featured on Late Night with David Letterman. But his career nosedived shortly after and he was eventually dropped by Interscope.