SEVEN WOMEN AFROBEATS ARTISTS AND THEIR ICONIC MOMENTS

This account has always been a stan of women, and it’s even more important that on a week like this, we celebrate the achievements of Nigerian women smashing it in music. They are defying all the odds life is throwing at them, working twice as hard, and they deserve all their flowers.

While obvious structural barriers that oppress women still exist and remain very strong in the Nigerian music industry, we cannot deny the little progress that has been made in the last couple of years.

Here are iconic moments created by seven Nigerian women in Afrobeats, and how they keep shaping the landscape and rejecting stereotypes:

1. DJ SWITCH: DJ Switch will forever remain an icon and household name in Nigeria. A woman brave enough to expose the atrocities and massacre the Nigerian government carried out on its citizens. On the 20th of October, 2020, the Nigerian government opened fire on its citizens, and DJ Switch stood firm in the face of great danger, made an Instagram Live video, and provided photographic evidence of the massacre. DJ Switch had to run for her life and sought asylum in a faraway country. If this isn’t iconic, I don’t know what is.

2. TIWA SAVAGE: Tiwa Savage has always been iconic, and I think one way of measuring iconism in Nigeria is if the older folks condemn you. It’s like getting a great haircut or wearing a hot dress and your parents complain. You just know you look good af. Tiwa Savage has had Nigerian parents in a chokehold right from the days of her popular music video; Wanted, but that’s by the way. Tiwa Savage is a strong, formidable force that has conquered every battle in her way, and continues to emerge on top, every time. One of her top moments for me, was her ending her marriage to a man that was cheating and stealing from her. He stole most of what she had, and she hit rock bottom. Today, she’s one of the biggest artists on the continent.

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In Nigerian culture, women and sex in the same sentence is seen as shameful. Being a woman in Nigeria means society already holds us to a higher moral and emotional standard that men are mostly not held to, especially when it comes to sex, forgetting that it takes two to tango. When Tiwa Savage’s sex tape came out, this woman addressed the situation head-on and made a song about it. Na who never fuck, hands in the air. No hands?

3. TEMS :Tems refusing to let Wizkid carry her on stage: During Wizkid’s three-day show at the 02 Arena in 2021, he tried to carry Tems on stage and it was written all over her countenance how uncomfortable she was. As women, we are taught to adjust, to hide our feelings of disgust and to pretend like we’re comfortable with others’ bullshsit. I’m glad she rejected this stereotype in front of the world, instead of pretending to be comfortable to soothe a man’s ego, and mostly importantly, the world’s ego.

4. AYRA STARR: Ayra Starr has got tons of funny, sweet moments but the one that appeals to me the most is a line from her song with Zinoleesky; Many Roads. Ayra Starr said “small yansh, no breasts and so?” It’s funny and valid because in the society we live in, having big boobs and bum are the utmost standard of beauty and once you don’t have them you’re a laughing stock and receiving sinister shades from useless hypemen, catcallers and even your family members. Ayra Starr is saying “I might have a small yansh but my bag is bigger”. Even if your bag is small like mine, you shouldn’t be made to conform to useless beauty standards because whether or not we meet these standards, we all still get objectified and sexualised. Maybe we should focus on the real issue here; the male gaze and objectification.

5. ASA : Asa is one of a kind. She’s brilliant, graceful and iconic. On top of that, she’s never had her heart broken. She’s just like me and my homegirls fr.

6. NINIOLA: Niniola has always been an all-around badass. She makes great music, shakes her fine bum-bum and minds her business. There’s no specific moment I’m pointing towards, but she needs to get her flowers, not just as a great artist, but as the queen of Afro-Piano/ Afro House.

7. SIMI: Simi is a beautiful singer, always has been, and always will be. But we don’t give her flowers enough. Remember the Twitter tussle Simi and Naira Marley had in 2019 about Yahoo boys and whatnot? It led to Naira Marley releasing Am I a Yahoo Boy, which was the beginning of the Marlian era. Am I a Yahoo Boy was an instant hit, and we should thank Simi for it, purr.

Nigerian women in every sphere are rejecting femininity as it has been constructed for us and giving it an entirely new meaning. Belated happy International Women’s Day to my sweet women. You’re loved, seen and heard.