Nigeria has a voluminous and varied cultural heritage. Music is a particularly well-known feature of Nigerian culture. Nigerian music encompasses a wide range, from contemporary pop to traditional folk music. We’ll examine the history of the many genres of music that are popular in Nigeria in this blog article.

Folk Music

Nigerians prefer traditional folk music the most. Usually, traditional instruments like the talking drum, udu, and shekere are used to perform this genre of music.

Folk songs frequently discuss commonplace occurrences and subjects including love, war, agriculture, and religion. Nigerian folk songs like “Igbo Ijo” by Fela Kuti and “Onyeoma” by Sunny Neji are among the most well-known in the world.

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Pop Songs

Modern pop music is another genre that is well-liked in Nigeria. Hip-hop, R&B, and soul are a few examples of Western musical genres that have had a significant impact on this one.

Pop songs frequently address social and political problems and are typically sung in English or Pidgin English. The most well-known Nigerian pop songs include “Duro” by Tekno, “One More Night” by Mavins, and “Feeling Good” by P-Square.

Afrobeat Music

Afrobeat, which was developed in the 1970s by Fela Kuti, is a synthesis of African rhythms with Western musical genres, as well as traditional folk music and contemporary pop tunes.

The majority of afrobeat music is cheerful, and horns, guitars, percussion, and vocals are frequently used. Femi Kuti, Seun Kuti, Lagbaja, and King Sunny Ade are some of the best-known Nigerian Afrobeat musicians.

Gospel Music

Last but not least, it is important to note that Nigeria has a vibrant gospel music culture. Gospel music is a kind of Christian music that is frequently distinguished by its ethereal melodies and inspirational lyrics. The most well-known gospel singers from Nigeria are Sinach, Tasha Cobbs, and Don Moen.

Types of music popular in Nigeria

In Nigeria, hip hop is the most widely-listened-to genre of music. Although this genre has been established since the early 1990s, it wasn’t until lately that it had a massive upsurge in popularity thanks to musicians like Wizkid and Davido, who became well-known all over the world with to their songs like One Dance and What’s Up With That? and How Are You Doing?

Other genres include highlife music, Afropop, and Afrobeat, which is a genre with Nigerian origins. Slow tempos and the usage of African instruments like drums, guitars, and keyboards define these genres.

They mix traditional elements from different regions of Africa, such as South African Mbaqanga, Congolese Soukous, Ghanaian Highlife, Nigerian Afrobeats, and so on.

Musical genres from Nigeria used to wake up the worshippers

The worshipers are awakened by Yoruba music. Over 30 million people in Nigeria and West Africa speak the Yoruba language. The Igbo culture has had a significant effect on Yoruba culture, which distinguishes it from other African cultures.

Yoruba people value music much, thus they rise early in the morning to listen to music before work or school. The tunes are often performed on drums and other instruments like gongs, flutes, pipes, etc., but occasionally vocalists may also sing lyrics that are reflective of Yoruba culture.