Are you among those that have 'japa'
or do you have plans to japa?
I'm certain that you probably have a
positive answer to one of these questions above.
It is no news that the rate at which
people relocate out of Nigeria nowadays has increased exponentially. If you ask
any average Nigerian today especially the youth about their plans in the next three
years or thereabout, many, if not all, will tell you about their decision and
plan to japa, which literally means to relocate or travel out of ones home
country.
Let's back this up with some
fact, in 2015, United Nations Department
of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) estimated the number of Nigerian
international emigrants to be 1.2 million. Interestingly, in 2017, the figure
increased to 15million, that's huge right?. In order to establish this fact, check
your circle of friends, can you mention at least 5 persons that have relocated
from Nigeria in the last one year? Of course, you can?
Did you know that people leaving the
country has been beneficial to the Nigerian music industry? Read on to know more about this.
Over the past few years, Nigerian
music has received a lot more international acceptance, it's almost as if the
way Nigerians are migrating our songs is also following them. Nigerian music is
performing significantly better than other African countries, which has led to
a lot of conflict between musicians. For instance, the recent feud between
Burna Boy and the Ghanaian musician Shatta Wale.
The success of Nigerian music have
been attributed to so many factors like our large population, good beats,
technology, access to the internet, language, social media, branding, major
label deals and so on. While these reasons are major contributing factor to Nigerian music's global success, there is another factor that has
been paid little or no attention to which is what I would call "the japa effect".
Nigerians in the diaspora are not
only a great market to the industry but they are also excellent marketers. How
do they market these songs?. Nigerians are generally loud people, who continue
to be so even when outside the country. A recent trending video showed some
Nigerians in the United Kingdom singing at the top of their lungs the recently
released single by Kizz Daniel Buga in a moving bus, isn't this a form of
marketing?.
Music satisfies the desire of
Nigerians in diaspora for something that reminds them of home. It is the most
enjoyable and simple way for them to connect with their motherland, so they are
unafraid to sing and listen to it anywhere. They play Nigerian songs in their
cars, homes, and parties. Foreigners hear this sound, vibe to it, and want to
hear it again and again.
The success of Nigerian music is due
to a combination of good talented artists and producers who bring songs to
life, DJ's who mix and play these songs, local and international promoters who
professionally publicize these songs, technology who has made it easy for
people to access songs, social media and so on, as well as Nigerians in the
diaspora who market these songs through words of mouth.
All of these factors combine to give
us an amazing globally recognized industry. What else do you think contribute to
the growth of the Nigerian music industry? Kindly Comment below.
It's a new day, click Epoh Music to Buga through out the day.
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