Top Nigerian Female Singers Dominating the Global Music Scene

Nov 06, 2025 0

Nigeria is making its mark in the global music industry with its vibrant and diverse music scene. It is a land of great music artists from where many artists have made their mark on the global music industry. Now, many female Nigerian music artists have emerged and are garnering global listeners. Their unique pieces of music have grabbed the attention of the music listeners easily.

The number of female artists from Nigeria is increasing with each passing day. These artists don’t only showcase their talent by creating music but their innovative music videos are also one of a kind. Nigerian music artists are growing with each passing day.

However, it’s no secret that men dominate the music industry. In African countries, it’s especially challenging for female musicians to gain a fair shot. The 2024 BE THE CHANGE: Gender Equity in Music Study reported that 50 percent of women respondents view the music industry as generally discriminative.

Here are some of the top Nigerian female singers who are ready to conquer the world:

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Leading Figures Behind the Scenes

For every global female superstar like Tiwa Savage, who will perform at Global Citizen Live in Lagos, who have emerged from Nigeria, there are other women behind the scenes who have contributed, and are still contributing, to the global appreciation Nigerian music now enjoys. In this piece, Global Citizen highlights these women who #ChooseToChallenge and the incredible contributions they have made within the space.

Queen Nworisara-Quinn (Board member, Mavin Global): Queen Nworisara-Quinn became a board member at Mavin Global following her firm's investment in the company. Queen Nworisara-Quinn is a cofounder of Kupanda Capital, an investment and advisory firm that supports pan-African companies. In 2018, the firm invested in Mavin Records, one of Nigeria’s biggest record labels founded by powerhouse Nigerian producer Don Jazzy, transforming the label into an end-to-end commercial and creative business.
Ibukun Aibee Abidoye (Executive vice president, Chocolate City Group): Abidoye has been at Chocolate City Group since 2012 when she joined as legal and content manager and worked her way up, supporting the many artists that have come through the label. Now, she is responsible for managing the overall operations and resources of Chocolate City’s music business, including strategy, development and implementation.
Bose Ogulu (Executive, Spaceship Collective): “Mama Burna” as she is affectionately known, Bose Ogulu is not only Burna Boy’s manager, she also heads Spaceship Collective, which includes record label Spaceship Entertainment and a publishing arm.
Janet Nwose (Manager, Asa): Janet Nwose has managed Asa, one of Nigeria’s most critically acclaimed singers, for more than 17 years. Together, they have created a distinct sound and brand for Asa through four albums, several tours and many performances.
Osagie Okunkpolor (Talent manager, founder The Zone Agency): One of the few women who have been in the Nigerian music industry for more than a decade, Osagie Osarenkhoe has managed many Nigerian artists including Wizkid (who she managed for the first five years of his career), Skales, Banky W, Reekado Banks, Niyola, and Dammy Krane.
Jennifer Imion (Director of Operations, Mavin Global): Jennifer Imion has been an integral part of Mavin's evolution into a full-house commercial and creative enterprise. Imion leads daily operations and hiring at Mavin Global, parent company of Don Jazzy’s Mavin Records.
Oladunni “Dunnie” Lawal (music producer, singer, songwriter): There are very few female producers in Nigerian music and Dunnie is one of the most prolific. She started playing drums in church in 2004, recorded her first song in 2011 and makes beats under the moniker “OladunniTheBeatmaker.”
Vanessa Amadi-Ogbonna (Founder/CEO VA PR): Often called a “PR guru for the stars”, Amadi was the UK and Europe publicist for Whitney Houston for the last seven years of her life. She has also worked with Usher, Ciara, Estelle and Ne-Yo.

Top 15 Nigerian Female Singers of All Time

Here's a list of great female Nigerian singers of ALL TIME. Like every list, this one is biased and reflects my taste, but I think it covers a lot of people's tastes too. It covers the spectrum of the female presence in the Nigerian music scene.

Onyeka Onwenu: Nicknamed the Elegant Stallion, Onyeka Onwenu reigned and flourished in the 1980s and early 1990s, but her impact almost feels everlasting. She emerged in a decade when female acts became chic and urban, an era that witnessed the construction of a new female archetype.
Asa: Classic debut albums often turn into myths, objects of reverence and genuflection. They are heralded as too holy, too pure. Any attempt at scrutinizing them is considered heresy.
Evi Edna Ogholi: Before Ken-Saro Wiwa marched for the rights of the Ogoni people and Timaya sang about the Odi massacre, Evi Edna Ogholi came from the boondocks of the oil-rich Niger Delta region and captured Nigeria with effective simplicity.
Christy Essien Igbokwe: Contrary to popular belief, this is not the first time in Nigerian music history that artists and albums are packaged for foreign consumption.
Sinach: The powerhouse of Gospel music in Nigeria, Sinach is unarguably the most famous female singer in Christian households. Incubated in Christ Embassy - the best talent development shelter for Gospel acts- Sinach has emphasized the depth and strength of her genre in Nigeria.
Tope Alabi: Perhaps, no one intersects Nollywood and Nigerian music as expertly as Tope Alabi. Her voice was borderline omnipresent in the Yoruba film industry videos where she sang countless soundtracks (over 350), doubling as a singer and faux-narrator of events that would play out several scenes later.
Queen Salawa Abeni: Not many 15-year-olds sell a million copies. Salawa Abeni did that on her debut album, named after the late Head of State, Murtala Muhammed.
Lijadu Sisters: The music of the Lijadu Sisters can be baffling to tag. It is oddly cohesive like the music of their cousin Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, and sometimes funky and trippy like William Onyeabor's.
Yemi Alade: Those in the know will not dispute the fact that Yemi Alade is Nigeria's most prominent female export, especially in African countries. The new 'Mama Africa' shuts down stadia like Psquare and other African greats.
Tiwa Savage: We can count the number of hits Tiwa Savage has racked under her designer belt (both as a solo act or featured act), and it would still not sufficiently explain why she is on this list.
Tems: Tems often boasts that no one has done what she has done. And it is hard to argue with that. She runs the Billboard chart like a treadmill. She topped the Top Hot 100 for her contribution to Future's 'Wait For U' also featuring Drake.
Simi: Simi, a woman-next-door singer with middle-class sensibilities has crafted a career out of composing love anthems for your everyday girl.
Omawumi: Omawumi comes with gravitas and strength like the amazons before her. With talent and a premium range, she has heavy grassroots appeal.
Stella Monye: History has been unfair to Stella Monye, a delicate pop singer who laid her mark in the 1980s.
Waje: Vocal consistency belongs to the singer Waje. Her anonymous presence on the 2008 smash hit 'Do Me' by Psquare led to amateur sleuths uncovering the woman behind the hook.

Spotlight on Emerging Talents

Here are the top 10 Nigerian music artists who are ruling the industry and making their mark on the world of global music. Each of them is going to offer their latest music

Tiwa Savage: Tiwa Savage is a proficient Nigerian music artist who is continuing to dominate the world of music with her captivating music creations. Her powerful vocals add a whole different charm that makes her different from all the other artists.
Ayra Starr: Young and talented artist, Ayra Starr is ruling the music industry with her genre-bending music creations. Her melodic voice along with her brilliant presentations have captured the hearts of every listener.
Lifesize Teddy: Lifesize Teddy is creating a buzz in the hip-hop music scene with her outstanding music creations. The artist has been recently signed to Mavins Records.
Fave: Fave is another excellent Nigerian music artist. She is widely popular for her refreshing voice.
Teni: Teni is one of the most famous female Nigerian singers. She has made songs in Afrobeat music genre.
Kold AF: Nigerian music artist Kold AF is another singer who is showcasing her talent in every possible manner. Along with being a musician, she has a strong online presence on social media platforms that is helping her to reach out to more audiences from all around the world.
Morravey: Morravey is taking the music industry by storm with her brilliant soundscapes. This artist hasn’t given many songs in her music career but as much she has given, it has created a buzz among all the music enthusiasts.
Bloody Civilian: Bloody Civilian is an artist who doesn’t want to get comfortable in a single genre. This artist is trying her hands on different genres and captivating the hearts of listeners in every possible manner.
Qing Madi: Qing Madi is an artist who got her breakthrough in 2022 with the song ‘see finish’. Since then, the artist has made a deep impact on her listeners by delivering brilliant soundtracks.
Tems: Tems is reaching out to global audiences by offering her magnificent vocals with her songs. The soulful voice of this artist can captivate any listener instantly.

Iconic Songs by Nigerian Female Stars

Across the history of Nigerian music, female stars have held their own by delivering hit records that capture the depth of their talent. These songs reflect the evolution of Nigerian music and showcase the superstar status of these women whose work has formed a spine for the female arm of the industry.

From Headies Record of the Year win to the Grammy award, Nigerian female stars have left a mark in the music industry. In celebration of International Women's Month, here are 10 iconic songs by Nigerian female stars.

Tiwa Savage - 'Kele Kele Love': Tiwa Savage is a Nigerian music royalty whose talent and drive have created a spine for the women's end of the industry.
Yemi Alade - 'Johnny': Yemi Alade rubs shoulders with the biggest acts in African music and when an inquest is taken into how it all began, it leads straight to her breakout hit single 'Johnny'.
Simi - 'Joromi': Simi has for a decade dazzled listeners with her captivating vocals. In 2018, she made history by winning the Headies Record of the Year Prize for her highlife-fusing hit single 'Joromi'.
Jodie - 'Kuchi Kuchi': Jodie delivered an unlikely smash hit record with her song 'Kuchi Kuchi' which tells the story of the emotional connection between mother and child.
Mo'Cheddah - 'Ko Ma Roll': This single rocketed Mo'Cheddah to fame thereby making her one of the hottest new acts on the continent.
Niyola - 'Toh Bad': This love record dominated TV and Radio stations for a long time while also launching Niyola into mainstream fame.
Omawumi - 'If You Ask Me': This single did not only thrill listeners, but also passed a key message on different forms of abuse women are exposed to in society.
Tems - 'Love Me Jeje':

Pioneering Women in Nigerian Music

From the pre-80s era, the most well-known Nigerian women singers outside of the country were probably the Lijadu Sisters and Christiana Essien. Essien was a teenage T.V. star when she recorded her first LP Freedom for Anodisc in 1977. The Lijadu Sisters were perhaps culturally acceptable because harmonizing sisters often get a societal pass.

Several great women bandleaders in Nigeria in the 1970s. In the southwestern jùjú scene of the Yoruba, Lady Balogun & Her Famous Brothers Band and electric guitar genius Queen Oladunni Decency & Her Unity Orchestra reigned supreme. One of their peers was Helen Nkume, who also recorded under the name Helen Williams.

Classically-trained singer Mary Afi Usuah released several beat singles for the Italian market, as Mary Afi, before returning to Nigeria to record two highly-regarded LPs. She is one of the few artists here who has received a stand-alone reissue in full, courtesy of archivist (and former Usuah pupil) Uchenna Ikkone; all should seek out Ekpenyong Abasi, her first LP with the South Eastern State Cultural Band.

Like Usuah, Joy Nwosu studied voice in an Italian conservatory, initially researching African cinema and writing a book on the topic in 1968, entitled Cinema e Africa nera. She then returned to Nigeria and began recording a mixture of her own compositions and new arrangements of folk songs, which became Azania on Afrodisia, her most popular release.

Christy Ogbah recorded three stellar LPs in her career that I know of: two for Duomo (pop) and a third for Mosokam (highlife), which is credited to Christy Ogbah & Her Melody Group. While best known for her wall-of-fuzz dance track “Advice”-her only English-language song-Ogbah excelled at slower synth-heavy pop, sung in Esan, that was strictly neither disco nor funk but a far more fascinating mashup.

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Today, Dr. Ekpeyong started off as the lead singer for an all-girl Army band called The Tranquilizer in 1975, but they broke up later that same year. She then met and married bassist Jackson Ekpeyong, with whom she assembled her fantastic backing band, The Galaxy.

It was South Africa’s Miriam Makeba whose beats exploded into the European market in the 1960s, with her worldwide hit “Pata Pata” being covered by women artists from Italy, Yugoslavia, Hungary, and France. She became a pan-African source of pride and inspiration for women, as evidenced on the lead track “Great Miriam Makeba” from Commy Bassey’s first LP, In Solitude, released in 1978 on Clover.

Eme Ballantyne, an obscure singer for which I can find no information. Her sole LP is called Remember Me, which came out in 1981.

Already known for playing a beloved character on a popular Nigerian TV series, Christy Essien branched off into recording in 1977, with the nearly-perfect Freedom on Anodisc, whose uncredited band likely backed Tex Soul on his superb The Vibrations project that same year.

Apart from her music, I know next to nothing about Doris Ebong. She recorded one colossal LP for Phonodisk in 1982, All I Need Is Your Love, produced by Tony Essien and with songwriting credits split between the two of them.

Mona Finnih recorded three collaborations with former Aktion and MonoMono guitarist Jimi Lee. The first and best, EMI’s A Stroll In The Moonlight from 1980, is a wonder to behold, packed with horn-heavy tracks like Lee’s majestic funky title cut, Finnih’s “People of the World,” and her pounding tour-de-force of empowerment “I Love Myself.”

Like label-mate Christy Ogbah, Eunice Mokus Arimoku was affiliated with the early-80s Lagos club scene. Her first record was on Duomo, Onye Oni Me, while her second was self-released five years later on her own label, Unimokus Records, called I Am Glad You Are Mine.

Onyioha’s acclaimed I Want To Feel Your Love represented the launch of a new era for women artists in Nigeria.

Lastly, there isn’t much I can add to the story of Taiwo and Kehinde Lijadu. The talented twins toured the world and knocked out a string of flawless records during the latter half of the 70s: Danger, Mother Africa, Sunshine, and Horizon Unlimited.

These are just a few of the many talented Nigerian female singers who are making waves in the global music industry. With their unique sounds and powerful voices, they are sure to continue to inspire and entertain audiences for years to come.