Nigerian singer, Omah Lay in a recent interview with ViewsFrance has spoken out about the decline in quality of Nigerian music, claiming that artistes are prioritizing quick money and fame over musical depth and creativity.
The “Reason” crooner reveals he is worried that this trend is hurting African culture, especially overseas, and urged his colleagues to step up their game and produce a better sound. According to Omah Lay, the massive reception Afrobeats received abroad has begun to dwindle, and he attributes this to artistes chasing quick money and fame instead of focusing on their craft.
“Nigerian Music is drifting towards a place where artists are not putting so much efforts in the art anymore. And that is also hurting my culture. Most artists are just playing with music these days and really not trying to improve the sound and the whole creativity around it. It is just quick money and it is really dipping the audience and the new generation, that level of music is what they are growing to and they are even doing worse. I don’t want to blame the globalisation of Afrobeats for that but that could also be one of the reasons. Generally, it is a good that that Afrobeats to the world is happening and people are getting to know us from our music. But I just wish we could strive to raise the bar a little more with the craft.”
Omah Lay isn’t just talking about the music, though – he’s also saying that the global perception of Afrobeats is suffering as a result. He’s encouraging his fellow artistes to revisit their passion for music and create something meaningful.
