DigiMillennials

The new European football season is underway, and as usual, clubs spent the summer doing their own shopping. Some of that shopping came with a familiar ritual attached. When Taiwo Awoniyi completed his move to Frank Lampard’s newly promoted Coventry City, the unveiling video showed him standing in front of a Nigerian flag, delivering the line, “Super Eagles don land, it had to be Cov.” Coventry made sure the moment didn’t end there either.

From the title alone, Starlife gives you a glimpse into Victony’s current state of mind. There is a certain satisfaction in the way he inhabits the idea of stardom: the money, the women, the luxury, the attention and the privileges that come with finally becoming a mainstream star. Going back to his debut album, Stubborn, which arrived at a different point in his career.

There’s a new community in town for music nerds and passionate listeners: Disc Club, a space dedicated to bringing people together to discuss their favourite albums and projects. Built around a shared love for music, the community hopes to encourage deeper conversations, thoughtful debate and intentional listening.

Every once in a while, you come across an artist whose work makes you stop scrolling because their work is so good you have to give out your attention. That was my experience when I first came across Ali Bakare, better known as Varokthegreat. There was something immediately striking about his work. Beyond the technical ability, his illustrations possess an energy and imagination that make them feel larger than the frame they occupy.

I put out a tweet recently, and the reactions have been interesting. What struck me most was how quickly a conversation about music consumption became a conversation about numbers, competition and the perceived responsibility of an artist’s team. I think that reaction says a lot about where fandom is today. There is nothing inherently wrong with wanting your favourite artist to succeed. Fans have always played an important role in the growth of artists.

Ayra Starr has emerged as one of the most distinctive voices among her generation of female African artists, an artist whose identity has never been confined to a single sound or aesthetic. With two albums already, she has built worlds that have continuously expanded her sonics. Now, with Starrgirl, she returns to complete the trifecta. From Pop to R&B, Afrobeats to street-hop, she has developed a rare sense of range that shows how she instinctively understands where her voice belongs.

Llona has built his identity around honesty. From his early days as Tooclasiq to “Comforter,” “HBP” and his 2024 debut Homeless, his music has consistently been rooted in struggle, survival and personal reflection. Homeless connected deeply with listeners because its songs felt like reassurance for people going through their own difficulties. That success created a difficult question for his second album: how do you evolve without abandoning the very identity that made people connect with you?

For years, Ckay has been the poster boy for Emo-Afrobeats: the lovesick romantic, the melancholic crooner, the man who could turn heartbreak and love into music. But on Banger Boy, the ex lover-boy has seemingly been seduced by the power of rhythm and, perhaps, the eternal mystery of a good waist. Following the success of “Body” with Mavo, one of the undisputed hits of 2025, Ckay has embraced a faster, more physical sound.

There was a time when a song wasn’t finished until the video arrived. The release of an official music video felt like an event, something fans gathered around TV countdowns to catch, with YouTube views doubling as a new measure of relevance. Directors became celebrities in their own right and artists stretched their imaginations beyond the recording booth. Music videos didn’t just accompany songs, they expanded them.

Every year, the Nigerian music industry seems to follow a familiar rhythm. The first six months are often filled with singles, collaborations, tours and anticipation. Then, as the calendar moves into July, the pace changes. Major album announcements begin to appear, release dates are revealed, and before long, some of the country’s biggest artists are competing for listeners’ attention. It is a pattern that has quietly become part of the industry’s release strategy.