In the past three years, there have been several songs that were big moments that needed a female representation as well as strategic collaborations, which none of the new-school female stars appear keen on reaching the other side of the aisle to facilitate.
Take, for example, Boypee, Hyce, and Brown Joel’s ‘Ogechi’ remix featuring Davido, and more recently, Shoday, Poco Lee, and Raman Jago’s ‘Hey Jago’: five years ago, these are songs that Tiwa Savage could be reliably predicted to appear on.
Another basis for this prediction is her recent appearances next to OdumoduBlvck on ‘100 Million’, Fido on ‘Awolowo’ remix, and Ruger on ‘Toma Toma’. These are collaborations that have failed to appeal to the new generation of female stars.
When we consider why the new set of female stars are shying away from extending themselves as Tiwa Savage did, some possible reasons come to mind.
Afrobeats’ Global Wave and its High Return
The global success of Afrobeats has exposed Nigerian artists to an international audience with the wherewithal to put more money in their pockets both through streams and ticket purchases.
This has seen the local front take a back seat in the creative output and the positioning of stars who now prioritise their global paying audience. So whatever return Tiwa Savage benefited from playing at the lowest level of mass consumption is expendable.
For a superstar like Ayra Starr, who is the leading female voice in Afrobeats, an attempt to offer the local audience something is through the nostalgic sampling on ‘Sability’ or squaring up with street-shaping stars in the form of A-listers Asake and Seyi Vibez, with whom she steered away from their era-defining Log drum fused style into more mid-tempo pop territories that embrace her global audience.
Ayra Starr doesn’t have her version of ‘Diet’ that connects to the lowest rung of mass consumption (trenches), nor has she shown a willingness to offer her services to uplift songs as Tiwa Savage managed on the remixes of ‘Woju,’ ‘Who’s Your Guy,’ and ‘No Wahala’.
This is a similar pattern found in other female stars, including Fave and Qing Madi, whose music commands mainstream attention.
While a star like Teni remains a willing collaborator, Bloody Civilian has appeared on songs with OdumoduBlvck and Seyi Vibez, and Candy Bleakz continues to hold the fort in street music, the female arm of the industry needs its leading figures to further step up and give it a stronger voice at the lowest level of mass consumption, just as Tiwa Savage did for a decade.
Admitting that the return for actively engaging the mass level of local consumption has diminished due to Afrobeats’ global appeal, doing it will require a willingness, irrespective of the returns.
This willingness appears to be missing. At least, there are not sufficient songs that point to a desire by female artists to make this type of music or engage in strategic collaborations to achieve this placement.
I hardly think so. The new generation of female stars has shown their range and versatility, which suggests they can excel next to chest-thumping street acts.
While an argument can be made that the artistry of Ayra Starr, Qing Madi, and Fave leans more towards R&B, which makes their brand largely irreconcilable with street pop music, Tiwa Savage’s career provides a stronger counterargument.
We have to examine to what extent feminism has played a role in creating a gap, whether real or psychological, between female artists and their male counterparts.
Today, the new generation of female stars is more willing to identify as feminists. Social media has also increased the demand on these stars to identify with the feminist ideology, with real-time audience scrutiny and feedback.
This may have contributed to the reluctance of a superstar like Ayra Starr, who is a female flag bearer, to collaborate with some leading male artists whose brands are considered hypermasculine and toxic.
After all, Tiwa Savage was often labelled “One of the boys” because of her willingness to collaborate with male artists.
Are Nigerian male listeners not helping matters?
There is a growing opposition faced by female stars from a section of male social media users who target and harass them over their feminist stance and confidence.
Ayra Starr, lately, has been at the receiving end of this incessant attack by some misguided male elements who unreasonably attack and oppose her online with false and injurious agendas. Bloody Civilian and Fave have also been the subject of this harassment.
With male listeners forming a bulk of the audience at the lowest level of mass consumption, this antagonism might have contributed to pushing away female artists from playing at that level.
While Tiwa Savage faced her fair share of male antagonism, social media has given this troublesome minority a louder voice, and the new generation of female stars appears to be uninterested in dealing with this, especially when they have a large global paying audience.
Why should we be concerned about this vacuum?
Whatever success Afrobeats is currently enjoying and will enjoy in the future, the home front has a central role to play in being both the primary creative source and amplifier.
The growing disconnect between female stars and the mass market is robbing this arm of the industry of a much-needed voice at the lowest level of mass consumption. It’s restricting them to a path where middle-class consumers and foreign appeal determine their success.
While rising acts like Ayo Maff, Shoday, Fola, and Fido can use the mass market and local collaborations as a ladder to stardom, female stars would need to climb on the shoulders of a middle-class and diasporan audience, which is a more difficult task.
This disconnection makes it difficult for new female stars to break out and existing ones to connect with the mass market and reach superstar level.
At the end of the day, female stars will need to try to strike a balance. They must appreciate that the mass level of local consumption is important in positioning them for mainstream success and also creating a platform for future female stars to thrive.
They must understand that strategic positioning and partnership are important locally, just as it is internationally.