TurnTable NXT (NEXT) is an initiative created to give emerging artistes an opportunity to emerge from the shadows and get some valuable publicity in promoting their music. Nigeria possesses an enviable number of talented youths who make up the largest percentage of the population. In a nation with unforgiving economic realities, it can be difficult for emerging talents to get their music to a larger audience. TurnTable NXT is created in recognition of this reality and as a means of amplifying the music of some of the emerging talents that congregates Nigeria’s music industry.

These emerging artistes submitted their songs for consideration for playlisting. The submissions were reviewed by TurnTable NXT team and if found to meet the required criteria they were play-listed and made available on all streaming platforms. Every week, there are tens of entries of which 15 songs are selected for playlisting. After a week of giving our audience the chance to enjoy the songs, a poll is then conducted on Twitter to determine the weekly winner.

After six weeks of submissions, TurnTable NXT received over 200 entries that included albums, Eps, and singles. Six amazing talents emerged from the weekly Twitter Polls and while there was a temptation to streamline the numbers by conducting an extra poll in which will see the top 3 featured in TurnTable Magazine, our team decided that the first NXT feature on TurnTable Magazine should shine the spotlight on as many emerging talents as we can.

We are glad to introduce you to six amazing emerging talents who emerged as the winners of TurnTable NXT weekly polls. They were voted as the talents to look out for from amongst over 80 emerging artistes who were play-listed and who participated in the polls.

We would like to congratulate them for emerging as winners and we are excited for what the future holds for these talents. We hope this serves as a launching pad for their careers and TurnTable Charts will work with them in offering publicity and amplifying their future releases.

For the first installment of TurnTable NXT, Viveeyan's "Taya Me," an EDM-infused RnB record that would leave you hooked from the first 30 seconds, emerged the favorite pick on the playlist and it is hard to argue against that choice. It is only appropriate that you get to meet the talentedFor the first installment of TurnTable NXT, Viveeyan's "Taya Me," an EDM-infused RnB record that would leave you hooked from the first 30 seconds, emerged the favorite pick on the playlist and it is hard to argue against that choice. It is only appropriate that you get to meet the talented voice behind that brilliant record

TTC: "Taya Me" won the poll because the majority believe that it was the best of the bunch. How does it make you feel to know people believe your music is the best song on the playlist?

Viveeyan: I feel very happy that they are people out there that believe in my sound. It’s one thing to write a song and think it’s awesome and it’s another thing for people to believe it’s awesome, so I am very excited and very honored to know that people believe in my creation.

TTC: How far do you see "Taya me" as a single going because it seems to have caught the attention of listeners. Do you plan to promote the song for it to reach its full potential?

Viveeyan: I see "Taya Me" going very far. What just happened with the poll is that it affirmed the fact that it’s a very good song so there are plans in the work to promote it and help it reach its full potential.

TTC: What will you say is the major struggle of upcoming artistes in Nigeria?

Viveeyan: I think one of the major struggles of upcoming artistes in Nigeria is the access to fund. As an upcoming artiste, you need to market your songs and to do that you need a lot of capital so not having enough capital is a very big struggle for an upcoming artiste.

TTC: Do you think the capital intensiveness platforms such are radio and TV stations makes them deliberating out of reach for emerging artistes?

Viveeyan: Basically, yes, it is capital intensive but I don't think there is a deliberate plan to shut out emerging artistes from radio and TV. Though I have not tried to put my songs on radio or TV stations - I do think that an upcoming artiste would prefer to start work on digital platforms and as they grow bigger or luckily they have the backing of a solid record label, then they can get their songs on radio and TV. But I won’t say they (radio and TV stations) make it deliberately out of reach because when you say 'deliberately', it comes off as if there is a plan to shut out emerging artiste and most emerging artistes don’t have enough capital so they stick to their digital platforms and gather awareness first before they move to radio and TV stations.

TTC: "Taya Me", what is the story behind it?

Viveeyan: It is basically about someone who has experienced love before. voice behind that brilliant record.

TTC: If you would want to do a collaboration with any established artiste out there ASAP, who would you want that to be?

Viveeyan: That's a very tough question but i will go with M.I.

For the second installment of the NXT Playlist, Millar's "Giant Of Africa" brilliant rap record emerged as the favorite song. Millar's online persona and excellent use of words & puns as earned him some followers, but his music will certainly him fans.

TTC: What is your full name?

OLUWAMILLAR: My full name is Favour Oparemi Joshua AKA Millar.

TTC: What song did you send to TurnTable NXT that made it to the playlist?

OLUWAMIILLAR: The song is titled "Giant Of Africa”, basically its a song about women empowerment.

TTC: "Giant Of Africa" won the poll because of the majority believe that it was the best of the bunch. How does it make you feel to know people believe your music is the best song on the playlist?

OLUWAMILLAR: Even though I lost the first poll, people really came through for me in the second poll. That shows that I have a lot of people that have love for my song and even when I’m down they are still the same people that come through for me.

TTC: How far do you see "Giant Of Africa" as a single going because it seems to have caught the attention of listeners, do you plan to promote the song for it to reach its full potential?

OLUWAMILLAR: Definitely. In a way TTC promoted me and that increased my followers and fan base. So I can see my music reaching its full potential.

TTC: What do you think is your major struggle as an emerging rapper you in Nigeria?

OLUWAMILLAR: Firstly, I think it will be the preconceived notion that "Rap is not generally acceptable in Nigeria" because if you look at the various charts it will be rare to see Nigeria rap topping the charts. This can be because Nigerians prefer foreign rap to Nigeria rap.

TTC: How did you venture into rap?

OLUWAMILLAR: My earliest memory was when my pops would play Fuji jam when I was young, but I actually started rapping before I entered secondary school.

When I got into secondary school, I couldn't write in Yoruba and I wanted to rap in Yoruba, so I started asking some friends to teach me how to write and speak Yoruba. Rap provided me an avenue to recollect my thoughts and be in my own space.

I started listening to Nigerian artistes especially 9ice because the cultural contents of his songs were very deep and from there I learnt how to switch between English and Yoruba when rapping.

TTC: If you want to do a collaboration with any of the big artistes out there, who would you want that to be?

OLUWAMILLAR: Burna Boy!

Meet the artiste behind the No. 1 pick on the fourth installment of TurnTable NXT Playlist

TTC: Tell us about yourself.

MYLES WRLD: My name is Oghenemaru Williams. I’m an Urhobo boy from Delta State. I’m the last child out of 9. My parents are staunch Christians.

TTC: "Fool Again" won the poll because of majority believed that it was the best of the bunch. How does it make you feel to know people believe your music is the best song on the playlist?

MYLES WRLD: I can’t even lie about the fact that the feeling was overwhelming, like I was surprised because when I submitted the song that day and I noticed you guys (TurnTable Charts) accepted it. I was surprised to see that out of all the artistes that submitted songs during that week, mine was chosen even when I know I might not exactly be the best out there.

It certainly felt good and seeing that “Fool Again” is my biggest song yet; wherever I play the song, it is accepted immediately unlike my other song sand I even had more people rooting for this song than I have had for any other songs I have put out before.

It is really comforting to know that you are making such progress as a creative.

TTC: How far do you see "Fool Again" as a single going because it seems to have caught the attention of listeners, do you plan to promote the song for it to reach its full potential?

MYLES WRLD: Sure. Actually, I had plans of dropping a video supposedly this month or last month but a few things came up and I just had to put the money into something else but then, I’m not still backing out because I feel it is one of those songs that I will make the hell out of.

TTC: What will you say is your genre is and how did you come about your sound?

MYLES WRLD: For me, my genre depends on my mood but 90% of the time I do Emo-Rap. As for me, when I started in 2017, I initially wanted to do Afro and it was really difficult at the time because I haven’t really found my sound and something in me was telling me that this isn’t what I should be doing because I wasn’t getting the reactions I expected and some people at the time were telling me that I should keep going with what I was doing and deep down I was like “Fuck it, NO!”So I had to take a long break from music.

It was in 2019 when I moved from my parents’ house to Edo State, life became really hard because after my secondary school I kept thinking about what to do with my life and everything was just weighing on me heavily. To be honest, I really did not decide on what to do and that was the transition period for me that birthed me doing Emo-Rap. I just connected well with the genre.

One of my biggest influence then was Juice WRld, I usually binge on his songs, I still do but then he was like everything to me so I tried to like bring in his own ideas and put in mine and gradually I made a lot of progress and those who followed me from 2019 would know that my sound have really grown a lot over the years. Personally, I can see that my sound have grown a lot because I listen to songs I did about a year or two years ago and I just laugh at myself, looking back to how far I’ve come and it feels so good.

TTC: If you would want to do collaboration with any of the big artistes out there, who would you want that to be?

MYLES WRLD: This question is very tough. Right now I’m stuck between choosing Post Malone and Drake but based on how beneficial it will be on my career I think I would rather collaborate with Drake because Drake’s collaboration at the moment is worth almost everything. Nobody jumps in a song with Drake and doesn’t benefit largely from it, so I think Drake sits at the very top for me.

Meet the artiste behind the No. 1 pick on the third installment of TurnTable NXT Playlist

TTC: Tell us about yourself.

psiv: My name is Bobo Bankong and I am known as psiv (pronounced as ps4), a multi-genre artist, which means I make music across multiple genres; I do trap as well as a whole lot of other music. So I have been making music since I was about 9 years old but officially started putting out music in 2018. However, it wasn’t until 2020 that I released my official debut single “Gang Land,” which was the first single to be released. My latest single came out this year on 30th of March 2021.

A number people might know me from my debut project which welcomed people to where I’m from, that is Nigeria. The project had a purpose from the very first track to the last, an attempt to depict the Nigerian experience such as poverty, police brutality to the more exciting experiences like Lagos on a Friday night. That sums up my debut project.

TTC: "MBAPPE" won the poll because of majority agree that it was the best of the bunch. How does this make you feel to know people believe your music is their favorite song on the playlist?

psiv: It makes me feel glad because there are some kinds of gratification that comes with putting out great music and getting the credit for it. So with “MBAPPE,” I just wanted people to feel the music because the song has a deeper meaning to it.

I can relate to it because I and Mbappe are age mates and I just feel like we have the same tendencies and potentials at the end of the day.

TTC: How far do you see ‘MBAPPE’ as a single going because it seems to have caught the attention of listeners, do you plan to promote the song for it to reach its full potential?

psiv: Yes, I have every intention to keep promoting the song. It’s very important for purposeful music to reach its full potential. Like I said, the whole project was me trying to pass a big message and for every song, there was clear message behind it.

So it’s very important that as much people as possible listen to the song and understand it from their own point of view.

TTC: What will you say is your major genre is?

psiv: Like I said earlier, I’m a multi-genre artist. I do drill and currently I’m working on a Nigeria drill song. I also do Afro swing which is like the birth child of Afrobeats and UK garage music, so it’s a full-on genre on its own. Also, on my Apple Music page, you will see about three Afro swing songs and you can expect more of it in the future.

I do Afro-Fusion as well. At the end of the day, they are all Afrobeats style. So basically, there is not any genre I can’t do so far I get to tell people what I want to tell them through my music because it’s a universal language.

TTC: If you want to do collaboration with any of the big artistes out there, who would it be?

psiv: I will love to work with Rema and Starboy because I really love when I see young stars holding their own.

Rema is so versatile when it comes to range and genre-blending, if you feature him in a song he can work with your sound. Also, to do i at that young age, he didn’t let the pressure get to him and he is still coming out strong.

I would also love to work with Burna Boy because he is a great talent and he has had a lot of influence on my sound as an artiste as well. On a global scale or internationally, I would love to work with Travis Scott. For UK, definitely has to be Central Cee, Headie One, Skepta, and Dave.

TC: Tell us about yourself.

ALBETIUM: My name is Eghosa Albert Oghodo. I started to do music professionally in 2018. I currently have two E.Ps – the first one is called The Apocalypse, which was released in 2019 and the second one is “Albetiumville 1” which has the song “Want” that won the twitter poll, was released in 2020. I was born and raised in Benin city – and still reside there. I started music because I felt that it was something I was born to do. Something that’s just part of me and deciding to start music professionally was something I have always wanted to do. The music I make encompasses my experiences, what I think of, the way I feel and my environment are what I think inspired my music.

TTC: "Want" won the poll because of the majority believe it was the best of the selected playlist. How does it make you feel to know people believe your music is the best song on the playlist?

ALBETIUM: It’s amazing because that’s something that gives me joy when I see people appreciate my work. When you put in a lot of work and effort in a music and people start appreciating it, it makes me excited like out of all the songs on that playlist, my song was Number 1 on the list. So it’s something to be grateful and happy for.

TTC: How far do you see "Want" as a single going because it seems to have caught the attention of listeners, do you plan to promote the song for it to reach its full potential?

ALBETIUM: The fun thing about the song is that it was released August 1st last year so the project (Albertiumvillie 1) is a year old and I have been trying my best to push the song to the best I could so if I have any means to push it further than, I will. But the problem with promotion is that it requires a lot of funding and as an independent artist, it’s not easy. In Benin city, I have been able to make my sound get the attention of many people so I feel that the rest of the country will get to know of my music through this platform that’s why I was very grateful when my song was included on this platform. And ever since, I have had a reasonable amount of followers so I think the song can reach its full potential.

TTC: What will you say is your genre is?

ALBETIUM: My genre is Afrobeats. I’m not the type of artist that tries to create a different genre because we have plenty nowadays but having it in that general name ‘Afrobeats’ makes it a lot better. My sound is not confined to a particular space but I like to refer it as Afrobeats because it encompasses a lot of sub-genres in Nigeria.

TTC: If you would want to do collaboration with any of the big artistes out there, who would you want that to be?

ALBETIUM: That will be Davido and everybody wants a song with him because he’s a hit maker and I have this admiration for him.

TTC: Tell us about yourself?

KIZZ ERNIE: My name is Nnaemeka Sean Enekwachi. I was born in Lagos, lived in Lagos for a while then moved to Port-Harcourt, so I had like best of both sides. I started getting into music at 5. At the age, I started playing the piano, then went on to join the church choir, and ever since then I have been involved in music in every way possible.

TTC: "Don’t Kill my Vibe" won the poll because of the majority believe it was the best of the bunch. How does it make you feel to know people believe your music is the best song on the playlist?

KIZZ ERNIE: First things first, I believe my music to be the best, so I feel good in my music. So people believing in it just makes me feel better.

TTC: How far do you see "Don’t Kill my Vibe" as a single going because it seems to have caught the attention of listeners? Do you plan to promote the song for it to reach its full potential?

KIZZ ERNIE: Definitely. In promoting “Don’t Kill my Vibe”- with this song, there is no slowing down. The music video is about to drop soon.

TTC: What will you say is your genre?

KIZZ ERNIE: I’ll just say that I create vibes to be fair. I’m not boxed to a particular type of genre because I am a producer as well. I produced "Dont Kill my Vibe". So I make beats for other artistes that do different types of genre but let’s just say that I create Afro-fusion because it’s like a fusion of different sounds.

TTC: If you had the chance to pick any Nigerian artiste to collaborate with who would it be?

KIZZ ERNIE: Has to be Burna Boy.