What a year it has been! It is hard to imagine anyone that would have correctly predicted the events of 2022 in Nigerian music - not even the biggest winner of them all, Asake, who revealed this in the interview with TurnTable for vol 003. Having lived all of the highs and lows of the year, it is the time to look back one last time before the 2022 clock runs out. Here are 22 interesting facts about Nigerian music - in a special editorial titled 2022 in Numbers
1. 1 – The number of songs not released/distributed by EMPIRE or Mavin Records in the top ten of Official Nigeria Top 100 Songs of 2022; “Baddest Boy (Remix)” by Skiibii & Davido released under More Grace Ent/Dvpper Music.
2. 2 – Ed Sheeran became the first non-Nigerian to record multiple No. 1 songs; “Peru” and “For My Hand”
3. 3 – Ayra Starr set a new record for the most No. 1 singles by a female artiste; “Bloody Samaritan,” “Rush” and “Won Da Mo”
4. 4 – Kizz Daniel & Burna Boy recorded their fourth No. 1 songs during the year, adding two new No. 1 singles this year. Kizz Daniel added 7-week No. 1 (and overall No. 1 song of 2022) “Buga (Lo Lo Lo)” and “Cough (ODO).” Burna Boy added “Sungba (Remix)” and “For My Hand” – both songs spent one week each at the summit of the chart.
5. 5 – The number of albums that sent all their track to an aggregate chart in Nigeria during the year; Love, Damini, Mr. Money With The Vibe, Bad Since ’97, Billion Dollar Baby and More Love, Less Ego.
6. 6 – Asake re-wrote history for the most No. 1 songs in a calendar year and he also set a new record for the most No. 1 songs by any artiste
7. 7 – The number of weeks by the longest No. 1 songs of 2022; “Buga (Lo Lo Lo)” and “Bandana” both spent seven weeks as the No. 1 song in the country. The former spent seven weeks atop the defunct TurnTable Top 50 while “Bandana” spent seven weeks at No. 1 on the TurnTable Nigeria Top 100.
8. 8 – The number of artistes signed under Mavin Records that had a No. 1 song during the year; no other label had more.
9. 9 – The number of billed artistes on “Won Da Mo.” Ayra Starr, Bayanni, Boy Spyce, Crayon, Johnny Drille, Ladipoe, Magixx, Mavins and Rema all appeared on the No. 1 song during the week of December 2 – 8, 2022. It is No. 1 song with the highest number credited artiste ever.
10. 10 – The number of weeks “I’m a Mess” by Omah Lay spent at No. 1 on the Top Afro-R&B Songs chart.
11. 11 – The number of No. 1 songs EMPIRE had during the year; a new record for any organization in Nigeria. (The previous highest was also EMPIRE with 4 in 2021)
12. 12 – The number of entries Asake has on the Official Nigeria Top 100 Songs of 2022; the most by any artiste in a single year-end chart.
13. 13 – The number of weeks in the top ten without ever reaching No. 1 on an aggregate chart; three songs spent 13 different weeks during the year hovering across different positions except the No. 1 spot. The songs are “Calm Down” by Rema which peaked at No. 2; “Overloading (Overdose)” by Mavin which also peaked at No. 2 and “Electricity” by Pheelz & Davido which peaked at No. 3.
14. 14 – The number of songs that reached No. 1 on the radio chart in 202. “Peru,” “Calm Down,” “Playboy,” “Buga (Lo Lo Lo)” “PALAZZO,” “Overloading (Overdose),” “Peace Be Unto You (PBUY),” “Ijo (Laba Laba)” “Bandana,” “Bad To Me,” “Xtra Cool,” “Cough (ODO)” and “Asiwaju”
15. 15 – The number of songs that surpassed 30 million streams in 2020; “Buga (Lo Lo Lo),” “Sungba (Remix),” “Bandana,” “Overloading,” “PBUY,” “Terminator,” “Last Last,” “Omo Ope,” “Sometimes,” “Baddest Boy (Remix)” “PALAZZO,” “Finesse,” “Don’t Call Me,” “For My Hand,” and “Joha.”
16. 16 – The number of artistes that had their first No. 1 song in 2022; Asake, Ed Sheeran, Pheelz, Young Jonn, Ruger, Rema, Johnny Drille, Bayanni, Boy Spyce, Magixx, Crayon, Black Sherif, Tekno, Fireboy DML, EMPIRE & Mavin Records. 16 is also the number of producers that had a No. 1 song during the year; Shizzi, Kolten Sippiboy Perine, Runcheck, Magicsticks, Miichkel, Joker Nharnah, Reward Beatz, Yung Willis, Blaisebeatz, P2J, P. Priime, Andre Vibez, Hoops, Philkeyz, Kukbeats.
17. 17 – The total number of weeks in which a song not released under EMPIRE was No. 1 in during the year; [Baddest Boy (Remix), 5 weeks], [Finesse, 3 weeks], [Rush, 3 weeks], [Xtra Cool, 3 weeks], [Asiwaju, 2 weeks] and [Won Da Mo, 1 week]. 17 is also the total number of songs that reached number one in 2022.
18. 18 – The number of No. 1 songs on the streaming chart in Nigeria during the year. “Peru,” “Sometimes (Remix),” “Baddest Boy (Remix)” “Omo Ope,” “Finesse,” “Sungba (Remix),” “Kwaku The Traveller,” “Buga (Lo Lo Lo),” “Peace Be Unto You,” “For My Hand,” “Bandana,” “Machala,” “Terminator,” “Organise,” “Rush,” “Cough (ODO),” “Xtra Cool,” and “Asiwaju.”
19. 19 – Asake had 19 entries on the streaming chart in 2022, he had 0 in 2021 and 0 in 2020.
20. 20 – The number of weeks “Bandana” by Fireboy DML & Asake spent in the top ten of the streaming chart in Nigeria; it is the highest by any song during the year. The song spent five of those weeks at No. 1 on the chart.
21. 21 – The number of weeks “soso” by Omah Lay spent on the Nigeria Top 100 before entering the top ten on the chart dated week of December 9 – 16, 2022.
22. 22 – As fate would have it, the number of performing artistes that had a No. 1 song in 2022. Asake, Fireboy DML, Burna Boy, Ed Sheeran, Kizz Daniel, Tekno, Ayra Starr, Olamide, Skiibii, Davido, BNXN fka Buju, Pheelz, Young Jonn, Ruger, Rema, Johnny Drille, Bayanni, Boy Spyce, Ladipoe, Magixx, Crayon, and Black Sherif. (EMPIRE and Mavin Records had No. 1 songs as a credited artiste but they are not performing artistes).