More and more artistes are taking the independent route. Technology has broken the doors of distribution and rendered certain gatekeepers powerless. This is largely responsible for the rise of the independent movement we see in music.
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However, only a handful of female musicians have been able to successfully follow this path. As a matter of fact, singers, Waje and Shey Shay are the only truly independent female pop stars in Nigeria.
Seyi Shay operates primarily under her own music company, Stargurl Limited, outsourcing managerial responsibilities to talent agency #Twenty20. While Waje runs her own label, WajeMusik Entertainment. This implies that the two are solely responsible for funding their careers.
Important to note, is the fact that music (in Nigeria) is a male-dominated industry and as such, it makes sense that the ratio of independent male artistes is higher. Wikid, Davido, Maleek Berry, Mr Eazi, Olamide, Burna Boy etc are all independent artistes.