By ANTHONY ADA ABRAHAM
Yemi Alade is one of today’s screen damsels widely celebrated around the world, with her natural style that cut across all African heritage. She uses calabash as bra, and sometimes, use some local fabrics to make some great designs that are now copied by other colleagues in the industry within Nigeria and abroad.
She sings in English, pidgin, French and other local dialects. She’s an African woman to the core, who is widely referred to as the queen of all Nigerian music queens.
When Alade released the music video for ‘Johnny’ in March 2014, it gained over 800,000 VeVo/YouTube views in just 2-months, making ‘Johnny’ an international smash hit as the single dominated music charts and became an anthem in countries like Tanzania, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, Liberia, Uganda, Zimbabwe, the United Kingdom and more.
READ: Yemi Alade drops second studio album ‘Mama Africa’
When she teamed up with award-winning cinematographer Clarence Peters to create a music video for ‘Johnny’, which was released in March 2014, it was a smashing hit receiving great reviews from various entertainment writers and critics as the concept was dramatic and very African. The song is a usual tale of what goes on in our everyday life, between the male and female folks. The song now has more than 32 million views on YouTube, as of December 2015. So why won’t she be regarded as a queen of African music.
The release of Jonny has opened lots of doors for the artiste, showing to the world that she is worthy of the title, queen of Nigerian music queens in Africa.
Many didn’t know that Alade made her musical debut in an all-girl group called ‘Noty Spices’ in 2005. Though her music became widely popular after she won the Peak Talent Show in 2009 after which she later released her first single titled “Fimisile” under the Jus’ Kiddin’ label. Ever since then she has been soaring higher and higher! What a great talent.
Videos: Watch memorable moments from Yemi Alade’s birthday party
In 2012, she signed onto the music label, Effyzzie Music Group, and released her single ‘Ghen Ghen Love’. While July 2013, she released the video for her romantic afro-R&B song ‘Bamboo’, produced by Fliptyce.
‘Bamboo’ went on to be a moderate hit and a popular wedding song. In the last quarter of 2013, she broke records when her most recent hit single, ‘Johnny’, produced by Selebobo, was leaked on the internet.
The song became an international smash hit as it dominated music charts in Tanzania, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, Liberia, Uganda, Zimbabwe, and the United Kingdom, among others. It has been listed as one of the best songs of 2013, despite the fact that it was released towards the end of the year and without a music video.
Last week, her Mama Africa Album toped iTunes. The album which features P-Square, Sarkodie, DJ Arafat, Selebobo, Sauti Sol and Rotimi Keys.
‘Mama Africa’, Led by the singles ‘Na Gode’, ‘Do As I Do’ and ‘Ferrari’; it is currently the most pre-ordered album digitally majorly due to the fact it is featured on iTunes Store slider worldwide.
PHOTOS: Yemi Alade holds album listening party in London
‘Na Gode’ is a song that is alike a national anthem now around the world which also sounds like a song-cry to God. The rhythm intercept with the beat and the tune makes it a sequential melody. It’s my favorite.
Alade joined M.I, Waje, Timi Dakolo, and Burna Boy in singing the theme song for Port Harcourt, the UNESCO 2014 World Book Capital, as part of a project urging young people to read and stay in school. Shortly after that, Alade released a new single entitled ‘Tangerine’, featuring Selebobo; the critically acclaimed track charted across Africa. She appeared as a guest artiste on Falz’s debut album.
She has performed across the globe, and has been featured on the covers of several magazines and has been on stage with international and local acts like Mary J. Blige, Shina Peters, M.I, Wizkid, Becca, May D, Waje and Yemi Sax. The beautiful singer headlined the Super Diva’s Nite at the 2013 Calabar Festival, and was also called upon to open the 2013 edition of the televised Headies Awards ceremony (popularly referred to as the Nigerian Grammys) with an electrifying performance.
Alade has lots of awards to her name which is why it would be difficult for anyone to stop her from producing good music in Nigeria. If you call her the queen of queens now, you are not mistaken because she truly deserve the title.
