Yemi Alade is getting International recognition, Haters are embracing, Different nominations and Here’s what we’ve learnt from her career successes.
Over the years, if you’ve been following the Nigerian music industry, you’ll understand how unstable the fan-base can get; one minute you’re cancelled and the next minute you’re the legend they’re not worthy of experiencing. We’ve seen that with almost all the superstars we have but with Yemi Alade, it is a constant underrating, with people believing she’s not worthy of the hype most give.
With her recent international recognitions and “underraters” now rating, we are learning few things from this Afroqueen that we think you might also want to adopt while growing on top in your respective industries:
Be blind to haters: If there’s one artiste that has been seriously bashed without restraint, it has to be Yemi Alade. One would think the reviews on her personality as an artiste and her music would’ve bothered her, but that not been the case, instead Yemi Alade has focused on the audience that accepts her and that step, as we’ve seen has been a great win.
Create a niche: Yemi Alade has a kind of music. A song that celebrates Africa with its storytelling, a style that many Nigerians don’t appreciate as they should. It’s commendable to see how she has stayed with that style, changing nothing but still, moving forward.
Focus on your focus (niche): If Focus on your focus has a face, it’ll be Yemi Alade. With the harsh reviews by Nigerians, Yemi Alade has created a niche and just focused on it and the fanbase that appreciates it. Has she tried to please critics with a new sound? We are yet to see that and truth is, it is the focus that is getting her the international accolades we’re celebrating with her this period. These accolades are coming because, not only is she singing as an African artiste, she has successfully branded herself as the promoter of African culture from her fashion, sound and lyrics. Talk about focusing on your focus.
Align yourself with people that compliment and complement your niche: This is another thing we’ve learnt from Yemi Alade. Don’t mix yourself with people who don’t compliment or complement your style. Over the years, we have seen international artistes and brands who collaborate with Yemi Alade when they need to show how inclusive they are or the direction they want to take their sound. The name “Mama Africa” is a brand she has come to own so much that she has successful made herself the music symbol you can and should infuse if your message is Afrocentric from the African continent.
Let your result be your voice: When we ask for the best female artistes in Nigeria, many Nigerians hardly mention Yemi Alade and it seems the artiste is no longer bothered because her numbers are doing great on all platforms and being the voice that can shalaye for her and let you know that she is way more than you think.
This result is coming from the hard work of the artiste who since her break into the industry with “Johnny” has consistently dropped jamz for her fans to rock and over the years, we have seen that fanbase grow massively. Yemi Alade was on Beyoncé’s The Gift Album, a project whose timing was its cultural currency. Also, Yemi Alade who collaborated with Grammy Winner, Angelique Kidjo on “Shekere” and performed the hit single as the only African for Global citizen’s “Global Goals: For Our Future”, a platform shared with Justin Bieber, Shakira, Coldplay, Usher, Jennifer Hudson, and a host of top international stars. The Afropop star is also featured in Beyoncé’s new film that’s set to be released in July.
From these, we can see that Yemi Alade is massively winning and focused on the international attention and wins she understands her brand as an African promoter can get her.
There! The things I’ve learnt from Yemi Alade’s international success.