Alternative Music In Nigeria: Maka finds love in Lagos, Deena Ade has the world on her phone

Two female singers Maka and Deena Ade are taking over stages in Lagos. They understand that a lot of work has to be done.

Despite a nasty experience with Fulani herdsmen, the spotlight is on Maka after a second “After Dark” intimate session.

The gig is a good response to the concern about getting enough attention from the fans section but how many so-called SoundCloud artists have noticed this cheat?

On Friday, July 27, 2018, she hangs out with teeming fans at The Backyard, Victoria Island to remind them of why they need to keep paying attention.

 

It is her second time hosting the event - quite an improvement from the first which saw inputs from Choc City singer Ruby Gyang. At the 16/16 Art Gallery where Gyang performed on May 29, Phlow also came through with mad flows.

Alongside Maka, they make for a pack of female artists who spit mean. And the fans love them too but how much?

ALSO READ: Jazz singer, Ruby Gyang host "After Dark" series on Democracy Day

The second edition of Maka’s “After Dark” is perhaps able to give an assessment in terms of degree. Maka must have built on the momentum of her first intimate session.

 

Getting the backing of a sponsor of the 2018 World Cup possibly pulled a crowd noticeable in a hall at The Backyard. I imagine a lot of marketing campaign must have gone into ensuring that there is a large turnout. All Maka has to do is impress the fans.

Job done! Alongside alternative singers Odunsi, Tetta and others, it proved an evening well spent for music lovers who will be looking to put a word out with their positive rating of the evening with Maka.

Deena Ade gets her hands dirty

Deena Ade lends her voice on issues concerning women in her society but she has not lost touch with the main goal - to share her love for goodness through music.

Just like Maka, she hosts followers of her music at the Slay Lounge on Sunday, August 5, 2018.

 

For Deena Ade, it is not so bad being labeled a SoundCloud artiste. Apart from the hype associated with mainstream music due to a larger following, the categorized alternative music still enjoy the possibility of equal reach.

“SoundCloud is the only platform that has allowed me to share my music with anyone outside my family,” she revealed to me during an episode of Pulse TV’s “One on One”.

She is, however, making efforts to reach a wider audience.

“With my last two singles, what I am doing is branching out of SoundCloud and focusing on terrestrial radio.

“So that people outside a particular circle can hear my music… and it is working.

“So I think once we secure radio, and the name is more familiar, we can then push for the visual part which will be TV and maybe eventually physical copies of the CDs but we are at a point in time where CDs are being phased out.

“So I again have to go back to the original route and focus on the internet, because luckily for the alternatives artistes, we have the whole world on our phones,”  Deena Ade noted while lecturing me about her plans for the future.

ALSO READ: 5 Alternative music artistes who improved their craft in year 2017

 

It now depends on marketing strategies - how the artist with limited resources is able to attract and engage with an audience despite a lean starter-pack that excludes the kindness of critics who are honest in their request for more ideas from these artists.

Deena Ade appears to be displaying a willingness to perform. She is got energy and good intentions - just like her show.

Brymo has a model and everyone is using it

There is a soulfulness about alternative sounds that encourages a closeness between the listeners and their inner spirit. Brymo brings his audience even more closely with self-hosted gigs such as the “Oso Intimate Session”.

Back in June, it covered for an underwhelming Super Eagles loss at the world cup in Russia.

 

Brymo seems to have a strategy built on customer satisfaction and he is professional about it. This is perhaps a reason why he is able to attract a certain type of audience - the one with an exotic music taste and they have got money too.

The singer who claims he invented alternative music in Nigeria truly has the semblance of a monarchy. One with an understanding of how things work and how to nurture a following that normally won’t have gained attention.

ALSO READ: Brymo shows me a side of him I cannot forget

 

He never takes his foot off the pedal it appears. Brymo is taking his charm down to the United Kingdom on Saturday, September 29 at the "BRYMO Live In London" concert.

And on the home front, he continues the vibrancy with “Brymo’s Organised Chaos” supported by Ringier Digital Marketing (RDM) and the LooseTalk Podcast.