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It’s been three years since the veteran Nigerian Highlife musician Flavour put out a full-length project. But the album break is coming to an end with his forthcoming album, African Royalty.
Although Flavour announced the album on Friday, November 17th, he only just shared the album artwork and tracklist on his social media on November 23, 2023; his birthday.
This is everything we know about the upcoming album.
The early hints
In October, Flavour posted a clip of himself and The Cavemen in the studio, which he signaled “Album mode”. On November 2nd, he finally asked us with his chest if we were ready for his new album.
The ginger in my body this month eh! 😆 Are you people ready for album or I should wait small?
This upcoming album is Flavour’s eighth studio album, coming three years after Flavour of Africa. Aside from the gospel-like titles he has released including Uplifted (2010), Blessed (2012), Thankful (2014) and Divine (2018) — Flavour has always tilted towards indigenous themes. See N’abania (his debut in 2005) and Ijele the Traveller (2017). After several years of moderating traditional-inspired Igbo sound and Highlife music, there’s almost no doubt that African Royalty is a level-up on his previous works.
Artwork and tracklist
The African Royalty announcement was accompanied bythe official album artwork and tracklist. This new project has 12 tracks, his shortest album since N’abania (2005) and Divine (2018).
Features
African Royalty features just three acts including Ejyk Nwamba, a popular Ogene musician in South-East Nigeria. The Cavemen is on it too — we can call this the meet of Highlife maestros. The third guest artist on the album is Efya from Ghana . These features seem very intentional. Bring it on, Mr. Flavour.
Release date
African Royalty will be released on December 2, 2023. Just in time for the holidays.
Singles
I’m a bit surprised his latest hit, Ndi Ike didn’t make it to the album, but I think it has built enough anticipation. Flavour noted that the lead single of the album, Big Baller, willdrop on Friday, November 24, 2023. But I’m a little lost because Game Changer, a single he released on December 2, 2022 is also on the album. Anyway, the lead single is what the artist says it is.
What’s not to love about Nigerian weddings. There is always free food, free booze, and good vibes. What I particularly love about Nigerian weddings is the music and in my opinion, no Nigerian wedding playlist can be complete without these songs.
No One Like You – P Square
The video alone is enough reason to add this song to your wedding playlist.
Wedding Day – 9ice
This song was made for Nigerian weddings.
Oruka – Sunny Nneji
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxGkcYbvZU8
I can remember how this song got played at every Nigerian wedding for years after this hit song was dropped.
Ada Ada – Flavour
Picking just one Flavour song to add to this list was hard. Every Flavour song is perfect for your wedding playlist.
Baby Girl – Nel Oliver
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqzBFXa2js0
Here’s a classic for you. Nel Oliver’s ‘Baby Girl’ is evergreen.
Olomi – Tosin Martins
If you understand Yoruba then you don’t need to be convinced to add this song to your wedding playlist.
Forever – Paul Play
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHaB2YGpDWg
Because it’s your wedding day and you and your partner plan to be together forever.
Baby Jowo(remix) – Sir Victor Olaiya ft 2face
It was hard picking between the remix of this classic song and the original, in the end, 2face’s unique addition to the song won us over.
Be Your Man – Dipo
Dipo might not be as popular as the other artists on this list, but ‘Be Your Man’ makes for the most perfect love song ever.
Ololufe – Wande Coal
Its been 9 years since Wande Coal dropped Ololufe (yes you are old) but its still hard to imagine a Nigerian wedding playlist without it.
My Darling – Tiwa Savage
Tiwa Savage’s voice is at its finest in ‘My Darling’ and we can bet you the lyrics perfectly convey everything you feel about your husband/wife-to-be.
Ekuro – Davido
From Ekuro to Aye to If to Fall Davido keeps dropping the most perfect wedding playlist songs.
Love Me Jeje – Seyi Sodimu
You already know there was no way we could have left this classic of our list.
Obianuju – Duncan Mighty
This is almost every Nigerian’s favorite Duncan Mighty song and also the sweetest love song for those who might not understand all of the lyrics.
Orente – Adekunle Gold
Adekunle Gold’s Orente always has we single pringles clutching to our pillows at night wondering when the Lord will give us our own bae.
Iyawo Mi – Timi Dakolo
Fun fact- Timi Dakolo wrote this song for his wife.
As an African woman, if you want to get a man, you can go anywhere. But if you want to be toasted properly, you need an Igbo man to do the honours.
And who better to teach this than Flavour…
Correct toasting! Watch Flavour & Juliana sing together on Coke Studio Africa below…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaCUUHaxt5E
… and don’t forget you can watch more videos on the Coke Studio Africa YouTube Channel here or catch it on TV at any of the stations listed here.
While Nigerian music has undergone serious metamorphosis in recent history, there are still songs that we hold close to our hearts and influenced the style of virtually most, if not all Nigerian musicians.
They are songs that even the young generation listen to and are on the music playlists of a lot of Nigerian weddings, both at home and abroad.
Highlife makes up a bulk of it.
via The Vinyl Factory
These are the artistes whose highlife songs that were popular before some of us were born, a lot of us grew up with and majority of us continue to enjoy to this day.
12. Flavor N’Abania
via Warriboy
How can we write about highlife without mentioning Flavour? Otherwise known Chinedu Okoli, he is the modern proponent of highlife music.
23 November 1983, he began his musical career as a drummer for a local church in his hometown of Anambra State.
His hit songs include: Nwa Baby (Ashawo Remix), Ada Ada and Golibe.
11. Tunji Oyelana
A former lecturer, Tunji Oyelana, was born October 4, 1939. He is credited with having sold the most albums by a Nigerian High Life musician.
With Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka, he composed, I Love My Country.
Both were charged with treason in 1996, and forced into exile by Sani Abacha, while touring internationally with Soyinka’s play The Beatification of Area Boy.
10. Sonny Okosun
via Artist Direct
Born on January 1, 1947 in Enugu, he was from the Edo State. He was one of the leading Nigerian musicians from the late 1970s to mid 1980s.
He formed his first band, The Postmen, in Enugu in 1965 and joined Melody Maestros, a band led by Victor Uwaifo in 1965. From 1972 to 1974 he led a group known as Paperback Limited and then formed a new band, Ozziddi. Some of his popular songs are Fire in Soweto, High Life and Which Way Nigeria. Okoson continued his career in music as a gospel musician in the early 90s.
He died aged 61 of colon cancer on 24 May 2008.
9. Dr. Orlando Owoh
via New Telegraph Online
Born Stephen Oladipupo Owomoyela in February 1932, in Osogbo, he was a notable highlife musician and band leader. He was initially in the carpentry trade until 1958, when he was hired by Kola Ogunmola Theatre Group to play drums and sing.
Dr. Orlando Owoh and his Omimah Band via Groovemonzter
He went on to form Dr. Orlando Owoh and his Omimah Band in 1960 and Dr. Orlando Owo and his Young Kenneries Band in 1975; and over a musical career of forty years became one of the leading proponents of highlife music. He had over 45 albums to his credit.
Dr. Orlando Owo and his Young Kenneries Band via GrooveMonzter
Some of his well known songs are: Yellow Sisi, Ajo Ko Dun Bi Ile, Ololufe gbao temi, Omo pupa and No Friend/Aiye Lokun.
Orlando Owoh died on November 6, 2008 and was laid to rest at his Agege residence in Lagos.
8. Celestine Ukwu and his Philosophers National
Born Celestine Obiakor in 1940, Efik, Nigeria, d. 1979, Onitsha, Nigeria. he was on the verge of national breakthrough when the Nigerian civil war brought touring and recording to a grinding halt. He re-emerged in 1970 with Philospher’s Stone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YK4jYXtXf0U
He released his biggest hit Money Palaver in 1976. He died later the same year.
7. Prince Nico Mbarga
via Pointsdactu
Prince Nico Mbarga was born to a Nigerian mother and a Cameroonian father in Abakaliki on 1 January, 1950.
He is renowned for his hit song Sweet Mother, recorded with his band Rocafil Jazz; as well as Aki Special.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_MnLaaWc3w
He was killed in a motorcycle accident on June 24, 1997.
6. Dr. Sir Warrior and The Oriental Brothers International
Born Christogonus Ezebuiro Obinna in 1947 in Imo State, the Ultimate Dr. Sir Warrior, was the leader of the Oriental Brothers International Band which was famous in the Nigerian Igbo highlife music scene for several decades.
He began performing at the age of 11, when joined a men’s choral group specialising in a music form known as Èsè. By 16, he had achieved fame for his voice and performance of Èsè music.
It is said that the Oriental Brothers played a very important spiritual role in keeping many Igbo sane. as they were severely traumatized by the civil war.
He introduced the Oyorima concept, which is an Igbo word that means a refined feeling of rhythmic movement and balance. The same Oyorima that Flavour mentions in his music.
He released the popular song Ofe Owere five years before his death in June, 1999.
5. Jim Rex Lawson
via Music in Africa
Also known as Cardinal Rex, he was born to parents of Igbo and Kalabari descent in 1935.
Lawson played with Sammy Obot, Bobby Benson, Victor Olaiya, Chris Ajilo, and other Ghanaian and Nigerian musicians and bands. With the Majors Band, they recorded the hits: So ala teme, Yellow Sisi, Gowon Special, and Jolly Papa.
Lawson died in 1971 in a car accident on his way to play a show in Warri. He was 36 years old. His band continued as the Professional Seagulls after his death.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBOXi3bJ7ug
His most popular songs are Yellow Sisi, Love Mu Adure and Sawale. Sawale was remixed by Flavour to make the popular hit song, Nwa Baby (Ashawo).
4. Victor Olaiya
Victor Olaiya was born on 31 December 1930, in Calabar, Cross River State, and is the 20th child of a family of 24. He hails from Ijesha-Ishu in Ekiti State and comes from a very rich family.
After leaving school he moved to Lagos, where he passed the school certificate examination in 1951 and was accepted by Howard University, US, to study civil engineering. He instead pursued a career as a musician, to the disapproval of his parents.
In 1954 Olaiya formed his own band, the Cool Cats (later the All Star Band), playing popular highlife music. His band was chosen to play at the state ball when Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom visited Nigeria in 1956, and later to play at the state balls when Nigeria became independent in 1960 and when Nigeria became a republic in 1963. On the latter occasion, Olaiya shared the stage with the American jazz musician Louis Armstrong. During the Nigerian Civil War of 1967–70, Olaiya was given the rank of a lieutenant colonel (honorary) in the Nigerian army and his band played for the troops at various locations. The Cool Cats later travelled to the Congo to perform for United Nations troops.
Victor Olaiya is still very much alive and as recent as July 2013, he released a music video remix of Baby Jowo with 2face Idibia and was received with much acclaim.
3. Oliver De Coque
Popularly known as Oliver De Coque, Chief Dr. Oliver Sunday Akanite was born on April 14, 1947 and hails from Ezinifite in Anambra state. He recorded more than 73 albums to his credit making him the most popular High life king of Africa.
His music band group Ogene Sound Super of Africa, blended modern high life and traditional Igbo music. He started playing music at the age of 17 with Ekpili.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tAiDzrMoEw
Some of his popular songs are: People’s Club, Identity, Tolerance (Eleta Aghara)and No More War.
2. Victor Uwaifo
via PM News
Born on 1 March 1941 in Edo state, Benin city, he is one of the musicians who popularised highlife music in Nigeria.
His popular songs include Guitar Boy, Mami Water (inspired by a real life encounter at the Bar Beach) and Joromi (taken from a folklore story of the same name, about the warrior who fought in the underworld and never returned).
Apart from singing, he is also a writer, sculptor, and musical instrument inventor. He also served as commissioner for arts and culture in Edo State under the government of Lucky Igbinedion and is a lecturer at the Department of Fine and Applied Arts at the University of Benin, Benin City.
1. Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe
Born in March, 1936, in Atani, a city in Anambra state, he came from a line of singers and dancers. His interest in music began in his high school years in Onitsha.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEK5bBkr5Sk
His career spanned over 40 years and he has written over 500 songs, half of which were commercially released. His popular hits include: Osondi Owendi (meaning “one man’s meat is another man’s poison”), Nwannem Ebezina, Kedu America and Onuigbo.
He died in St. Mary’s Hospital Waterbury, Connecticut on 11 May 2007.
Other highlife kings are:
E.C Arinze, Ey Ohunta, David Egbo, Fatai Rolling Dollar, Bright Chimezie, Ikem Mazeli, Bola Johnson, Solomon Ilori, King Bruce, King Ubulu, Gooddy Ezike, Lungu Lungu, Baba Ken Okulolo, Roy Chicago, Peacocks International, Gentleman Mike Ejeagaha, Tunde Nightingale, Waziri Oshomah, Adeolu Akinsanya and Kayode Fashola.
