With Afrobeats being the ‘it’ sound in pop music, several Jamaican artists and producers have worked with the genre’s top acts hoping to break into that lucrative market. Nigerian singer Queendalyne is looking for the opposite.
Her latest song, Bad Gyal, leans heavily on Jamaican dancehall although it has traces of Naija, an Afrobeats sound popular in her homeland.
Bad Gyal is produced by Tufgig Music Group, a New York-based Nigerian company which also produced Prayer, her previous song.
Queendalyne is keen on making a mark in Jamaica and believes Bad Gyal has the goods to give her that break.
“Yes, I love Jamaica! And I love their pattern of music, from their beats to their style of singing to their dance movements.. it’s all love for me, you know. And I truly wish I would even have some beautiful collaborations with some of Jamaican artists soon,” she said.
Prayer was done to Afro roots-reggae, a new beat, which blended Afrobeats and roots-reggae. Queendalyne cites them as two of her favorite genres.
Tufgig Music Group went for a change of pace this time around.
“Bad Gyal is quite different because of its dancehall genre and vibes. And if you listen carefully, you will observe a different spice to it. It has the Naija Afrobeat and some kind of reggae/ dancehall spice too,” she said.
Afrobeats originated in Nigeria and has caught on in major markets in the United States and Europe where acts like Burna Boy, Wizkid and Davido have made major inroads.
In Jamaica, dancehall acts and producers have embraced the percussive sound.
Queendalyne, who is from Igbos in south-eastern Nigeria, has been recording for seven years. Her initial songs were pop-oriented, similar to her biggest influences — Nicki Minaj, Rihanna and fellow Nigerian Tiwa Savage.
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