The year 2022 was another banger for the Nigeria Music industry as the world stood still to appreciate Afro music which was infused into other genres such as hip hop and ampaino.
More so, these songs topped music charts around the world, and were heavily streamed on the best ranked music streaming sites. While fans of some Nigerian artists can claim that their favorite songs are among the top 10 best songs of 2022, we have analyzed this list based on general public acceptance, smash hits, record broken, consistent ranking on various streaming sites, quality of sound & production, and delivery.
These are the top 10 Nigerian most popular songs of 2022.
First on the list is “Last Last” by Burna Boy. Arguably the biggest song in Nigeria and one of the biggest songs globally, “Last Last” enjoyed massive success across Nigeria and beyond. ‘Last Last’ samples Toni Braxton’s 2000 hit track, ‘He wasn’t man enough’ which equally was a heartbreak song. Last Last came briefly after Burna Boy’s breakup from his partner Stefflon Don. The song was on every lip, it was on every karaoke set, and it was on every chart as it delivered a rush of nostalgia and gratification.
The single which was released in May 2022 by Global superstar, from his 6th album ‘Love, Damini’ and has gone from strength to strength since its release. ‘Last Last’ peaked at NO. 4 on the UK Charts while also peaking at NO. 44 on Billboard Hot 100 making it one of Afrobeats biggest international singles of 2022. The single has also earned a nomination for Best Global Song at the 2023 Grammys.
The song was produced by the super talented Chopsticks and continues to captivate listeners across the continent.
Arguably the biggest Nigerian song of the year in terms of global acceptance and how relatable it is, the song “Buga ” is right to be the second on this list. Multi talented Nigerian Artiste, Kizz Daniel teamed up with another talented Nigerian artist, Tekno to release this song which became a global sensation.
The interesting thing about this song is how it was widely accepted by people of all age brackets – Old & young alike. Before the song was released, the chorus had already gone viral due to the chorus and a particular dance step which accompanies it. Interestingly, this global hit song has been named the Most Searched Song in Google Nigeria for 2022.
Chart topping, several Tok challenges, party banger, etc are some of the words to describe this song by Kizz Daniel. The Grammy-nominated artist and FlyBoi Inc boss, released this banger after disrupting the industry with his ‘buga’ song. Before the release of this enticing song Kizz Daniel had initially announced and teased the song with clips of dance steps featuring many popular skitmakers in Nigeria. This captured the minds of his music lovers and fans already before its release.
This song comes with a fantastic rhythm delivery and well-blended vocals and a rival dance step when the chorus is sung. Odo is part of the Album titled “Where We Come From, Vol. 0”. It is the 10th most searched Nigerian song on Google in 2022.
There is no one who will argue that this song shouldn’t have made this list. Finesse, which was performed by Nigerian baddest producer, Pheelz, features vocals from Nigerian Afro-fusion singer Bnxn and was produced by Miichkel. The song was uploaded on TikTok in February 2022 and commercially released on 3 March 2022. During its debut week, the record gained popularity across TikTok in Europe and America, with the #FolakeChallenge hashtag. It was ranked at number one on The Cable’s list of 10 TCL radio picks of the week, and number two on Music in Africa’s top Afrobeats songs of 2022.
It debuted at number 131 on the Billboard Global 200, and at number 106 on the Billboard Global Excl. US chart. In the month of March, the song peaked at number one in ten countries, including Dominica, Benin Republic, Cameroon, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Uganda. Interestingly, this chart-topping single made it into Barack Obama’s 2022 summer playlist.
Pheelz revealed that the inspiration for the song came up during a training session he held for a new producer he signed. According to him, the new producer whose name is Micheal actually created the beat which inspired him to come up with the melody and lyrics of the song.
Mavin All star teamed up to release this well-crafted song Overloading – which shook billboards and streaming sites. Interestingly, the song is ending the year as the most trending music video on Youtube Nigeria. One good thing to note from the song is that it created a spotlight on the new artists namely, Crayon, Ayra Starr, Boy Spyce, and Magixx. The song was part of songs released to mark Mavin’s 10 years anniversary.
Popular record label YBNL made their intentions for a hit-filled 2022 known with the release of this banger “Omo Ope” by latest signee, Asake, who had his boss, Olamide featuring in the song. The song produced by talented producer Magic Stickz became the talk of the town and aired on various radio stations and music streaming sites. The song also made people pay close attention to YBNL’s new star and was a good foundation for what has been a successful 2022 for him and his record label. The song was a fusion of afrobeat and amapiano, embellished with beautiful lyrics.
Asake continued his rise in the music industry with the release of another banger especially as it featured Grammy Award winner, Burna Boy. The song was met with wide acceptance by music lovers home and abroad.
Furthermore, the song was accompanied by the official video performance which is also available for your viewing pleasure. The catchy visual was directed by raving filmmaker, TG Omori.
The year 2022 is one that talented producer cum singer, Pheelz will forget in a hurry. After releasing ‘Finesse’, one of the most trending songs of the year, he followed it up with another mind-blowing jam, Electricity. In addition, this amazing vocalist included the impeccable vocals of the DMW boss, Nigerian singer, and superstar, Davido. The song is indeed electrifying as fans haven’t gotten over the jam.
YBNL has another spot on this list with a song from two of the finest artists, Fireboy and Asake. Bandana, upon release, became the biggest song on streaming platforms. It also makes our list of top trending Naija songs in 2022. Rightfully so, it was done by two of the most talented artists in Nigeria and the video production was top notch.
Udomboso John Saviours known as Young Jonn has been known for producing hit songs. Interestingly, ever since he switched to singing, the talented artist keeps updating our playlist with good melodies, displaying his multifaceted qualities. One of them is “Dada (remix)”, one of the hottest Nigerian songs of 2022, which also had superstar Davido featured. The lyrics, vocals and beat of the song were top notch !
