By Kehinde Ajose

In those days in the Nigerian music scene, you are not considered a bonafide musician until you have an album to your name.
Now, the story has changed as we have artistes who are yet to release their first albums, but already have massive hits, huge fan base and commanding high performance fees. An album takes an artiste out of the rookie zone and serves as the approval the artiste needs to prove their mettle.
This report highlights 8 Nigerian artistes who have hit songs but are yet to release an album.

Skales
At a time when his former record label refused to renew his contract and wasn’t seen as a good business deal, Skales soared above the rejection, scaled through the obstacles and fine -tuned his craft .The youngster signed a new deal with Baseline records, became more visually appealing and jarred our ear drums with the wonderful song Shake Body which now has a French version. It is unbelievable that Skales is yet to release an album, but the fact remains that he is gradually making himself an irresistible artiste.

Praiz
Even though Praiz is gradually switching from the RnB genre he is known for, his talent and versatility is however not in doubt. The success of his reggae themed hit song Rich and Famous , shot him up, winning him fans who are reggae inclined .As the year is running to an end, there is no better time for praiz to fete his fans with his debut album than now.

Orezi
While we wonder why Orezi is yet to release his debut album, the artiste who once proclaimed he has a crush on Rihanna and dedicated a song to her, dominated the airwaves with two hot singles Rihanna and Shoki. Even though the songs have been said to lack depth by music veterans, Orezi makes up for it with his energy, stage craft and delivery. Shoki made him one of the most sought after artistes of 2014.


Mc Galaxy

The name Mc Galaxy may possibly not really ring a bell amongst music lovers, but whenever his hit song Sekem is being played accompanied by the dance steps ,people get their groove on. What makes this song a hit perhaps is the bubbly beat, bass line and his melodious delivery on the song. Though, the singer cum comedian is yet to release an album, he has been able to define what a hit song sounds like.

Cynthia Morgan
Fast-rising pop artiste Cynthia Morgan, whose groovy hit song Don’t break my heart has been welcomed with loads of airplays is one artiste who doesn’t just flaunt her talent but also her sensuality. Don’t Break My Heart is a fast-paced contemporary highlife song termed as her claim to fame. She is signed on to Jude Okoye’s Northside Music Inc. Her work ethic has seen her being nominated in three categories for BEN TV Awards 2014 and also in 2 categories for Nigeria Entertainment Awards (NEA). She has done all these without an album.

Seyi Shay
The beautiful and artistic Seyi Shay burst into the Nigerian music scene when she released her song Irawo, laying claim to the fact that she is a star who has come to take her place. Even though the Murda crooner is yet to fully go mainstream with her music, the success of her semi hit song Murda; featuring Patoraking and Shaydee gives her the super star status. She is a brand ambassador to Baccardi Breezer and toured major cities of the world even though she has no album to her credit.

Patoraking
The pop singer released his highly successful and commercial hit song Girlie O this year which made him a toast of show promoters. Years back, Patoraking was just a greenhorn in the music terrain. Today, the story has changed, as he is undoubtedly one of the most featured artistes of 2014. He has made songs with A- listers like M.I, Timaya and Tiwa Savage. What makes him the rave of the moment is perhaps his reggae styled delivery. No show seems to be complete without Patoraking’s name on the menu. If he has an album it must still be forming in his head.

Zaina

Since she returned to Nigeria,
the Soul Musik first lady has continually been dishing out songs, striving to make her mark in the music industry. This year, she surprised everyone with the release of her massive Afrobeat inspired song Sarewale. Zaina’s growing confidence, sex appeal and voice texture makes this song one of the biggest songs of 2014. Her fans gladly anticipate the release of her album.

Lil Kesh
Ololade Keshinro, known as Lil Kesh is a fast-rising indigenous rapper signed on to YBNL Olamide’s record label. Though the Olamide protégé is yet to finally create his own unique style and punchlines,the youngster made 2014 a remarkable year for his fans when he took advantage of the Shoki craze and made a song out of it just like Orezi. Having done two different versions of the song, featuring top guns like Davido, Olamide and Chidinma, Lil kesh is progressively stamping his stage craft on the Nigerian music terrain but still a long shot from having his debut album.