A new generation of artistes are rocking the entertainment scene and smiling to the bank, JAYNE AUGOYE reports

A wind of change is currently blowing across the music industry in Nigeria. A new order championed by young, vibrant and talented artistes has emerged. Rather than curse the day that their children decided to embrace a career in music instead of education, the parents of these wave-making artistes are pleased with the success they have achieved.

Today, the young artistes are giving the older and established stars a run for their money. These new-wave superstars now rub shoulders with the same artistes whom they once looked up to or chose as role models.

Apart from competing with the ‘old guards’ in terms of income and expenditure, they are often nominated for major music awards in similar categories.

Multinationals and telecommunications outfits, as well as other major events sponsors, have realised that the younger generation of music artistes represent the future of entertainment in Nigeria. With a good number of them aged between 20 and 25 years and a few others barely clocking 30, the sky seems to be the limit.

Many of the emerging stars are not just rich; they flaunt their wealth at every given opportunity. It seems that the rewards for their modest efforts at making many Nigerians happy are without limit and they always come in the form of luxury mansions, sold-out concerts, huge fan base, state-of-the-art cars, bestselling albums, multi-million naira endorsement deals, chattered flights, big budget videos, custom-made outfits, ‘bling bling’ and generous airplay on terrestrial TV stations.

Usually dressed in sagging pairs of trousers with expensive jewellery around their necks, many of them charge as much as N1.5m to mime to their songs for only 10 minutes at wedding parties or concerts. Many of them had to drop out of school to pursue a career in music.

We present to you six young music stars that have taken the music scene by storm.

Wizkid

At 23, Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, a.k.a Wizkid, leads the pack. A string of endorsement deals, including one from MTN, has placed him on the list of big earning music artistes in Nigeria. At