The Mayor Of Lagos Is A Limited Nigerian Popstar.
Adewale Mayowa Emmanuel, popularly known Mayorkun, is a very talented Nigerian pop-star; He came into the Nigerian Music industry in 2016, under DMW’s umbrella and has ever seen great welcome and exposure since then, has been offered massive spotlight on his direction and expansion on various level mostly within the Nigerian music industry. He was nominated at Headies, for the next rated act category and won in 2018, he has also gained several awards and recognition’s to boost his repute in Nigerian music and has been consistent in music making, as he has been adding notable pop art to his lovely cabinet of sweet Afro-beat songs.
Mayorkun is ladies favorite; he became one of their favorite pop-star immediately after releasing his debut single “Eleko” in 2016, alongside other catchy songs like “Mama”, “Posh”, “Bobo” and more which has continued to hook more hearts to his corner. Well, The Mayor has continued to anchor the hearts closely, each he binds to his glittering art which resonates with native audiences. He sings in Yoruba and Pidgin English, and he makes native a bit quality with refinement in between, servicing his native audience who have lived to love him up to stupor.
The Mayor, hosted his first ever concert in Lagos, Balmoral Event Center in Victoria Island, on the 14th of December 2018. He has been receiving great reception, as he embarked on several tours nationwide and has also been headlining good numbers of events in Lagos, Ibadan, Abuja, and the UK alongside his Label mate, Dremo and record label boss, Davido; Before the global COVID-19 pandemic breakout and lockdown in 2020. He recently introduced us a very special moniker that one could see boldly on his social media handles as “TMOL”, which simply indicates, “The Mayor Of Lagos”, has wired him bright live to his brand in Lagos specially. He is now officially known as “The Mayor of Lagos” and has been living to fulfill the standard for his people. Released his debut project on the same tag and is living completely like the mayor in his hometown.
He is very excited and comfortable about being the mayor of his town, a bit worried if he could ever be able live to expected standard:
Has the name had any effect on you?
Personally, it’s like changing from a boy to a man. It’s like asides the way people perceive mayors, like it gave me more responsibilities even in my house. Even around my guys. Some things now, I can’t do o. Even way before the title, it was just my way. I can be all over the place in my house sha but not in public.
Does it come with any responsibility or have people put responsibilities on you based on the name?
Oh yeah, I was talking to my manager one time that because of the way people perceive mayors, like I said. There was one time I was in London, I was talking to my friend and I said something that they perceived was offensive about the Mayor of London. We were in the train that day, and the way she took it, I say ‘who be this guy? I no know am na. What made me talk about it is, I saw a sticker on the train that says Mayor of London. And I wanted to take a picture and said ‘omo cancel this London, na Lagos.’ Na so she start to dey para. And I saw that there was this huge respect that they place on mayors. So when I got back to Naija, I knew that I gats dey do respectful things (laughs). Plus I told Sam Phrank my manager that, ‘why don’t we do some things like philanthropy?’ Schools, they are all in my plans sha. Corona just spoilt a lot of things man. The Mayor talks more about his moniker with Joey Akan of Afrobeats Intelligence.
Well, the Mayor Of Lagos is like a tag which seem to light a blunt limiting effects on Mayorkun; crowning him as local champion? “The Mayor Of Lagos” moniker says it all, it stakes various imaginations into your head and also leaves you wishing to get contact with the Lagos Mayor from far sight. Meanwhile it has droplets of limitation attached. Mayorkun has been living to the name, apart from his artistry being native, and confined with Yoruba and Pidgin English; but his music has not made any solid penetration outside his home town yet, it majorly revolves around his place of birth and still trips and falls to stay beyond the continent as he claims to be in-charge as the Mayor? Notwithstanding, I feel the moniker has attracted many forms of limitation from his artistic construction down to it’s entire presentation which he bores nativity with only minimal droplets that shows signs that his taking international seat to dominate beyond his hometown.
Of course he has toured UK, over 10cities plus, but the penetration isn’t a solid stake yet. Yes, He has topped the “Billboard World Album Charts” at №15 spot but yet, he is still a local champion.
The Mayor Of Lagos, moniker is like a limiting factor to Mayorkun’s international breakthrough. He is a limited pop-star. The factor might not be really obvious to your sight yet but then if you stretch and look deeper. He is a very talented super-star, but has caked limitation that majorly penetrates his art with strong effect in Nigerian music industry. This limitation might seem very blurry yet and you can rightly agree because you are yet to fully understand.
The talented Nigerian pop-star, is limited and would address the entire issue in rebranding his local music to suit diaspora listeners perfectly; to gain very strong penetration in African and International dominance with a bonifide acceptance of his art completely in diaspora. Because his artistry built to fully catch the sight of diaspora, and encamp international audience is yet to be curated. The Mayor Of Lagos, is simply the mayor in his hometown, a local champion who is yet to gain bonifide dominance beyond his hometown.
