In times like this – especially with an economy like that of Nigeria – having a skill is of great advantage.

Statistics reveals that a very high percentage of young Nigerians are unemployed and this is as a result of bad governance, corruption, poor educational structure and poverty.

One would love to know how the individuals who fall in this percentage survive. This is where skills and talents come in handy.

Nigerians are super talented people, especially in fields relating to music and show business generally.

New artistes spring up every minute. There’s always a new name in the industry. Even as you read this, there is a young man somewhere in a Lagos suburb recording his first track in a middle-class studio.

Many of these artistes never get to taste fame or build for themselves a worthy audience while a few others – who had the required knowledge and resources – get to become voices to reckon with internationally. Some others get to be household names but lose their relevance after a while due to certain mistakes.

Branding makes the difference between all three sets of musical artistes.

Just like oxygen is needed to respire and breathe every second, the right branding is the fluid needed to fuel the career of musical artistes.

The reason is that there are so many talents out there, and the only way to keep being relevant is to come up with a niche that appeals to the market.

Take Slimcase for instance, his distinction was his street ‘shaku shaku’ vibe. That became his niche and it has become almost impossible for him to quit doing street music. People love it, but I am scared of what will become of him after this trend dies out.

The same applies to the likes of Idowest, Lil Kesh, Mr. Real, Zlatan and other street musicians.

I also have fear for Timaya and Adekunle Gold. Inasmuch as both do very good music and have beautiful sounds, I have heard many express dislike for them on character grounds.

For a long while, both artistes have been writing songs that point at criticising their ‘enemies’. Timaya seems to always have something to say about his haters and how they do not want him to prosper.

Perhaps he doesn’t know, the sound of such hating just shuts the mind of many music lovers from actually enjoying his songs.

Adekunle Gold on the other hand has not only been singing about haters, but has also been doing almost too many comparisons. If he’s not differentiating between a cat and a tiger, it is a face cap and a gele.

We know he is a beautiful song writer and has a magical voice, but why exactly is he not extending his writings to other pressing and more interesting topics?

Even if he wants to settle for a niche, he started out as a lover boy. We know him to be a lover boy. He should stick to the ‘orente’ vibe. If he is not careful, he might lose all the fame and legacy he has built over the years.

Peruzzi is another beautiful artiste who has the talent and fame but seems to be starved of love from the public. He should intentionally do his best to kill the notion of him not being able to make hit songs on his own without a feature.

No doubt, he is a good writer, has a good voice and performs above average. He should be way ahead of where he is right now.

The talent is not enough. The artiste with the best branding gets the hearts of the public. This is the secret to success in show business, not only in Nigeria but the entertainment world as a whole. The key is branding.