There have been 11 No. 1 entries in the three quarters of 2022; the eleven chart toppers are spread across the Nigeria Top 100 (4) and the defunct TurnTable Top 50 (7). The former is the first standard music chart in Nigeria to combine data from all streaming platforms (Apple Music, Audiomack, Boomplay, Spotify and YouTube) and airplay across radio and TV stations in the country. The latter which ran for almost two years employed a similar methodology but without the addition of Apple Music & Spotify data.

In the eleven weeks of the Top 100, four songs have reached the summit of the chart; Asake’s “Peace Be Unto You,” which became the historic first No. 1 entry on the chart published on July 11, 2022 (for the week of July 1 – 7); it was followed by Burna Boy’s “For My Hand” with Ed Sheeran – which debuted atop the chart following the record-breaking debut of Love, Damini album. “Bandana” by Fireboy DML & Asake has spent seven weeks at No. 1 on the chart while “Terminator” by Asake – the current No. 1 – has logged two weeks atop the chart.

Before that on the defunct TurnTable Top 50, seven songs reached the top spot of the chart, namely; “Peru” by Fireboy DML & Ed Sheeran (4 weeks), “Baddest Boy (Remix)” by Skiibii & Davido (5 weeks), “Finesse” by Pheelz & BNXN “Sungba (Remix)” by Asake featuring Burna Boy (1 week), “Kwaku the Traveller” by Black Sherif (3 weeks), “Buga (Lo Lo Lo)” by Kizz Daniel & Tekno (7 weeks). Asake’s “Peace Be Unto You” also reached No. 1 on the Top 50 for one week.

Here are the takeaways through the first three quarters of 2022;

1. Snippets Ahead of Release: Through the first three quarters of 2022, the release of snippets ahead of official drop has been the most common trend among the No. 1 songs in Nigeria. A whopping eight No. 1 songs have had snippets on social media; it is easier to list the three songs that don’t have this trend (“Omo Ope,” “Buga (Lo Lo Lo), and “For My Hand.”

2. Crowd Vocals: This is the second most popular trend among No. 1 songs in the year, 6 songs have this. As you can imagine, five of those come from none other than Asake including “Bandana” by Fireboy DML. “Finesse” is the other No. 1 song with crowd vocals.

3. Viral on Tik Tok: Tik Tok is increasingly becoming the go-to medium for music promotion across the world and Nigeria is no different. It is important to note that all these No. 1 songs have a significant level of popularity on Tik Tok; however, for this review, only the songs with a massive level of popularity spunning viral challenges are considered. Three songs have this – “Finesse” by Pheelz & BNXN, which was released ahead of its planned release date due to its massive popularity on social media; “Buga (Lo Lo Lo)” which became a viral sensation boosted by its dance and pose; and “Kwaku the Traveller” by Black Sherif – which became the first solo Hip-Hop/Rap song to reach No. 1 in Nigeria.

4. Amapiano: It has become the most popular sub-genre in Nigeria in the last three years. However, the review has shown that only Asake has been able to use this sound to top an aggregate chart in 2022 [when you look back further, you would realize that Ayra Starr’s “Bloody Samaritan” 1-week No. 1 is the only other Amapiano No. 1 song in Nigeria before Asake, the use of log drums by Tempoe for Joeboy’s 10-week No. 1 in 2021 “Sip (Alcohol) would qualify as Amapiano-influenced].

5. Remix: The final trend is the release of a remix featuring a heavyweight artiste including non-Nigerians. “Peru” by Fireboy DML & Ed Sheeran was the first remix to reach No. 1 in 2022 – the song previously peaked at No. 3 before the release of the remix. “Baddest Boy (Remix)” by Skiibii featuring Davido followed immediately, spending five consecutive weeks at No. 1 – the original song never appeared on the Top 50. “Sungba (Remix)” by Asake featuring Burna Boy peaked at No. 1 for one week aided by the release of its remix – the original peaked at No. 5 before the release of the remix and with its single frame at No. 1, it is possible that the original might not have reached the top spot.      

One final thing that a lot of No. 1 songs have in common is being released under EMPIRE; nine of the No. 1 songs of 2022 have been released or distributed by the company – more than any of the trends reviewed. “Baddest Boy (Remix)” released under More Grace/Dvpper Music and “Finesse,” released under DC Talent Agency/Warner Music are the only non-EMPIRE songs to reach No. 1 in 2022. The company has released the No. 1 song in Nigeria for the last 26 weeks – a run stretching from March 26 when “Sungba (Remix)” topped the TurnTable Top 50.

Outlier

Burna Boy's "For My Hand" with Ed Sheeran is the only outlier among all the No. 1 songs; it not an Amapiano song, it doesn't contain crowd vocals, no snippet of the song was released before its release as part of Love, Damini on July 8, it hasn't gone viral on Tik Tok and it is an original song.

It is important to note that the song was performed by the two artistes at the Wembley Stadium a week before release - but that doesn't qualify as a snippet in this review.