Yemi Alade: The growing business of Nigeria's female music star

27 years old, two albums, approximately 70 million views on YouTube, and a continental fan base, Yemi Alade is one of Nigeria's biggest music stars and one of the most successful.

Always on the move and visiting more African capital cities than a UN diplomat, the business of Yemi Alade is booming. On Friday, July 8, 2016 the music star shared a photo of her in a private jet on her Instagram page. "From okada to taxi to rickety cars to porshe rides to Jets .! But still, The greatest wealth you can acquire is knowledge. #Readup" wrote the 'Johnny' singer.

 

Today Yemi Alade is at the summit of the Nigerian music industry with sold out shows and hit singles, but nearly three years ago it wasn't like that for the beautiful singer. "It wasn’t easy in the beginning. I performed at over 300 free shows before I came this big. I didn’t have use to have money for studio sessions. It was that bad" she said during a BEAT FM interview in 2015.

 

Yemi Alade's turn big boost came in October 2013 when she released the single 'Johnny' an infectious, bubbly song about a playboy boyfriend with wavering eyes produced by Triple MG act Selebobo, The song would catapult Yemi Alade into stardom and increase her profile in the music industry. The video currently has 47 million views on YouTube.

This was the cornerstone which Yemi Alade used to establish her kingdom. Off the success of that song Yemi Alade has turned herself into a successful pan-African and contemporary brand who is one of the top earners in the music industry.

 

In a brief chat with Yemi Alade's manger Taiye 'Effizy' Aliyu, he exclusively gave Pulse an insight into the pop star's performance rates. According to him 'Mama Africa' commands $40,000-$50,000 (N14,120,000-N17,650,000) for international shows with a 15-man band. For local shows Yemi Alade earns somewhere between N4m-N5m. If you count the number of times she has been out of the country this year alone then you know Yemi Alade is a franchise earner. This is a woman who rocked a  Zuhair Murad piece from the brand's Resort 2016 collection at the 2016 BET Awards. The dress is said to be worth N2m.

 

Yemi Alade has however gone beyond music with interests in fashion and jewlery. In November 2015, Yemi Alade launched her jewelry collection under the Bland2Glam platform in elaborate ceremony that had Florence Ita-Giwa in attendance. The price of jewelries in Yemi Alade's collection ranges from N5,000-N30,000.

In June, the pop star launched the first ever collection from her House of Tangerine brand at the Africa Fashion Week Nigeria 2016. She was also the ambassador for the 2016 Africa Fashion Week Nigeria. Clearly, Yemi Alade is diversifying her portfolio. In February 2016 she announced that she would also be releasing a shoe line.

 

 With a grip on both fashion and music what's next for the music star? "Let's watch and see" says Yemi Alade's manager on her future business plans. Yesterday (Monday, July 11, 2016) the Nigerian female star had the pleasure of meeting the President of Togo Faure Gnassingbé. A few days before that she celebrated having 900,000 followers on Instagram.

Business is booming for Yemi Alade. She is visibly one of the most successful celebrities out of Africa within the last few years. With no plans of stopping anytime soon, the 'King of Queens' is seeking to further expand her brand.

source: Pulse